Research
Journal Articles
Making the environment like a cool thing: Exploring generation Z and millennials engagement with climate change video on YouTube
Seelig, M., Shata, A., Yang, Z., Sd, D., Gao, Y., Hu, H. & Yang, J.
Environment and Behavior (Submitted)
Abstract: Past research has not discovered why Generation Z and Millennials modestly engage in pro-environmental behaviors. Guided by Entertainment-education and Environmental self-efficacy, the present study employed a sequential mixed method utilizing qualitative and quantitative techniques to gauge younger generations’ reception of climate videos shared on YouTube and if their climate knowledge increases and empowers them to change environmental behaviors. Our findings show that messages containing a positive narrative arouse less resistance to change than a negative narrative, and conceivably, this influences their everyday behaviors leading to favorable environmental outcomes better at persuading the adoption of pro-environmental behaviors. Yet, while participants believe they possess the self-efficacy to engage in specific behaviors expected of them, they are more concerned about external responses, such as the lack of government and other power structures’ efforts to combat the escalating climate crisis.
Communicating self during disasters: Understanding communicative identity and posttraumatic growth of young survivors in collectivist culture
Yang, Z.
Journal of International and Intercultural Communication (Under Review)
Abstract: Natural disasters can have both negative and positive impacts on survivors’ mental health, including posttraumatic growth (PTG). This exploratory study used the communication theory of identity to investigate how survivors of a devastating urban flood in a collectivist cultural community described their identities and how these identities changed before and after the disaster. Fifteen semi-structured interviews were conducted to examine the relationship between communicative identities and PTG. The findings indicate that survivors can experience PTG while communicating specific communicative identities, but identity gaps hinder this process. Furthermore, the study reveals the positive role of collectivist culture in facilitating psychological growth during disasters. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.
A content analysis of problematic gambling prevention interventions in the United States
Yang, Z., Deal, B., Carcioppolo, N., Zhao, Y. & Sewall, A.
Journal of Gambling Studies (2023) https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-023-10237-8
Abstract: Gambling revenue in the United States is at all-time highs while recent and forthcoming legislation relaxes constraints on casino gaming, sports betting, and fantasy sports betting. Increased gambling will result in increased problematic gambling, highlighting the need to study the impact of our problematic gambling prevention interventions. To address this, we conducted a content analysis of problematic gambling prevention messages in the U.S.. Results reveal that although there is overlap between theoretically-based messaging appeals recommended by research and those used in actual prevention interventions, health behavior theory is inconsistently applied and there are numerous examples of potential backfire effects. Results are discussed in terms of their impact on theory development and their noteworthy practical application.
“We have a lot weighing on us:” A Black Feminist analysis of U.S. newspaper quotes of Black women in year 1 of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wright, K. O. & Yang, Z.
Critical Studies in Media Communication – Special Issue CFP (Under Review)
Abstract: In the first half of 2020, the reports began coming in. Black people in the U.S. were disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Black women especially were burdened by this virus as it struck their physical and mental health, families, and financial resources. To receive more insight into Black women’s experiences during the pandemic, this mixed-methods study analyzed seven U.S. newspapers. This analysis sought to determine the pandemic experiences that were salient for Black women, and how the print media framed them. Specifically, 312 direct quotes about COVID attributed to Black women were analyzed. This study revealed that Black women focused on how the virus impacted their health, their role as protectors of their families, and their livelihood. Using Black Feminism Theory and Muted Group Theory as lenses, the quotes revealed the newspapers employed the Strong Black woman frame and that Black women were cognizant of their unique intersectional experiences.
Book Chapter
Accents and dialects in public speaking.
Wright, K. O., Cotto, L. & Yang, Z.
The Routledge handbook of public speaking research and theory (Forthcoming)
Conference Presentations
Can virtual standardized patients teach empathic communication skills in healthcare?: A systematic review.
Chen, X. & Yang, Z. (2023, November)
The 109th National Communication Association Annual Convention. National Harbor, MD, United States.
Sarcastic messaging and the righteous rage hypothesis: Does sarcasm reinforces existing views and increase hostility towards the opposition?
Carcioppolo, N., Wang, G., Yang, Z., Zhao, X. & Zhao, Y. (2023, November)
The 109th National Communication Association Annual Convention. National Harbor, MD, United States.
Do nurses fight in comfort? Coping strategies on occupational stress and posttraumatic growth for frontline nurses during COVID-19.
Yang, Z. & Lu, Q (2023, April)
The 7th Biennial D.C. Health Communication Conference (DCHC). Washington, D.C., United States.
“But I’m not a hero”: Exploring the function of communicative identity and posttrauma growth following urban floods in a collectivistic culture community
Yang, Z. (2022, November)
The 108th National Communication Association Annual Convention. New Orleans, LA, United States.
Media representation of black women’s stories in year 1 of the COVID-19 pandemic
Wright, K. O. & Yang, Z. (2022, November)
The 108th National Communication Association Annual Convention. New Orleans, LA, United States.
Still posting selfies online? Predictors of cyberbullying among teens on social network sites.
Yang, Z. (2022, July)
The International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) Pre-conference. Suzhou, China.
A comprehensive assessment of gambling prevention interventions in the United States.
Carcioppolo, N., Deal, B., & Yang, Z. (2022, May)
The 72nd Annual International Communication Association Conference. Paris, France.
Making environment like a cool thing: Analyze the attitude of generation Z towards climate change based on a focus group data.
Yang, Z. (2021, December)
The 4th International Conference on Climate Communication, Health Communication and Sustainable Urban Development. Guangzhou, China.
Hope appeals, the extended elaboration likelihood model, and the aging people.
Yang, Z. (2020, December)
The Health Communication division of Zhengzhou University Communication Academic Annual Conference. Zhengzhou, China.