@phdthesis{Ryzhova2026, author = {Ryzhova, Anna}, title = {The Transnational News Diets of Russian Speakers in Germany: what news they use and trust}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:739-opus4-19867}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Passau}, pages = {187 Seiten}, year = {2026}, abstract = {The present cumulative dissertation consists of four articles, and is based on more than 70 semi-structured interviews with the Russian speakers in Germany. Forty two interviews were conducted before of the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and the other twenty nine right after its beginning (out of which I used only twenty five for the final analysis, as I focused only on the Russian speakers, associated with agressor or neutral countries in Russia's war in Ukraine). The dissertation addresses a variety of issues, related to the media use of the Russian speakers in Germany, which was previously understudied both in general and from political communication perspective (Panagiotidis, 2023). In the strand of migrants and media research, scholars point the following gaps: the lack of political element in studies of how migrants use media (Leurs and Smets, 2018), the lack of studies how homeland and host society media are used simultaneously, not in isolation from each other, and the lack of studies on the influence of homeland media on migrants as such (Ramasubramanian et al., 2017), and finally, communication scholars not using migration studies frameworks in their research on migrants, which leads to fields existing in parallel (Leurs \& Smets 2018). This dissertation addresses all these gaps. Being the first study to apply the concepts of "news repertoires" and the latest theorization of "news literacy" for studying the migrant populations, as well as looking in-depth in the mechanisms of trust, I analyze the media diets of Russian speakers in Germany in their entirety, considering the contexts and roles, attributed to the German quality, Russian opposition, Russian state sponsored and other types of media, i.e. not analying them in isolation, and also looking at the motivations to use different media for different domains of their lives. Besides, for analysing the transformations of media diets of the Russian speakers in the aftermath of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, I use the concept of "sense of belonging" to Russia to examine the deep, underlying reasons for why news repertoires of these audiences changed, or did not change in the light of Russia's war crimes. As for the contribution to the German-language and Germany-focused literature on the Russian speakers, this is the first comprehensive study to scrutinize the media diets of Russian speakers in-depth with a special emphasis on their motivations, political affiliations and differentiating between the media these audiences "use" and the media they "trust", as previous research on Russian speakers in Germany and their media use was largely focused on integration, largely ignoring the political aspect and Russia's repetitive attempts to influence Russian speakers abroad (e.g.Hepp et al., 2011) or lacked nuance in their results (e.g. Boris Nemtsov Foundation Survey, which posed questions about "Russian media" without defining what it is, i.e. is that opposition media, Kremlin-sponsored media, etc. Finally, this thesis provides a comprehensive case study of audiences from an authoritarian context (or a former authoritarian context, for those, who migrated from Ukraine, but were socialized in the Soviet Union) who migrated to democracy and their media use, and also sheds light on the spectrum of motivations of audiences abroad to continue consuming media from an authoritarian homeland (in our case, Kremlin-sponsored media), which can provide important foundation for future research on other migrant groups from authoritarian contexts in democracies, such as Chinese migrants in Europe. Among the results of the present dissertation is an article on three types of news repertoires that these audiences have, and how political beliefs underpin them; an article on how they view the "truth" in media and why it is a concept of crucial importance for their news trust patterns; an article on news literacy and how migrant audiences need transnational news literacy knowledge in order to navigate complex media landscapes, in which authoritarian states actively try to reach them with their narratives; and finally, how a major crisis event, such as war in Ukraine, changed (or did not change) the news repertoires of the Russian speaking audiences in Germany and why the "sense of belonging" is at the core of these changes.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Hackl2026, author = {Hackl, Veronika}, title = {The Literate Human in the Loop: AI Feedback in Higher Education}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:739-opus4-19982}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Passau}, pages = {iii, 22, 8, 11 Seiten}, year = {2026}, abstract = {This cumulative dissertation, titled "The Literate Human in the Loop: AI Feedback in Higher Education," investigates the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) feedback systems within academic settings and the critical role of user competence.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Fischer2025, author = {Fischer, Liliann}, title = {An exploration of professional self concepts in science communication}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:739-opus4-19817}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Passau}, pages = {iv, 146 Seiten}, year = {2025}, abstract = {The dissertation explores emerging professional self concepts in the field of science communication. It integrates theories and concepts from a diverse range of disciplines from the sociology of professions to science and technology studies. It also considers organisational contexts and country specifics as major influencing factors and includes these in comparative frameworks. By triangulating data from different sources the dissertation offers broad insights not only into science communication but professionalisation more widely.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Kling2025, author = {Kling, Julia}, title = {Social Networking Sites as Intermediaries of Authoritarian State Propaganda: How Facebook and VK Disseminated Predominantly Kremlin-Friendly Political Content Before and During Russia's Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:739-opus4-19601}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Passau}, pages = {48 Seiten, 160 verschieden gez{\"a}hlte Seiten}, year = {2025}, abstract = {Previous research on Russia's use of social networking sites to influence foreign audiences has primarily focused on US-based platforms, such as Twitter and Facebook, the activities of Russia's "troll farms", as well as Russia's foreign broadcasters, RT and Sputnik, and their audiences. By contrast, little research has examined the global reach of Russia's state-aligned domestic news content, specifically on US- and Russia-based social networking sites that significantly differ in the level of the Kremlin's control over information flows, and how the activities of novel Russian disinformation production organizations support this reach. In my dissertation, I addressed these gaps in the extant research literature in the fields of political communication, social media, and Russia studies in four distinct research papers focusing on the reach of and engagement with Russian-speaking political content, including Russia's domestic news content, and the activities of ANO Dialog, Russia's novel disinformation production organization with close links to the Russian government, on US-based Facebook and Russia-based VK. To do so, I used innovative qualitative, quantitative, and computational research methods to create knowledge on Russia's informational influence on the two platforms before and after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The findings highlight that, despite differing levels of Kremlin control, both of the social networking sites studied functioned as conduits for the dissemination of Russian-speaking, predominantly Kremlin-friendly political content, including state-aligned domestic news. This content reached audiences both within Russia and abroad in the lead-up to and during the full-scale war in Ukraine. While VK primarily served Russia's users, Facebook disseminated Russia's state-aligned news mostly to audiences outside Russia, particularly in former Soviet countries, in the lead-up to the invasion. During the war, Facebook continued to host critical perspectives on Russia's war crimes, in contrast to VK, where such content was blocked. However, Facebook was banned in Russia in March 2022, limiting domestic access to dissenting views. With the war ongoing as of May 2025 and organizations such as ANO Dialog intensifying their efforts to influence both domestic and foreign audiences on platforms such as VK and Facebook, it is likely that Russia will further strengthen its information control.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Hagen2025, author = {Hagen, Pamina}, title = {The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games as a City and Nation Branding Tool: An Interdisciplinary Analysis of the Image of International Opinion Leaders}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:739-opus4-19052}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Passau}, pages = {339 Seiten}, year = {2025}, abstract = {This dissertation examines the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games as a tool of city and nation branding, analyzing their role within China's broader soft power strategy and their impact on international perceptions of Beijing and China. Drawing from urban geography, political geography, international relations, and marketing theory, the study explores how mega-events contribute to the construction of national identity and global image. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research combines qualitative interviews with 16 international diplomats in Beijing and an online survey of 40 foreign journalists who lived and worked in China during the Olympiad. The analysis focuses on two dimensions of image: the city of Beijing and the nation of China. The findings indicate that the 2008 Summer Olympic Games did not fundamentally alter China's international image. While the event successfully projected an image of modernization, efficiency, and confidence, pre-existing concerns about political control and human rights persisted. For Beijing, the Olympics enhanced its visibility as a global city but also highlighted tensions between its traditional identity and its modern aspirations. The media's framing played a decisive role in shaping these perceptions. Overall, the study concludes that the Beijing Olympics functioned as a significant yet limited instrument of soft power. They reinforced China's global presence and urban development goals but fell short of transforming its international reputation. The research contributes to understanding how mega-events operate as strategic tools of geopolitical communication and branding in the context of globalization.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Dietrich2025, author = {Dietrich, Philip}, title = {Moralische Entscheidung in virtuellen Handlungswelten. Verantwortliche Vermittlung gesellschaftlich relevanter Themen im Videospiel}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:739-opus4-18481}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Passau}, pages = {86 Seiten}, year = {2025}, abstract = {Die vorliegende Arbeit untersucht die verantwortliche Vermittlung gesellschaftlich relevanter Themen im Medium des digitalen Spiels. Als generationen{\"u}bergreifendes und interaktives Medium er{\"o}ffnen digitale Spiele durch die Verkn{\"u}pfung von Narration und Interaktion die M{\"o}glichkeit, alternative Perspektiven einzunehmen und neue Rollen zu erproben. Auf Basis von vier Teilstudien wird der Frage nachgegangen, wie gesellschaftlich bedeutsame Inhalte in digitalen Spielen verantwortungsvoll gestaltet und vermittelt werden k{\"o}nnen. Die erste Teilstudie identifiziert zentrale Nutzungsmotive und weist Spielende als potenzielle moralische Handlungstr{\"a}ger (Moral Agents) aus. Sie zeigt auf, dass moralische Dilemmata, die innerhalb virtueller Spielwelten erfahren werden, Relevanz f{\"u}r moralische Urteilsbildungsprozesse in der realen Welt entfalten k{\"o}nnen. Die zweite Teilstudie kn{\"u}pft an diese Erkenntnisse an und untersucht anhand von Expert:inneninterviews das Potenzial digitaler Spiele f{\"u}r eine digitale Erinnerungskultur. Die dritte Teilstudie entwickelt ein Modell f{\"u}r die gelingende Vermittlung gesellschaftlich relevanter Themen im digitalen Spiel. Hierbei wird insbesondere die integrative Funktion von Narration und Interaktion als zentrales Gestaltungsprinzip herausgestellt. Die vierte Teilstudie erweitert dieses Modell um die Dimension der {\"A}sthetik, die als konstitutives Element der Wirklichkeitswahrnehmung und Sinnkonstitution innerhalb virtueller Spielr{\"a}ume fungiert. Die Ergebnisse verdeutlichen, dass f{\"u}r eine verantwortungsvolle Vermittlung gesellschaftlich relevanter Inhalte im digitalen Spiel eine digitale Moral Agency erforderlich ist. Diese bef{\"a}higt Spielende dazu, moralisch zu handeln und das eigene Handeln kritisch zu reflektieren. Die Verbindung von Narration und Interaktion erweist sich dabei als zentrales Mittel zur Initiierung von Perspektivwechseln, zur {\"U}bernahme fremder Rollen und zur F{\"o}rderung reflexiver Prozesse. {\"A}sthetisierungsprozesse innerhalb der Spielwelten tragen wesentlich dazu bei, diese kognitiven und affektiven Auseinandersetzungen anzustoßen und zu vertiefen.}, subject = {Spielwissenschaft}, language = {de} } @phdthesis{Rutter2025, author = {Rutter, Eva}, title = {Berufswahlmotivation Lehramt: Ein weltweit {\"a}hnliches Ph{\"a}nomen? Eine international vergleichende Studie}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:739-opus4-18464}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Passau}, pages = {xi, 268 Seiten}, year = {2025}, abstract = {Im Angesicht eines weltweiten Lehrkr{\"a}ftemangels (OECD, 2018b; UNESCO, 2023) wird in der empirischen Forschung der Berufswahlmotivation Lehramtsstudierender ein großer Stellenwert beigemessen (Butler, 2017). Es handelt sich beim Lehrkr{\"a}ftemangel aktuell um ein weltweites Ph{\"a}nomen, das weder nur Deutschland oder nur westliche L{\"a}nder betrifft (UNESCO, 2023). In den letzten zwanzig Jahren haben sich einige theoretische Modelle zur Berufswahlmotivation spezifisch f{\"u}r das Lehramt etabliert, dazu z{\"a}hlen das FIT-Choice-Projekt (Richardson und Watt, 2007), Femola (Retelsdorf und M{\"o}ller, 2012) und STeaM (Weiß und Kiel, 2013). In dieser Arbeit wird das FIT-Choice-Modell (Richardson und Watt, 2007) verwendet, um die Berufswahlmotive eines internationalen Samples Lehramtsstudierender zu zwei Zeitpunkten zu betrachten. Das Modell stellt mit seinen Bezugstheorien (Eccles und Wigfield, 2002; Ryan und Deci, 2000) sowohl die theoretische als auch die empirische Fundierung dieser Arbeit dar. Neben diesem werden Professionalisierungstheorien (vor allem der kompetenztheoretische Ansatz nach Baumert und Kunter, 2011a) und die Habitustheorie (Bourdieu, 1982) zur Interpretation der Ergebnisse herangezogen. Strukturmerkmale der einzelnen L{\"a}nder erm{\"o}glichen ein kultursensitives Vorgehen. Zu zwei Zeitpunkten (Studienbeginn und Studienende) wurden an 5 Universit{\"a}ten in Deutschland, {\"O}sterreich, der Schweiz, S{\"u}dafrika und Israel mit einem Skalenfragebogen insgesamt n= 1157 Studierende (Studienbeginn n= 835, Studienende n= 322) zu ihren Berufswahlmotiven und Einstellungen befragt. Diese wurden in Zusammenhang gebracht mit der L{\"a}nderzugeh{\"o}rigkeit, ihrer sozialen Herkunft sowie ihren p{\"a}dagogischen Vorerfahrungen. Zudem wurden im deutschen Sample zum Ende des Studiums offene Fragen erg{\"a}nzt, um Begr{\"u}ndungslinien f{\"u}r die Berufswahl in Erfahrung zu bringen. Mit dem spezifischen Sample wurde das Desiderat der L{\"a}ndererweiterung um nicht- westliche L{\"a}nder (Watt, Richardson und Smith, 2017) bearbeitet, ebenso mit den offenen Fragen das Desiderat nach der Verbindung von quantitativen und qualitativen Ans{\"a}tzen (Watt und Richardson, 2015). Mit der Arbeit k{\"o}nnen die Hauptergebnisse der Forschung mit den FIT-Choice-Skalen best{\"a}tigt werden. Die Betrachtung von Subgruppen innerhalb der L{\"a}nder gab einen Einblick zu Berufswahlmotiven marginalisierter Gruppen und den Grenzen von global anzuwen-denden (westlichen) Erhebungsinstrumenten. Die Arbeit leistet außerdem einen Beitrag zum Diskurs um den Einfluss von p{\"a}dagogischen Vorerfahrungen in der Berufswahlmotivationsforschung, zudem werden Erg{\"a}nzungen f{\"u}r den FIT-Choice-Fragebogen f{\"u}r die „Gen Z" vorgeschlagen.}, language = {de} } @phdthesis{Poliakoff2025, author = {Poliakoff, Serge}, title = {From Faking Online Content to Orchestrating Its Creation by Public Workers: Examining Russian Disinformation Production Organisations through Curriculum Vitae Analysis (2013-2024)}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:739-opus4-16100}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Passau}, pages = {259 Seiten}, year = {2025}, abstract = {This dissertation examines the evolution of Russian digital authoritarianism, focusing on its organisations that produce disinformation, the transition from the Internet Research Agency to the Patriot Media Group and the emergence of ANO Dialog. It shows how the Internet Research Agency operated as a sophisticated "troll farm" during the early stages of the Russo-Ukrainian war, with activities similar to those of a PR firm. The Patriot Media Group absorbed these activities, blurring the lines between media and disinformation and prioritising metrics-driven propaganda over journalistic professionalism. This dissertation identifies the organisation ANO Dialog as a new model, heavily integrated with state structures, combining digital surveillance, repression, and Soviet-style agitation adapted to the digital age. Using a novel methodology of career profile collection and analysis, my research illustrates the institutionalisation and regional expansion of disinformation tactics in Russian digital authoritarianism, highlighting its operational adaptability and evolving infrastructure.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Springer2025, author = {Springer, Simone Maria}, title = {Lehramtsstudierende auf ihrem Weg der Professionalisierung}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:739-opus4-16120}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Passau}, pages = {420 Seiten}, year = {2025}, abstract = {Die vorliegende Studie untersucht subjektive Vorstellungen von Professionalisierung aus Sicht Studierender des Lehramts Grundschule an der Universit{\"a}t Passau im Rahmen unterschiedlicher Praktikumsformen: P{\"a}dagogisch-didaktisches Praktikum (PDP), Exercitium Paedagogicum (ExPaed) und Modellcurriculum (MC). Aus der Theorie heraus wurden zwei Hauptkategorien der Studie abgeleitet: Kategorie I - Inwiefern unterscheiden sich die subjektiven Sichtweisen Studierender unterschiedlicher Praktika (PDP, ExPead, MC) auf Professionalisierung? Und Kategorie II - Inwiefern unterscheidet sich die systematische Reflexion der individuellen Professionalisierung von Studierenden unterschiedlicher Praktika (PDP, ExPaed, MC)? Durch diese drei Gruppierungen ist es m{\"o}glich, verschiedene Perspektiven zu ber{\"u}cksichtigen und Unterschiede herauszuarbeiten. Die leitfaden-gest{\"u}tzten ExpertInneninterviews (n = 27: 8 PDP, 10 ExPaed, 9 MC) wurden mit dem Programm f4 transkribiert und mit Hilfe der Datenanalyse-Software MAXQDA (2020/2022) inhaltsanalytisch nach Mayring (2015) ausgewertet. Ergebnisse der Studie zeigen Abweichungen der einzelnen Studierendengruppen bez{\"u}glich biografischer Ausgangslagen f{\"u}r Professionalisierung. StudentInnen der einzelnen Gruppierungen nehmen Professionalisierung im systemisch-strukturellen Rahmen in Form von Praktika anders war, zeigen Unterschiede im professionellen Selbstverst{\"a}ndnis und in den subjektiven Einflussfaktoren f{\"u}r Professionalisierung. Auch in der systematischen Reflexion der eigenen Professionalisierung k{\"o}nnen Diskrepanzen eruiert werden.}, language = {de} } @phdthesis{KravetsMeinke2025, author = {Kravets-Meinke, Daria}, title = {Search Engines and Foreign Influence: How Google and Yandex Mediate Russia's Propaganda Abroad}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:739-opus4-15953}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Passau}, pages = {146 Seiten}, year = {2025}, abstract = {This cumulative dissertation examined how the US-based Google and Russia-based Yandex mediate the propaganda efforts of Russia's ruling elites abroad on a case study of Belarus. The findings presented here contribute to a nuanced understanding of how algorithmic gatekeepers, particularly search engines, can be strategically appropriated or manipulated to reinforce and export state narratives beyond national borders. The main conclusion of this dissertation is that both Yandex and Google, albeit through different mechanisms and to varying extents, can serve as mediators of Russia's propaganda efforts abroad.}, language = {en} }