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STATEMENT OF SCHOLARSHIP
“Human relationships always help us to carry on because they always presuppose further developments,
a future --and also because we live as if our only task was precisely to have relationships
with other people.” Albert Camus
As a scholar at Western Washington University (WWU), I have published papers and presented
my findings in three areas of research: Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), Critical/Cultural
Studies, and Organizational Communication. My research emphasizes relationship development across
these diverse areas within the field of Communication. Communication is an interdisciplinary field and
my department at WWU supports work presented and published in interdisciplinary forums. As the
Department Evaluation states, “the Department of Communication values and encourages its faculty to
pursue diverse programs of scholarship.”1 In my career at WWU, I have delivered 26 refereed conference
presentations at the national, regional, and local level--18 of those presentations were delivered while
employed at WWU. These conferences emphasized Communication, Service-Learning, disAbility, and
Cultural Studies. I have presented at the National Communication Association, the largest association in
the United States that focuses on Communication. I received five research grants, and five travel grants—
eight were awarded by WWU. My work has been published in recognized journals on a variety of topics
including, teaching and learning, relationships development, diverse cultures. Thus far, I have published
three articles in refereed journals and one non-refereed resource.
All three of my research areas are important because they help to build a framework of the
relational and cultural experiences of people from different social contexts who represent unique
standpoints. I believe that human interaction is the essence of how we exist and move through our day-today life, hence relationships are something to understand and value. As a scholar at WWU, I have been
devoted to investigating student-learning experiences; the development of interpersonal relationships in
the classroom, the local community and workplace; and the socialization experiences of college students
from diverse cultures (i.e. students with disAbilities and students of African-American descent).
In the following sections, I provide an overview of my research focus, its connections to the field
of Communication, my personal commitment and growth as a scholar, and evidence of my major and
minor programs of scholarship. In my narrative, I will share my passion and dedication to each area of
study as they continue to influence my life as a scholar. First, I will discuss Scholarship of Teaching and
Learning (SoTL), second, Organizational Communication, and third, Critical/cultural studies.
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
My primary area of research is the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). SoTL scholars
are interested in how to teach communication. Communication is the bridge between teaching and
learning. With the changing landscape of how students learn today and the increase in cultural diversity,
the work of SoTL continues to evolve and gain attention in our field. The National Communication
Association (NCA) has dedicated a significant focus to the study and discourse of SoTL. SoTL
investigates how to strengthen curriculum design and pedagogy. It also questions how teaching fosters
student learning and collaborative relationships. Hence, understanding the relationship between professor
teaching and student learning may facilitate effective student-professor relationships. Research questions
under study come directly from classroom experiences of both students and professors. The classroom
becomes the laboratory whereby the researcher studies student learning outcomes and professor teaching
methods/practices. SoTL prompts educators to investigate their pedagogy by encouraging self-reflection
and attentiveness to critical feedback from students, peers, and other observers (i.e. administrators and
colleagues).
1
Department of Communication Evaluation Plan, p. 6.
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I have always been fascinated with discovering innovative ways to capture university students’
attention through different teaching methods. Thus, research in SoTL came naturally to me. I study how
to create supportive classrooms that are inclusive of diverse learning styles. I research how relationships
between students, professors, and Center for Service-Learning staff members are developed and
maintained.
SoTL researchers examine problems that arise from practice, thus they study the issue using the
most appropriate methodology. Although quantitative methods have been used in SoTL studies,
qualitative methods such as focus groups, interviews, case studies, action research, participatory research,
and face-to-face interviews are commonly practiced. Hutchings & Shulman argued that SoTL is practiced
when scholars share their results with others and become informed by integrating knowledge from other
researchers.2 To publish and present this type of research permits me to improve my teaching practices by
being reflective of feedback received by students and colleagues. Given that SoTL is highly recognized at
the national level, the Department of Communication supports faculty who study SoTL as a primary or
secondary area of scholarship.3 My research in SoTL emphasizes three sub-areas: Student-professor
relationships, teaching and learning of students with disAbilities, and service-learning as pedagogy.4
Student-Professor Relationship
I am interested in the relationship that develops between students and professors in and out of the
classroom. One of my most notable papers was recently accepted by a refereed journal, Academic
Exchange Quarterly (AEQ). It received the Editor’s Choice Award for the quality and content of our
article. This paper was co-authored with Dr. Anna Eblen, chair of the Department of Communication who
is very well versed in relationship development; and two previous Communication undergraduate
students, Brian Launius and Hayley Peterson. WWU values student engagement in “collaborative
scholarship”;5 and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS) “supports undergraduate
research activities” with faculty.”6 This paper went through a double-blind peer review. Of all the articles
in this edition, our article was one of three selected to have the full text available online. The manuscript
acceptance rate for this issue was 29%. The AEQ is devoted to effective teaching and learning. This
journal called for articles that focused specifically on collaborative efforts in education (e.g. studentprofessor, colleague co-authors). Our paper, “Building Community Through Co-authorship” focused on
relationship outcomes of college teachers and undergraduate students who successfully co-authored
projects. Given the increase in scholarly collaboration among faculty and students today, we decided to
investigate this issue. We conducted face-to-face interviews and focus groups to address the research
questions. The results indicate that collaborative co-authorship is important for professional development,
relational and personal growth of both teachers and students.
With the introduction of technology, the learning styles of students have changed. Teaching
practices that worked five years ago are not as effective today. The group of students that have influenced
the change in our classrooms today are known as generation Y. Last fall (2009) I presented on a panel
title Then & Now: Shifts in Generational Stereotypes and Pedagogical Strategies at the National
Communication Association for the SoTL division. Due to the highly competitive submission for SoTL
last year, our panel was one of eight panels selected out of the total 19 panels (42% selected). My paper,
“Generation Y and the Future of Teaching & Learning: Developing an Inclusive Communication
2
Hutchings, P., & Shulman, L. (1999). The scholarship of teaching and learning: New elaborations, new
development. Change, 31(5), 11-15.
3
Department of Communication Evaluation Plan, p. 4.
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disAbility- uppercase ‘A’ is used to emphasize the person’s ability first. Lowercased ‘d’ is used to view the
disAbility as second.
5
WWU Engaged Excellence Strategic Action Plan, p. 2.
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College of Humanities and Social Sciences Strategic Plan, Winter 2008, p. 9.
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Classroom Climate” focused on generation Y as a culture and the need to integrate the learning needs into
the curriculum. It is important for us to learn how to communicate with this diverse culture and create
inclusive pedagogy. I will continue to investigate the literature on this topic.
Given the rich data collected from the previous co-authorship study (discussed above), a second
paper was developed and presented at WWU’s Festival of Scholarship, Celebrating Collaborative Inquiry
conference. The conference theme was to display collaborative work among students, professors, and
colleagues. The paper title is “Making it Through: From Start to Finish…Faculty and Student CoAuthorship Process.” I focused on the communication process of how co-authorship between professors
and students are developed. This study was supported by a fellowship from WWU’s Writing Instruction
Support program. Given that the data has already been analyzed, the manuscript will be submitted to
Communication Education journal this fall 2010.
Service-Learning as Pedagogy
I study the integration of service-learning (SL) into the Communication curriculum. I focus on the
teaching and learning outcomes for students, faculty, Center of Service-Learning staff, and the
community. When I first came to WWU in 2000, I was introduced to service-learning and trained how to
implement it into my course as by Dr. Anna Eblen and the Center for Service-Learning (CSL) past
director, Lisa Moulds. SL is a pedagogy that permits students to connect in-class theory and apply it to an
organized community service project. It is a form of experiential learning whereby students are
immediately involved in teaching and learning. The SL process provides the opportunity for all involved
to develop a reciprocal partnership. As a scholar who is well versed in SL, I have written a non-refereed
resource, used results from my research to train a WWU faculty cohort and community partners,
presented at a conference, and I am currently finalizing a manuscript.
My SL course content for three classes was published in a non-refereed resource titled, Planting
the Seeds for Community-Campus Service-Learning Partnerships by the Center for Service-Learning.
This was a resource for both the local community and faculty. I co-authored a conference panel
presentation with four students from my Small Group Processes course and community a partner. The
panel titled, “Weathering the Storm: Student Motivational Leadership in Completing a Self-Directed 10
week Communication Service-Learning Project” was presented at the Continuums of Service conference.
I am currently in the final stages of preparing a manuscript to submit to the Michigan Journal of
Community Service-Learning. It is the top SL journal in the field. The title of the article is, “A Reciprocal
Collaborative Partnership Model: Embracing the Voices of Service-Learning Student-Leaders to Enhance
Learning in Higher Education.” The study examined the outcome of integrating service-learning student
leaders as partners in a Communication practicum course. Service-learning student leaders (SLSL),
faculty, and Center for Service-Learning (CSL) staff were interviewed. The findings indicate that both
faculty and CSL staff were able to develop a sound SL curriculum due to integrating the voices of SLSLs.
From the practicum experience, the SLSLs gained professional and leadership skills, self-confidence,
mentoring capabilities, etc. As an outcome of this study, my conference gift session has been accepted for
presentation at the 2010 National Communication Association discussion circle titled, “Service-Learning
Discussion Circles: Building Bridges with Our Students in the Community.” The title of my presentation
is “Integrating Service-Learning Student-Leaders into the Communication Classroom.”
I feel committed to continue my research in SL because I am supported at all levels. First, my
department supports instruction and study of SL7; second, the CHSS promotes “experiential activities
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Department of Communication Strategic Plan, p. 7. Department of Communication Evaluation Plan, p. 3.
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such as service-learning”;8 WWU includes community service as one of the main values;9 and finally the
National Communication Association is the catalyst for studying SL.
Teaching and Learning of Students with disAbilities
My interest in researching the scholarship of teaching and learning began while teaching at
Western. I noticed an increasing number of students with Learning disAbilities (LD), Attention Deficit
Disorder (ADD) and/or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders (ADHD) (i.e. also described as
attention related disAbilities) entering university classrooms. According to research, this population
would continue to increase due to the mandated disAbility support services on college campuses for
students. Although students had prescribed accommodations, they were unclear about what teaching
methods and learning styles would help them achieve academically. I found myself lost because few
people were able to inform me of how to develop instructional communication methods for this growing
population of students. Knowing that our department practices 10 “teaching communication that nurtures
inclusive civil discourse,” my goal was to put forth every effort to have a classroom inclusive of diverse
learners. I worked closely with the disAbility Resources for Students (DRS) on campus to learn about
different ways to better accommodate students with disAbilities. Thanks to my graduate studies
background in disAbility studies, I was familiar with the disAbility culture but not the teaching and
learning aspect. The students also educated me on what they thought worked for them. To assist my
students further, I decided to return to my doctoral work in 2004 to concentrate my Ph.D. to studying how
to accommodate university students with LD and/or ADD/ADHD in the classroom. Due to data collected
at two institutions, I have been able to inform disciplinary and interdisciplinary scholars at the local,
regional, and national levels (e.g. see vita for complete listing of papers) about the learning experiences of
students with disAbilities.
My earlier studies concentrated in the area of teaching through accommodation and learning
experiences of students with LD and/or ADD/ADHD (i.e. attention related disAbilities). The studies were
mainly based on qualitative research methods and one pilot survey. I used face-to-face interviews, case
study method, non-participant observation, and focus groups to collect my data. My refereed conference
paper title “Teacher-Student Perspective: Various Non-Traditional Teaching Pedagogies that Help
Students with Learning disAbilities Acquire Course Content In the University Classroom” explored the
following research questions, what are the perceptions of university students with learning disAbilities
and/or attention related disAbilities regarding effective instructional practices that contribute to learning?
The results indicated that these students learned best when professors used a combination of teaching
practices such as technology, class discussions, audio and visual demonstrations, group work, repetition,
and service-learning. Professor communication style such as nonverbal communication, effective public
speaking, and interpersonal communication skills played a significant role in student learning. This paper
was presented at the National Communication Association with an undergraduate student co-author who
shared her personal experience as a student with a learning disAbility.
My study, “Perceptions of College Students with Learning Differences: Instructional Practices
and Climate” examined the perceptions of university students with learning disabilities and/or attention
related disAbilities regarding effective classroom climate that contribute to learning. Some of the findings
state that a coaching atmosphere, a safe environment for making mistakes, peer relationships, and studentprofessor relationships were some of the attributes for an effective classroom climate. As a coping
strategy, students also managed their own disAbility to help them learn. My work also extends to
interdisciplinary audiences. This refereed paper was presented at The Council for Exceptional Children,
the largest international association for professionals interested in advocating for students with
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College of Humanities and Social Sciences Strategic Plan, Winter 2008, p. 5.
WWU Engaged Excellence Strategic Action Plan, p. 2.
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Department of Communication Mission Statement.
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disAbilities. From this longitudinal, two-part study the data on instructional practices and
accommodations will be reviewed.
Organizational Communication
My secondary area of scholarship important to me is the developmental process of workplace
relationships (e.g. supervisors, peer coworkers, subordinate employees) and the communication strategies
used. Given that we spend the majority of our daily hours at work, it is important to learn about the nature
of relationships and the impact they have on our lives. Organizational communication analyzes the role of
communication within the workplace. It takes into account the transactional process of communication,
task orientation, relationship building, control, interdependence, and much more. There are many focuses
within organizational communication such as ethics, leadership, diversity, conflict management,
communication technology, etc. Organizational communication continues to be a growing focus within
the discipline. At the National and regional level, scholars meet to discuss issues of research, teaching,
and practice in organizational communication. We know that relationships are in constant flux thus so our
organizations. Although research in the past existed on workplace relationships, scholars did not focus on
the developmental process.
Organizational Communication scholar, Patricia Sias of Washington State University is one of
the main founding researchers who introduced the idea of how workplace relationships develop and
deteriorate. Patricia Sias and I co-authored two articles. The first article, “Disengaging from Workplace
Relationships: A Research Note” provided a framework to understand the different communication
strategies that people used to disengage from a workplace relationship (i.e. supervisor, a peer coworker,
or a subordinate employee. To address the research questions, surveys were sent to staff employees
regarding specific workplace scenarios of decrease in relational closeness and communication strategies.
The results indicated that cost escalation, depersonalization, and state-of-the-relationship talk were three
main communication strategies that people used to disengage. The article was published in Human
Communication Research, the best peer reviewed communication journal for empirical work and ranked
as one of the top 10 Communication journals in our field.11 The acceptance rate for this journal is 1120%. The article was cited four times as measured by the Web of Science. The article was cited 15 times
as measured by Google Scholar. This article was cited in both articles and two books. Steve Duck a wellknown Communication scholar in the area of relationship development and disintegration cited this article
in a book titled Human Relationships.
The second article title “Narratives of Workplace Friendship Deterioration” examined the causes
and communication process of workplace friendship deterioration through employee narrative accounts of
their personal experiences. We conducted 25 face-to-face interviews of adult employees who represented
different relationships (i.e. peer coworkers, supervisor and subordinate, and formerly peers). Employees
revealed five causes of workplace friendship deterioration, personality, distracting life events, conflicting
expectations, promotion, and betrayal. The results indicated that individuals used indirect communication
tactics, avoidance of non-work related topics, socializing away from work, and nonverbal cues of
disengagement. This article was published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.12 The
acceptance rate for this journal is 11-20%. The article was cited 13 times as measured by the Web of
Science. The article was cited 43 times as measured by Google Scholar. This article was cited in both
articles and three books. Julia Wood a well-known Communication scholar in the area of relationship
development and interpersonal communication cited this article in a book titled Communication Mosaics:
An Introduction to the Field of Communication. The journal publishes both empirical and theoretical
articles that are directly related to social and personal relationships. It is an interdisciplinary journal.
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ISI Journal Citation Reports® Ranking: 2009: Communication: 3 / 54, Impact Factor: 2.2
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ISI Journal Citation Reports® Ranking: 2010: Communication: 23/ 54, Impact Factor: 0.969
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SAGE Journals Online noted that the leading journal publishes the “highest quality” work on
relationships. This article was originally developed from an earlier conference paper, “The
Communication Accomplishment of Workplace Relationship Deterioration” that was presented at the
National Communication Association.
Given the published articles, I am confident that our research has contributed to the understanding
of how relationships develop at work and their significance. It is crucial to understand the lived
experiences of employees/employers so that we may develop healthy communicative interpersonal work
relationships.
Critical/Cultural Studies
My third and developing program of scholarship that helps me to understand the socialization
experiences of culturally diverse students is critical/cultural studies (CCS). As a person who is from a
diverse cultural background, I have encountered a number of struggles on my journey to pursue an
education. As a child, a teenager, and a young adult, I had many teachers who told me that I should not
pursue education or even higher education because to them, that was not the expected norm that society
had of my cultural group. Despite their expectations of failure, I have succeeded due to the positive
reinforcements of people in my life. I met many educators along the way who invested in my abilities. For
this reason, I only find it natural to have a passion to help other students succeed by sharing their
narratives of breaking through the ideologies of the dominant cultural perspectives. I aspire to give back
what was given to me…helping hands. To learn about peoples’ standpoint from different cultures is
crucial in today’s society. As our country continues to be more culturally diverse, professors and
administrators of higher education need the knowledge to create a culturally relevant content that meets
the cultural needs of their students. In addition, this will permit professors and administrators to
communicate with their students.
My interest in studying CCS began when I was a doctoral student. I learned about the oppression
of marginalized groups. More specifically, my research includes the fight for social justice of these
college students. Through personal narratives, I examine their experiences of silence within the ideology
of academia and what they have done to gain their voice. Unlike my last two areas of research (i.e. SoTL
and Organizational Communication) this program of study is still forming. Upon completing my previous
works in progress noted in the SoTL category of research, I look forward to further investigating this
important area of scholarship. CCS scholars pay close attention to understanding the complexities of
culture and critically explore the social, political, economical, and moral aspects/issues of race, ability,
ethnicity, social class, and gender. It is through the lens of CCS that I can learn about the powerlessness
that non-privileged groups face and how they are able to emancipate themselves despite the dominant
ideologies they encounter. Thus, I observe and study the socialization experiences of three diverse college
student populations, students with learning disAbilities (LD) and attention related disAbilities
(ADD/ADHD); African-American students; and generation Y who all share experiences of silence in an
academic setting. It is their discourse and narratives that influence me to share their story. After spending
time interviewing African-American students and students with disAbilities during graduate school, I
have been able to share some of my results with scholars at different conferences.
I presented papers at the National Communication Association (NCA) and the Northwest
Communication (NWCA) on the topic of disAbility. In terms of students with disAbilities, I presented on
the perceptions of their college experience and journey to academic success. These papers were titled
“Fighting for Our Voice, Walking Through the Barriers: Students with Learning disAbilities and/or
attention related disAbilities speak,” and “Introducing disAbility Discourse: Speaking of the
unconventional Communication Classroom.” In 2008, at the NCA conference, I was awarded the “Most
Accessible Scholar to Scholar Presentation” for my poster titled, “Breaking Through the unconventional
Gates of Academia: The Lived Experiences of University Students with disAbilities.”
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The study of African-American students was presented at the American Educational Studies
Association (AESA), which recognizes issues of critical/cultural studies. The paper was titled, “Making it
through: A qualitative study of coping mechanisms employed by Black Students at a predominantly white
institution.” What I learned from my interviews is that both student groups had influential narrative
accounts of their academic experiences in higher education. Their experiences of oppression caused them
to break down barriers, go beyond stereotypes, and fight for their voices. The need for social support and
mentors during their stay in college has helped them to succeed. In addition to my own presentations,
along with a colleague, I also took students from my Issues in Intercultural Communication 425 class to
present their class research paper at NWCA on intercultural experiences of marginalized groups from
different social contexts. Sharing their results with Communication scholars encouraged some students to
go to graduate school. I look forward to developing this program of research.
In this statement, my self-evaluation demonstrates a progression of my scholarship during my
time at WWU. I have published three peer reviewed journals, published one non-refereed resource,
presented 26 refereed conference presentations (including November 2010), received two grants to
support my research efforts, served as a blind reviewer for two journals, and participated in local,
regional, and national disciplinary activities (please see vita for disciplinary service). I shared my
continued commitment to contributing to my field in the areas of scholarship of teaching and learning,
organizational communication, and critical/cultural studies. Based on my research agenda, I have
demonstrated a record of “substantial achievement in scholarship at the primary level (i.e. publications in
a primary refereed journal, competitive refereed presentation at the national level); secondary level (i.e.
publication in a secondary refereed journal, organized and participated in scholarly conference panels,
presented a refereed poster session at the national level); and tertiary levels (i.e. presented at the state,
local, and WWU level, invited speaker in WWU classroom).”13
I look forward to proceeding with my current and future lines of research at WWU. Thank you
for taking the time to review my commitment to scholarship.
13
Department of Communication Evaluation Plan, Appendix C, p. 11.