Rachel L. DiCioccio
Associate Professor of Communication Studies
Ph.D., Kent State University, 2001
M.A., Michigan State University, 1994
B.A., University of Rhode Island, 1992
Dr. DiCioccio’s research interests are spread across three significant areas of interpersonal communication: verbal aggression/conflict, family communication, and communication competence. Grounded in the trait perspective of personality, DiCioccio has examined the use of verbal aggression by adolescents and employees expressing dissent in the organization. Currently, her attention is focused on studying how and why people use teasing communication; a pervasive behavior in interpersonal communication but under developed in terms of empirical investigation. She and Dr. Sandra Ketrow have begun to examine family communication and the argument process during crisis situations. Ultimately, DiCioccio strives for scholarship that extends beyond the walls of academe and provides useful tools, skill, and explanations for understanding interpersonal relationships. DiCioccio’s research has been published in various academic outlets including: The Journal of Communication, Communication Reports, and The Review of Communication. She has also worked to connect her research expertise with the Rhode Island community by developing and implementing high school peer mediation programs and conflict management training.
Having earned her B.A. degree from URI in 1992, her return in 2003 as an Assistant Professor was a kind of “coming home.” She enjoys teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in conflict communication, family communication, nonverbal communication, personality theory, and pedagogical practices in communication.