Title :
Ethos, Pathos, Logos, Kairos: Using a Rhetorical Heuristic to Mediate Digital-Survey Recruitment Strategies
Author :
Rife, Martine Courant
Author_Institution :
Commun. Dept., Lansing Community Coll., Lansing, MI, USA
Abstract :
How might the rhetorical strategies of ethos, pathos, logos, and kairos play a mediational, intervening role in the successful administration of online surveys? What are the general costs and benefits of conducting survey research? Based on the activity of administering an online survey ( N= 334) testing knowledge and understanding of US copyright law among digital writers (both students and teachers) in US technical and professional writing (TPW) programs, I blend Rhetorical Theory with Activity Theory by conducting a rhetorical analysis within an Activity Theory paradigm. I posit that a rhetorically informed heuristic mediates between the researcher and potential participants when the researcher attempts to recruit individuals to respond to an online survey.
Keywords :
copyright; recruitment; surveying; TPW programs; US copyright law; US technical and professional writing programs; activity theory paradigm; digital survey recruitment strategies; digital writers; knowledge testing; online surveys; rhetorical theory; Best practices; Communities; Electronic mail; Recruitment; Rhetoric; Technological innovation; Writing; Activity Theory; attrition; community; digital survey; ethos; heuristic; kairos; logos; mediation; pathos; response rates; rhetoric; survey design;
Journal_Title :
Professional Communication, IEEE Transactions on
DOI :
10.1109/TPC.2010.2052856
