Date of Award

12-2011

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Specialization

Communication and Leadership

School or Department

School of Leadership Studies

First Advisor

Dr. John Caputo

Second Advisor

Dr. Carolyn Cunningham

Abstract

This quantitative study examined if the media branding by a particular for-profit university affected the behavioral decisions of non-traditional students seeking higher education. The research also sought to understand if the branding which elicited that behavior modeled the reality of the educational experience. The philosophical framework of this research centered on Robert Craig's socio-psychological tradition from the "7 Traditions of Communication Theory." It utilized French media philosopher Jean Baudrillard's 1986 essay, "Ecstasy of Communication," as a guide in that it points to television as the most direct communication for both sending and receiving information. The study's theoretical basis was grounded in Albert Bandura's social cognitive theory, particularly his essay (2001) "Theoretical Integration and Research Synthesis," as it explored the symbolism present in media and its relation to human thought. The data for this study was obtained through two surveys distributed through the internet. One survey group included non-traditional adults considering a return to higher education, while the other survey group included students of the for-profit university in which this study was focused. The results show that the non-students desired to model the behavior portrayed in the media branding of the for-profit university and they considered contacting the school after viewing its television advertisements. However, the research also determined that the existing students did not feel the media branding accurately portrayed the reality of the educational experience. The findings bring a call to action for more media literacy education in relation to understanding the semiotics of media branding in television advertisements.

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