Researching the Role of Appropriate Interpersonal …forestry.sfasu.edu/images/files/document/Grad...
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Introduction The role of interpersonal touch has been studied in other communication fields and has shown that a handshake or other form of appropriate interpersonal touch (AIT) has rendered favorable results in rapport building, comfort and receptivity to messaging (Fisher 1976, Wycoff and Holly 1990, Routasalo 1999). This study aims to determine if the use of a handshake prior to interpretive programming will increase the positivity of perception of a visitor toward the interpreter and/or the message shared by the interpreter. Researchers are also seeking the viewpoints of professionals in the field of interpretation about the current use and perception of touch in the field of interpretation through a focus group of practitioners. Through these two studies, researchers hope to discern whether AIT has more potential as a research and field-approved practice in the field of interpretation. Methods Researchers used a survey instrument to measure each visitor’s perception of an interpreter and the interpreter’s message in control and experimental groups. Both groups took part in an interpretive program that intentionally includes a controversial topic. The experimental group received a welcome handshake prior to the program. Control groups received the same programming without a handshake. Each person was asked prior to turning in their survey if they heard the survey announcement to ensure they viewed the full program. Following the program, surveys were available to participants to measure the participant’s perception of the interpreter and message using a Likert-scale built on a credibility study by Appleman and Sundar (2016). Appleman and Sundar examined numerous descriptors to distill the best adjectives available to describe both an individual’s credibility and the credibility of the message. These adjectives were used on a Likert-scale to determine source credibility. To determine the sample size, we used a margin of error calculator provided by the American Research Group, Inc. (2000). Our sample size was based on the total annual number of participants in educational programming in this area of the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation nature park (n=57,500). Researchers chose to survey at least 400 participants attending programs with four separate interpreters, which gave us a margin of error of +/- 5.64% at the 95% confidence interval. Approximately one half of the participants surveyed will be in the control group and the other half will be in the experimental group (Table 1). Two interpreters are male and two are female. All participants in the survey must be over the age of 18. This is clarified in the announcement to potential participants. The groups were surveyed in alternating fashion on the same day. A record of each survey was paired with the survey results in order to ensure surveys are kept with the correct group. A data sheet was completed prior to conducting the survey (Figure 3), and completed surveys were filed in an envelope with the data sheet. Each program and corresponding surveys were assigned a number for filing so they could be referenced in the results. Any incomplete surveys were withdrawn from the dataset. Researching the Role of Appropriate Interpersonal Touch (AIT) in Interpretive Programs Mickey Shortt, Jr. Dr. Shelby Laird, Dr. Ray Darville, Dr. Pat Stephens-Williams
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Transcript of Researching the Role of Appropriate Interpersonal …forestry.sfasu.edu/images/files/document/Grad...
Introduction Theroleofinterpersonaltouchhasbeenstudiedinothercommunicationfieldsandhasshownthatahandshakeorotherformofappropriateinterpersonaltouch(AIT)hasrenderedfavorableresultsinrapportbuilding,comfortandreceptivitytomessaging(Fisher1976,WycoffandHolly1990,Routasalo1999).Thisstudyaimstodetermineiftheuseofahandshakepriortointerpretiveprogrammingwillincreasethepositivityofperceptionofavisitortowardtheinterpreterand/orthemessagesharedbytheinterpreter.Researchersarealsoseekingtheviewpointsofprofessionalsinthefieldofinterpretationaboutthecurrentuseandperceptionoftouchinthefieldofinterpretationthroughafocusgroupofpractitioners.Throughthesetwostudies,researchershopetodiscernwhetherAIThasmorepotentialasaresearchandfield-approvedpracticeinthefieldofinterpretation.MethodsResearchersusedasurveyinstrumenttomeasureeachvisitor’sperceptionofaninterpreterandtheinterpreter’smessageincontrolandexperimentalgroups.Bothgroupstookpartinaninterpretiveprogramthatintentionallyincludesacontroversialtopic.Theexperimentalgroupreceivedawelcomehandshakepriortotheprogram.Controlgroupsreceivedthesameprogrammingwithoutahandshake.Eachpersonwasaskedpriortoturningintheirsurveyiftheyheardthesurveyannouncementtoensuretheyviewedthefullprogram.Followingtheprogram,surveyswereavailabletoparticipantstomeasuretheparticipant’sperceptionoftheinterpreterandmessageusingaLikert-scalebuiltonacredibilitystudybyApplemanandSundar(2016).ApplemanandSundarexaminednumerousdescriptorstodistillthebestadjectivesavailabletodescribebothanindividual’scredibilityandthecredibilityofthemessage.TheseadjectiveswereusedonaLikert-scaletodeterminesourcecredibility.Todeterminethesamplesize,weusedamarginoferrorcalculatorprovidedbytheAmericanResearchGroup,Inc.(2000).OursamplesizewasbasedonthetotalannualnumberofparticipantsineducationalprogramminginthisareaoftheGrandfatherMountainStewardshipFoundationnaturepark(n=57,500).Researcherschosetosurveyatleast400participantsattendingprogramswithfourseparateinterpreters,whichgaveusamarginoferrorof+/-5.64%atthe95%confidenceinterval.Approximatelyonehalfoftheparticipantssurveyedwillbeinthecontrolgroupandtheotherhalfwillbeintheexperimentalgroup(Table1).Twointerpretersaremaleandtwoarefemale.Allparticipantsinthesurveymustbeovertheageof18.Thisisclarifiedintheannouncementtopotentialparticipants.Thegroupsweresurveyedinalternatingfashiononthesameday.Arecordofeachsurveywaspairedwiththesurveyresultsinordertoensuresurveysarekeptwiththecorrectgroup.Adatasheetwascompletedpriortoconductingthesurvey(Figure3),andcompletedsurveyswerefiledinanenvelopewiththedatasheet.Eachprogramandcorrespondingsurveyswereassignedanumberforfilingsotheycouldbereferencedintheresults.Anyincompletesurveyswerewithdrawnfromthedataset.
Researching the Role of Appropriate Interpersonal Touch (AIT) in Interpretive Programs Mickey Shortt, Jr. Dr. Shelby Laird, Dr. Ray Darville, Dr. Pat Stephens-Williams
InitialResultsAllcompletedsurveyformswereenteredintoSPSSStatisticsforanalysis.Thesurveysoughttomeasuretheperceptionofthecontentinthreewaysandtheperceptionoftheinterpreter’scredibilityinfourways.Theanalysisrevealedthatallsevenoftheseratingswerehigherintheexperimentalgroupcomparedwiththecontrolgroup.P-values(Sig2-tailedinfigure2)werelowindicatingacorrelationbetweenahandshake(experimental)andhighscores.Furtheranalysisiscurrentlyinprogress.
Group Statistics
Figure 1 Group Type N Mean Std. Deviation
Std. Error Mean
Content Score Control 230 6.6130 .65992 .04351 Experimental 172 6.7892 .41109 .03135
Content Score 1 Control 230 6.56 .726 .048 Experimental 172 6.75 .497 .038
Content Score 2 Control 230 6.57 .811 .053 Experimental 172 6.76 .514 .039
Content Score 3 Control 230 6.71 .625 .041 Experimental 173 6.84 .395 .030
Interpreter Score Control 230 6.5946 .58317 .03845 Experimental 173 6.7370 .49288 .03747
Interpreter Score 1 Control 230 6.40 .937 .062 Experimental 173 6.60 .730 .056
Interpreter Score 2 Control 230 6.69 .535 .035 Experimental 173 6.80 .494 .038
Interpreter Score 3 Control 230 6.62 .668 .044 Experimental 173 6.78 .559 .042
Interpreter Score 4 Control 230 6.70 .571 .038 Experimental 173 6.82 .467 .035
Figure 2
DiscussionInitialresultsindicatethatahandshakecanincreasethepositivitytowardamessageandthevisitor’sperceptionofaninterpreter.Theuseofphysicaltouch,withappropriateboundariesandawarenessofavisitor’scomfortwithtouch,maybeameanstoestablishrapportandovercomebarrierstounderstanding—especiallywithcontroversialtopics.Itisrecommendedthatfurtherresearchonthistopicisconductedinotherparksandtypesofprogramming—particularlyinfacilitateddialogueexperiences—todiscerntheimpactofphysicaltouchonvisitors.
MickeyShortt,Jr.ispursuingaMasterofScienceinResourceInterpretationatStephenF.AustinStateUniversity.HereceivedhisBachelorofScienceinBiologyfromLees-McRaeCollege.HehasservedasaparkrangerandnaturalistwiththeNationalParkServiceand
othernon-profitorganizations.
