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CHERYL ALBAS*  \n## ABSTRACT\n\nWhen universities administer examinations,they do so dramaturgically.That is,they use spaces,props,equipment,and bodies to convey specific messages (thatexaminations are important,serious,formal affairs which reflect the largersocietal values of universalism and individualism)to students.Drama anddramaturgy require both actors and an audience;the interaction consists of theeffect that the one has on the other,that the other has on the one and both of these.The focus of this paper is on the interaction between the message and students'response to it,that is,the students'definition of the situation.In particular,emphasis is upon the notion that the dramaturgical messages given by theuniversity will be interpreted largely as they were intended to be,that in somecases the effect of the message is dysfunctional,either because it is misinterpretedor because it is challenged.  \n## RÉSUMÉ\n\nLorsque les universités font passer des examens,la dramaturgie est toujoursprésente.Elles font appel a des lieux,des accessoires,du matériel et despersonnes pour transmettre aux étudiants des messages précis (que les examenssont importants,sérieux et officiels et qu'ils refletent les valeurs sociales plusimportantes de I'universalisme et I'individualisme).Le théatre et la dramaturgieexigent tant des acteurs que des spectateurs;c'est grace àl'effet que I'un a surI'autre et que I'autre a sur I'un que I'interaction se produit.Cet article porte surI'interaction entre le message et la réaction des étudiants à celui-ci,c'est-a-direcomment les étudiants voient la situation.On insiste particulierement sur I'idéeque les messages dramaturgiques lancés parI'université seront en grande partieinterprétés comme prévu et que dans certains cas,le message est pertubateur,soitparce qu'il est mal interprété,soit parce qu'il est contesté.  \n*Department of Sociology,University of Manitoba  \nIn a previous paper(Albas and Albas,1988)we show that when universitiesadminister examinations they do so dramaturgically;that is,they use spaces,props,equipment,and bodies to convey specific messages to students.Thesemessages are meant to convey the fact that examinations are important,serious,formal affairs which reflect the larger societal values of universalism andindividualism.In that paper we attempted to project our construction of what weimputed the university message to the students to be,based on information fromuniversity officials and our own observations,and the description of this within aframework of dramaturgical insights and terminology.Both drama and dramaturgyrequire both actors and an audience;the interaction consists of the effect thatthe one has on the other,that the other has on the one and both of these.Whereasthe focus of the previous study was on the message and the media,the focus hereis on the interaction between the message and students'response to it,that is,their definition of the situation.In particular,emphasis is upon the notion thatthe dramaturgical messages given by the university will be responded todramaturgically.  \nThe definition of the situation enunciated by W.I.Thomas is a widely knowntheorem of sociology bandied about with little reflection on its underlyingcomplexity,which indeed was not made as clear by him as it might have been.Thomas fails to show,forexample,how society cues its members on what a givensituation is or even what a situation is supposed to consist of.These enigmaticaspects have been elucidated by Perinbanayagam(1974)who shows that whatThomas calls a definition of the situation is a synthesis of the intended message onthe part of whatever agency sets up the situation(for example,an institution)andthe response to this message by those affected by the institution.Perinbanayagamstresses that such a response although subjective on the part of the respondent isnevertheless limited by structural paramete","cbCaidDz79ghnBNT","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaidDz79ghnBNT","pdf",592536,13,"English","# Abstract\n# Résumé\n# Introduction\n# Method","[{\"question\":\"How do universities communicate messages during examinations?\",\"answer\":\"They administer examinations dramaturgically, using spaces, props, equipment, and bodies to convey specific messages to students about the importance and seriousness of exams.\"},{\"question\":\"What is the paper’s main focus regarding student reactions?\",\"answer\":\"It focuses on the interaction between the university’s dramaturgical message and students’ responses, meaning how students define the situation.\"},{\"question\":\"How were the data for the study collected?\",\"answer\":\"Data were gathered over about 15 years from university classes, using triangulation across exam logs, observations and probing for meaning, and surveys, supplemented by interviews for clarification.\"}]","The Staging of Examinations - A Student Response to the Institutional Perspective | PDF",1792084435,33]