Abstract

Like many other fields of studies, communication research and scholarship thrive largely on various theories. This makes communication scholars and researchers to engage in theoretical framework in their studies in order to properly underpin their research ideas, situate their claims and arguments to enrich their findings for wider acceptability. In this study, the author adopts a theoretical method to espouse the need for proper understanding and application of agenda setting theory in communication studies in Nigeria. The paper reflects on agenda setting theory and its advancement in communication scholarship. The paper further presents a perspective on how agenda setting should be applied in communication studies. The basic thesis of the paper is that an agenda setting study is different from a study that relates its research idea to the propositions of agenda setting theory.

Key Words: Media Effects, Agenda Setting Theory, Agenda Setting Studies, Priming, Framing, Communication Research,     Nigeria.

^JCMRJournal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 7, No. 2, October 2015, 77 – 92 

©Delmas Communications Ltd.

About the author

*Semiu Bello is a Ph.D. Candidate at the Department of Media and Communication, School of Language, Social and Political Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, 8140, New Zealand.

Full Article

Words: 7,503; Pages: 16