Scholastic Journalism 2009 Abstracts
Scholastic Journalism Division
Exploring Approaches to Journalism Education in a Post-Print World • Sara-Ellen Amster, National University; and Sara Kelly, National University • There is little data concerning curriculum reform nationally to meet the changing realities of the journalism business. This is an exploratory study of the current state of journalism education at what may be the most critical time for the field. It paints a tentative picture of a field consumed with fear about the future. At the same time there was frustration that institutions, ever cautious and bureaucratic, are adapting to societal change with painful slowness.
Minorities and Majors: A Survey of High School Journalists’ Plans for College and Careers • Linda Bowen, California State University, Northridge • Few programs exist for the kind of one-on-one relationship building seen by many educators as the most effective way to entice multicultural students to college and university journalism programs. One unique civic engagement model in California, Media Mentors, puts soon-to-graduate university journalism majors in the classrooms with high school students working on their news publications for two hours each week.
Tinkering with Free Expression: Student Rights in the Age of MySpace • Lola Burnham, Eastern Illinois University • Beginning with the Tinker v. Des Moines School District case that guaranteed students’ rights to free expression, this paper looks at how those rights have been chipped away at in such cases as Fraser, Hazelwood, and Morse and argues that the Morse opinion, in particular, can be misinterpreted in lower court decisions in cases involving fake MySpace pages created by students about their school principals. Two such cases with very different outcomes are examined closely.
The Influence of Personality and Motivation on Mass Communication Students’ Choices between News Media and Strategic Communication • Elizabeth Crawford, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh; Vincent Filak, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh; and Glenn Hubbard, University of Texas at Arlington • A study of journalism and mass communication majors (n = 240) revealed differences in regard to personality indices and impetuses for selecting to pursue a degree that emphasized either news media or strategic communication. While showing overall agreement in the importance of openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness, strategic communication students were significantly higher in their ratings of agreeableness, while news media students were significantly higher in their ratings of openness.
Assessing the State of Math Education in ACEJMC Accredited and Non-accredited Undergraduate Journalism Programs • Christine Cusatis, University of Florida; and Renee Martin-Kratzer, University of Florida • Although journalists need basic math skills, little attention has been given to math education in collegiate journalism programs. To assess journalists’ math education, 341 department chairs from both ACEJMC-accredited and non-accredited programs were surveyed. Results indicated that few programs offered math courses specifically for journalism majors. Instead, most relied on general education requirements and segments of core journalism courses to teach math skills. Strategies are proposed for future implementation of math education in journalism programs.
Perceived Journalistic Roles of J-school Students: A Comparative Study of Hong Kong and PRC • Li Deng, Chinese University of Hong Kong; and Wang Wai Ma, City University of Hong Kong • A comparative study was conducted in Mainland China and Hong Kong to show journalism students’ different perceptions of journalistic roles. The six journalistic roles extracted from 24 items are Consonance, Populist mobilizer, Adversarial, Interpretive, Disseminator, and Culture and Entertainment, which represent different professional ideas among students in different social and media environment.
Some Things Never Change: A Retrospective Look at Practitioner Expectations of Journalism and Public Relations Education • Vinita Dhingra, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona • A controversy has been raging for decades about the appropriate curricula for journalism students and the validity of journalism and public relations education. This study presents previously unpublished data from a 1991 study for a retrospective glimpse into the views, expectations and attitudes of journalism and public relations professionals towards journalism education. Results show that the professionals do not place a premium on journalism education and most value strong writing and other practical skills.
Controversy, Job Satisfaction and Self-censorship: A Comparative Analysis of High School and College Media Advisers • Vincent Filak, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh • An analysis of data from 807 high school and college media advisers revealed congruency regarding controversial topics with which they had the most and least comfort seeing published in their school’s paper. However, high school advisers were significantly less comfortable than their college counterparts in publishing on all these topics. Furthermore, high school advisers feared retribution for running such stories more than the college advisers.
Certain Restrictions May Apply: A Comparison of High School Principals’ Attitudes Regarding Free Expression between 2004 and 2009 • Vincent Filak, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh; Warren Watson, Ball State University; and Adam Maksl, Ball State University • Data collected from a sample of high school principals in 2004 and a separate sample collected in 2009 (n=535) reveal improvement in regard to knowledge of free expression law and some improved tolerance toward some acts of free expression. However, the data also suggest principals have a reticence toward certain forms of expression, especially those that might occur within their schools.
Hooked on the News via the Web: Integrating www.newsvine.com into a College Level Journalism Writing Course • James Forsher, Seattle University; Gabrielle Evans, Seattle University; Jamie Wallace, Seattle University; Jamie Richardson, Seattle University; Webster Erica, Seattle University; and Jordan Laine, Seattle University • The paper discusses an instructor and his students experience integrating www.newsvine.com into an intermediate media-writing course at Seattle University. Newsvine’s is an online site that features international news, domestic, local, business, politics, odd news, health and entertainment. Readers can also write news articles or comment on stories they are reading.
The Effects of a Student Press Law on the Content of Student Newspapers • Jennifer Garner, Lakeside High School, Hot Springs, Arkansas; and Bruce Plopper, University of Arkansas at Little Rock • Through content analysis of student newspapers five years before and after implementation of the Arkansas Student Publications Act, this research measured whether the Act had any effects on student newspaper content. Findings showed that controversial news and feature stories declined significantly in newspapers at small, rural schools while they increased significantly at large, urban schools. Adviser training and experience seem to be more important determinants of newspaper content than is a student press law.
Item Response Theory versus Classical Test Theory: Proposing a New Approach in Evaluating Journalism Students’ Achievement • Mugur Geana, School of Journalism and Mass Communications, University of Kansas • The present study provides a practical justification for the use of advanced test development methods in building instruments to measure journalism students’ achievement. Evaluating student performance is a cornerstone of the educational process. Developments in psychology of knowledge combined with advances in statistical reasoning applied to educational testing have opened new fields of research into areas of performance appraisal and test building.
Hooking ‘Em Young: Effects of Forms of Youth Exposure to Newspapers on Later Newspaper Adoption • Geoffrey Graybeal, University of Georgia; and Ann Hollifield, University of Georgia • This study examines how different types of exposures to newspapers in high school and prior to high school are related to decisions by college freshmen to adopt and use their college newspaper. The study draws upon newspaper readership and adoption theory to examine predictors. This survey of college freshmen found that interest in news predicts independent newspaper adoption but exposure to news does not.
Moving Beyond Rules: Codes and Classes Role in Ethical Decision-making by Editors at Campus Dailies • Marie Hardin, Pennsylvania State University; and Kirstie Hettinga, Pennsylvania State University • This research uses interviews with college Editors to explore their ethical decision-making. Findings suggest they value ethics classes but generally fail to connect instruction and codes with their newsroom experience. As they gain experience, they may move beyond a foundational, rules-based approaches to ethics, but they may also be overconfident about their decision-making abilities. Student journalists would benefit from instruction integrated into the newsroom environment that includes a focus on understanding the role of codes.
Copying Right and Copying Wrong with Web 2.0 Tools in the Communications and Teacher Education Classrooms • Ewa McGrail, Georgia State University; and J. Patrick McGrail, Jacksonville State University • Understanding copyright law in online content creation has become important in the Information Age. Student content creators should be educated about their responsibilities as producers of content derived from the intellectual property of others. As educators, we want to prepare our students for responsible participation in this new age. This paper describes an approach that we employ with underclassmen in communication courses and English teacher education students to prepare them to deal with copyright issues.
Journalism Students’ Knowledge About U.S. Politics and Government: Implications for Journalism Education • Uche Onyebadi, Southern Illinois University Carbondale • This research deviates from most studies about knowledge of politics and civic affairs with its specific focus on what journalism students in a US university know about the subject. The survey instrument was used in this study.
Designing a News Web Site To Appeal To Teens • Jessica Otwell, University of Memphis • This study links uses-and-gratification theory and the media choice model to teens’ online news consumption. It applies each of them to the future of news organizations and outreach to teen audiences. A focus group was conducted to determine the needs of teens and what changes need to be made to a citywide high school newspaper to reflect their interests. Research found that participants demand connectivity and new design standards when visiting news sites.
The Effects of the Ideological Congruency/Distance between Journalism and Mass Communication Students and their Professors on the Students’ Learning Experiences • Tayo Oyedeji, University of Georgia; Jennimaria Palomaki, University of Georgia; Uche Onyebadi, Southern Illinois University Carbondale; and Jiran Hou, University of Georgia • This study explores the effects of the ideological congruency/distance between journalism and mass communication students and their professors on the learning experiences of the students. The results show that ideological distance/congruency did not affect students’ perceptions of their overall learning experiences and their class grades but had a statistically significant effect on their participation in class discussions.
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