University of North Dakota UND Scholarly Commons Theses and Dissertations Theses, Dissertations, and Senior Projects January 2019 Competing By Tweeting: A Content Analysis Of University Presidents' Tweets Susan Balcom Walton Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.und.edu/theses Recommended Citation Walton, Susan Balcom, "Competing By Tweeting: A Content Analysis Of University Presidents' Tweets" (2019). Theses and Dissertations. 2592. https://commons.und.edu/theses/2592 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, and Senior Projects at UND Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of UND Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. COMPETING BY TWEETING: A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTS’ TWEETS by Susan Balcom Walton Bachelor of Independent Studies, Brigham Young University, 1979 Master of Arts, Brigham Young University, 1986 A Dissertation Proposal Submitted to the Graduate Faculty Department of Educational Leadership of the University of North Dakota in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Grand Forks, North Dakota August 2019 Copyright 2019 Susan Balcom Walton ii This dissertation, submitted by Susan Balcom Walton in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy from the University of North Dakota, had been read by the Faculty Advisory Committee under whom the work has been done and is hereby approved. This dissertation is being submitted by the appointed advisory committee as having met all of the requirements of the School of Graduate Studies at the University of North Dakota and is hereby approved. Associate Dean of the School of Graduate Studies Date iii PERMISSION Title Competing by Tweeting: A Content Analysis of University Presidents’ Tweets Department Educational Leadership Degree Doctor of Philosophy In presenting this dissertation in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a graduate degree from the University of North Dakota, I agree that the library of this University shall make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for extensive copying for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor who supervised my dissertation work, or, in her absence, by the Chairperson of the department of the dean of the School of Graduate Studies. It is understood that any copying or publication or other use of this dissertation or part thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of North Dakota in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my dissertation. Susan Balcom Walton May 15, 2019 iv LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 The Framework of the Research Proposal ................................................................ 16 Figure 2 Content Analysis as an Element of the Case Study Strategy ..................................... 61 Figure 3 Sample Tweet ............................................................................................................ 66 Figure 4 The Framework of the Research Proposal .............................................................. 170 Figure 5 The Revised Framework of the Research Findings ................................................. 171 v LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Content Analysis and Other Tweet Features: Coding Sheet Entry Approach ........... 72 Table 2 Intercoder Review #1: Simple Agreement .................................................................. 78 Table 3 Intercoder Review #2: % Simple Agreement and Cohen’s Kappa (N = 50) .............. 80 Table 3 Intercoder Review #2: % Simple Agreement and Cohen’s Kappa (N = 50) .............. 82 Table 4 Tweet Distribution for Main Categories (Percent) .................................................. 119 Table 5 Tweet Distribution for OTHER Emergent Categories (Percent) ............................. 127 Table 6 Likes by Main Categories and OTHER Emergent Categories ................................. 129 Table 7 Comments by Main Categories and OTHER Emergent Categories ........................ 131 Table 8 Retweets by Main Categories and OTHER Emergent Categories ........................... 133 Table 9 Use of Photos, Videos, and Links by University President ...................................... 134 Table 10 Photo Use: Main Category Alignment ................................................................... 135 Table 11 Photo Use: OTHER Emergent Category Alignment .............................................. 136 Table 12 Video Use: Main Category Alignment ................................................................... 136 Table 13 Video Use: OTHER Emergent Category Alignment .............................................. 137 Table 14 Link Use: Main Category Alignment ...................................................................... 138 Table 15 Link Use: OTHER Emergent Category Alignment ................................................. 138 Table 16 Likes, Comments, & Retweets, Based on Attachments (Average #/ Tweet) ........... 141 Table 17 Crisis Management by Main Category and OTHER Emergent Category (N) ....... 143 Table 18 Tweets Coded with Negative Sentiment (Number) ................................................. 146 vi Table 19 Tweets Coded with Manifest Content ..................................................................... 149 Table 20 Tweets Coded with Latent Content ......................................................................... 150 vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to express my greatest appreciation and respect for my dissertation committee members, Dr. Zarrina Azizova, Dr. Deborah Worley, Dr. Marcus Weaver-Hightower, and Dr. Robert “Bo” Wood. They displayed high expectations and rigor when the occasion demanded, while at the same time demonstrating great creativity, positivity, and support of both the mass communication and education components of my doctoral education. Without their expertise and encouragement, I could not have accomplished this goal. My committee chair, Dr. Azizova, in particular was a positive force of steady forward motion who continually inspired me with the confidence that this goal was achievable. I also extend my thanks to Mr. Scott Andersen, who lent his considerable expertise in using Excel spreadsheet data to create reports and data cuts. Thanks, too, to Ashleigh Kathryn White, who served in the important role of intercoder in the data collection phase of the study. Her patience, persistence, and dedication to detail contributed greatly to the success of the research design. I would also like to thank Rebekah Kunz, who assisted in finding some of the background information used in the case studies. In addition, I’d like to thank Dr. Tina Bobe McCorkindale. Her scholarship, public relations knowledge and sound counsel helped me to design a methodology and deliver a research product that complemented and strengthened my own academic and professional roots in public relations. And finally, but no less importantly, I’d like to thank Carol Booton and Mark Walton for their superb copy editing. Their thorough knowledge and application of APA style contributed greatly to the quality of the document. vii To my mother, Imogene Kelly Balcom, who taught me that a person is never too old to achieve their educational dreams. And to Mark, who in this endeavor–as in all others– has been my constant support and partner. ABSTRACT Some university presidents have engaged with stakeholders by using Twitter content to interact with them and strengthen institutional image. However, little research has been published concerning how university presidents use social media to connect with audiences in areas that directly impact institutional image, specifically, college rankings such as those provided by U.S. News & World Report. This study addressed two questions: What is the content of the Twitter posts of top public university presidents who use Twitter, and how does that content relate to criteria that reinforce institutional image, such as the U.S. News & World Report rankings? These questions were contextualized as case studies of three high ranking institutions in the 2018 U.S. News & World Report top public university rankings whose presidents personally used Twitter. The content of these presidents’ tweets was analyzed, building on a theoretical framework of four theories of communication: reader-response theory, agenda- setting theory, contagion theory, and homophily. The researcher examined whether these presidents employed common themes and messages that aligned with the 2018 U.S. News & World Report selection criteria. The study revealed that the Twitter content of these presidents was multidimensional. While it related to at least two 2018 U.S. News & World Report selection criteria, it also related to many other priorities, needs, and daily developments. Further, audiences for these tweets engaged most with the same content categories the presidents tweeted most about viii (indicating shared interest). Finally, the study suggested an opportunity for presidents to use Twitter to connect more closely with alumni and donors. ix TABLE OF CONTENTS PERMISSION .............................................................................................. iv LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................... v LIST