FACTORSINFLUENCINGOCCUPATIONALCOMMITMENTAMONGSTUDENTS

PURSUINGCAREERSINJOURNALISM

by

EMILYJANEVERNON

WILSONLOWREY,COMMITTEECHAIR

GEORGEDANIELS

BRUCEBERGER

ATHESIS

SubmittedinpartialfulfillmentoftherequirementsforthedegreeofMasterofArtsintheDepartmentofJournalism

intheGraduateSchoolofTheUniversityofAlabama

TUSCALOOSA,ALABAMA

2011

CopyrightEmilyJaneVernon2011

ALLRIGHTSRESERVED

ii

ABSTRACT

This study evaluated factors that influenced students’ decisions to pursue a

journalism career and their commitment to the field. Students from two Alabama

universities were surveyed. A quantitative analysis was used to analyze factors that

explained students’ decision to pursue journalism and their commitment to the field based

on three types of occupational motivation -- affective, normative and continuance

motivation. Statistical analysis compared factors of decisions to pursue and commitment

among students whose emphasis of study was journalism and students studying in other

areas of communication and enrolled in journalism classes. Findings revealed that

student perceptions about the current health of the journalism industry were not

influential in their decisions to pursue journalism or their commitment to the field

compared to other factors such as journalist skills like writing, reporting, etc., and

perceptions of the media, salary expectations and involvement in journalism activities in

high school and college.

iii

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Iwouldliketothankallofthosewhomademythesisandgraduateschool

experiencespossible.ThanksbetoGodwhomadeprovisionseverystepoftheway.

ThankyouDr.WilsonLowreyforchairingmycommitteeandinvestingyour

personaltimetohelpmecompletethethesis.Yourworkisappreciatedmorethan

youknow.

ThankyouDr.GeorgeDanielsandDr.BruceBergerforservingonmy

committeeandencouragingmetopursuemyinterestsinjournalismeducation

research.ThankyoutothejournalismfacultymembersattheUniversityof

Alabamaforallowingmetosurveystudentsenrolledinyourclasses,andthankyou

toDr.BernieAnkneyandthejournalismfacultyatSamfordUniversityforallowing

metosurveyyourstudentsaswell.

ThankyouSarahBelanger,mypartnerincrimeduringgraduateschool,for

sharinginthechallengesandaccomplishmentswhileencouragingmetosucceed.

ThankyouDr.JonClemmensen,mentorandfriend,forguidingmethrough

myacademiccareer.

Thankyoutofriendsandfamilyforyoursupportduringthisprocess.It

wouldhavebeenimpossiblewithoutyou.

iv

CONTENTS

ABSTRACT........................................................................................................................ii

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.............................................................................................. iii

LISTOFTABLES.............................................................................................................v

1.INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................1

2.LITERATUREREVIEW............................................................................................3

3.METHOD....................................................................................................................22

4.FINDINGS ..................................................................................................................28

5.CONCLUSIONS ........................................................................................................38

REFERENCES................................................................................................................44

APPENDIXA..................................................................................................................50

APPENDIXB..................................................................................................................63

APPENDIXC………………………………………………………………………………….64

v

LISTOFTABLES

Table1:Meansfordifferenttypesofmotivationforoccupationalcommitment………..……………30Table2:Bivariatecorrelationsfortypesofmotivation,decisiontopursuejournalism,andcommitmenttojournalism…………………………………………………………………………...32Table3:Hierarchicalregressionanalysis:DecisiontoPursueJournalismandCommitmenttoJournalismasaFieldregressedonblocksofpredictors…………...……36‐37

1

CHAPTER1

INTRODUCTION

Thejournalismprofessionisundergoingconstantchange.Intheworstjob

markettodate,journalistsfacemorecompetitionandneedmoreskillsthanever

beforetosucceedinfindingandstayinginajobinthisindustry.Overthelastthree

years,theUnitedStatesLaborForceunemploymentratehasincreasedsignificantly.

Itrosefrom4.9percentin2007to7.2percentin2008,andto9.8percentin2009.

AccordingtotheAnnualSurveyofJournalismandMassCommunicationGraduates,

in2009thenumberofjournalismandmasscommunicationgraduateswhohadat

leastonejobofferwhentheycompletedtheirdegreefellto61.9from71.5percent

in2008.Tenyearsago,in2000,82.4percentofgraduateshadatleastonejoboffer.

Theleveloffull‐timeemploymentforjournalismandmasscommunication

graduatesin2009was55.5percent,asignificantdropfrom60.4percentthe

previousyear.Thiswasthelowestleveloffull‐timeemploymentrecordedsince

1986(Beckeretal.,2009).Withtheweakenedeconomyandthechangesjournalism

continuestoface,itisimportanttolookatwhatmotivatesstudentstocontinueto

pursuejournalismasafieldofstudyandasacareer.

Insearchofthefactorsthatpredictstudents’occupationalcommitmentto

journalism,thisstudyseeksbetterunderstandingabouttheextenttowhichconcern

aboutthecurrenthealthofthenewsindustryisinfluencingcommitmenttothe

journalismfieldamongthosewhowillsoonentertheworkforce.Italsoseeksto

betterunderstandhowexposuretojournalismthroughearlyexperiencesand

2

trainingduringhighschoolandcollegeinfluencecommitmenttothejournalism

field.Thisstudyshouldshedlightonpreviousresearchregardingjournalism

educationandjournalismcareers. Thisstudyshouldbenefitcommunications

professionals,studentsandeducatorsbyidentifyingpredictorsofcommitmentto

journalism.Bybetterunderstandingwhatmotivatesstudentstopursuestudiesin

journalismandjournalismcareers,bothemployersandeducatorscanusethis

knowledgetotheiradvantageinhelpingstudentsstaycommittedtoworkinginthe

professionforthelongterm.

3

CHAPTER2

LITERATUREREVIEW

Thissectionstartswithabriefreviewofthehistoryofjournalismeducation

andenrollmentrates,inordertoprovidesomecontextforstudents’socializationto

thefield.Thelitreviewthenmovestodiscussionsofstudents’perceptionsofthe

field,andtopredictorsofjobsatisfactionandcommitmenttojournalism,among

studentsandamongothers.Lastly,theconceptof“occupationalcommitment”is

discussedmorethoroughly.

Journalismeducationandenrollment:alookback

JournalismeducationintheUnitedStatesstartedwithon‐the‐jobtraining,

notformalclassroomeducation.Duringthe1700suptotheearly1860s,

“journalistslearnedskillsinprintingthroughapprenticeships(Weaver&Wilhoit,

1986,1991).Earlytrainingplacedgreateremphasisonskillandexperience.Notall

writersreceivedformaleducationbutdrewontheirknowledgeaboutpeopleand

publicaffairsthroughlifeexperiences(Weaver&Wilhoit,1991,[4]).

FollowingtheCivilWar,Gen.RobertE.Leestartedprintingclassesin1869at

WashingtonandLeeUniversityinLexington,Va.(Baker,1954;Sutton,1945;

Weaver&Wilhoit,1991;Willliams,1929).Otheruniversitiesshortlyfollowed.

Classesweretaughtbyformernewspaperreporters(Weaver&Wilhoit,1991).

EarlyclassesweretaughtinEnglishdepartments(Baker,1954).In1908thefirst

schoolofjournalismwasestablishedattheUniversityofMissouri(Beckeretal.,

1987;Sloan,1990;Weaver&Wilhoit,1991;Winfield,2008).Earlycourses

4

emphasizedtraininginwritingandediting(Weaver&Wilhoit,1991),butbecause

theschoolbeganofferingconceptualcourses,inprinciplesofjournalism,news‐

gathering,newspaperadministration,ethics,history,correspondence,newspaper

jurisprudence,thelawoflibelandnewspapermaking,thefieldofjournalismwas

recognizedasaprofessionbytheUniversityofMissouri(Sloan,1990;Weaver&

Wilhoit,1991;Weaveretal.,2007;Winfield,2008).TheUniversityofMissouri

createdapatternthatmanyjournalismprogramsintheUnitedStateswouldfollow

(Winfield,2008).OnSeptember14,1908,thefirstissueoftheUniversity

Missourianwaspublished.Thepublicationservedaslabwherestudentscould

learnthecraft,andprovidededitorialinterpretation,raisingquestionsonpublic

issues(Winfield,2008).

Beginninginthe1920s,severalindependentschoolswereformed,while

journalismdepartmentswerecreatedwithinliberalartscollegesacrossthecountry.

Partlyduetothecreationofjournalismprograms,journalismmovedfrombeing

recognizedasatradetobeingrecognizedasaprofession,focusedonprovidinga

moreconceptualliberalartseducationwithinthecontextofsocialsciences,

economics,historyandphilosophy(Peterson,1960;Weaver&Wilhoit,1991).In

1927,WillardG.Bleyercreatedajournalismminorinthepoliticalscienceand

sociologydoctoralprogramsattheUniversityofWisconsin.Scholarswhofounded

someofthecountry’smajorjournalismprogramscameoutofthejournalismminor

Ph.D.program,embracingBleyer’sbeliefthatjournalismshouldbeintegratedwith

thesocialsciences.Asaresult,journalismschoolsbeganplacingmoreemphasison

systematicmethodsofobservingandanalyzingtheworld,encouraging

5

establishmentofjournalismandmasscommunicationresearch(Weaver&Wilhoit,

1991).Withtheincreaseinthenumberofjournalismdepartmentsandschoolsin

theUnitedStates,enrollmentnumbersincreasedthroughoutthe20thcenturyand

continuetodosointhe21stcentury.Theincreaseinenrollmentnumbersoverthe

decadesisarguablyrelatedtotheideathat“journalism’semergenceintheacademic

worldwaspartofagreatsurgeineducationfortheprofessions”(Weaver&Wilhoit,

1991;Weaveretal.,2007).

Four‐yearprogramsinjournalismincreasedfromfourin1910,to28in

1920,to54in1927.In1910theseprogramsproducedfewerthan25graduatesa

year,butby1927,thisnumberroseto931.In1971theJohnstonesurveyofU.S.

journalistsreportedthat36,697undergraduateandgraduatestudentsclaimed

journalismasamajorand7,968degreeshadbeenawardedwithmorethan200

universitiesofferingprogramsinjournalism(Weaveretl.,2007;Weavwer&

Wilhoit,1991).By1982,numbersincreasedto91,016journalismandmass

communicationmajorsand20,355degreesgranted(Peterson,1982;Weaver&

Wilhoit,1991;Weaveretal.,2007).By2002,atotalof463journalismandmass

communicationdegreeprogramsreportedthat194,500studentswereenrolledin

bothundergraduateandgraduateprograms,and45,939degreeshadbeenawarded

(Weaveretal.,2007).

Morerecentenrollmentnumbersindicateacontinuedgrowthamong

journalismprograms,despiteeconomicdownturn.Butthenumbersshouldslowin

thecomingyearsduetoadeclineinthenumberoffreshmanandsophomore

studentsenrolledinjournalismprogramsin2008comparedtoenrollmentratesin

6

2007.AccordingtoBeckeretal.,(2009)aweakenedeconomyresultsinlower

enrollmentnumbers;manychoosetoentertheworkforcethantodelayentryfor

thepurposeofcontinuingeducation.However,ifanindividuallosesajob,the

circumstanceprovidesanopportunitytogobacktoschooltofurthertrainingwith

thehopeofbeingbetterpreparedtore‐entertheworkforce,suggestinggraduate

enrollmentswillcontinuetoincrease.

Buttheweakenedeconomydidnotslowtheoverallgrowthinjournalism

andmasscommunicationprogramsintheUnitedStatesin2008(Beckeretal.,2008;

Beckeretal.,2009).Inthefallof2009,215,296studentswereenrolledin

journalismandmasscommunicationprograms,200,639inundergraduate

programsand14,657ingraduateprograms.Inthefallof2008,216,369enrolledin

journalismandmasscommunicationprograms,with201,477pursuingan

undergraduatedegreeand14,892pursuingagraduatedegree,atotalenrollment

increaseof0.8%from2007.In2007‐2008atotalof55,056degreeswereawarded,

a2.2%increasefromthepreviousyear.Undergraduateenrollmentshavegrown

steadilysince1995,andinthefallof2008thatnumberwaslargerthanever

(Beckeretal.,2008;Beckeretal.,2009).

Students’generalperceptionsofJournalism

Numerousstudiesindicatethatstudents’perceptionsofjournalismhave

remainedstableovertheyears(Bowers,1974,Endres&Wearden,1990;Dodd&

Tipton,1992;Wu,2000).Someearlystudiesindicatedthatstudentsviewed

7

journalismasaprofessionwithlittlefinancialrewardattachedtoit.Students

perceivedthisasanegative,reportingthatpressureofthejobishighand

opportunitiesforadvancementlimited(Weigle,1957;Lubell,1959;Kimball&

Lubell,1960;Bowers,1974).However,participantstendedtoregardthejournalism

professionasusefultosociety(Weigle,1957;Fosdick&Greenberg,1961).More

than30yearslater,studieshaveindicatedsimilarfindings(Smith,1987;Dodd&

Tipton,1992;Adams,Brunner&Fitch‐Hausser,2008).

Dodd&Tipton(1992)discusstheshiftingviewsamongjournalismstudents,

pointingoutthatthemajorityofpreviousstudiesusedtheterm“journalism”inthe

contextofprint,makingacasefortheuseoftheterm‘communications,’sayingthe

termreflectsthebroadenedscopeoftheprofession.Asjournalismprogramshave

growntoincludemoreofferingssuchasbroadcastandonline,andpublicrelations

andadvertisingdepartmentshavegrownaswell,studentperceptionsand

motivationshavechangedbasedonthespecificareasofstudy.Forexample,Endres

&Wearden(1990)reportthatasawhole,studentschoosecareersinjournalism

andmasscommunicationfortheopportunitiesavailableforpromotionand

advancement,contributionsmadetosocietyandsalary,butthatthereare

significantdifferencesamongsequences.Traditionalprintstudentshavesaid

journalismisusefultosocietyandcrediblewiththepubliceventhoughthepayis

low,thejobisstressfulandthereislittleroomforadvancement(Smith,1987;

Enders&Wearden,1990).Butbothadvertisingstudentsandpublicrelations

studentsweremotivatedtopursuecareersbecauseofjobopportunitiesandgood

pay(Brinkman&Jugenhiemer,1977;Eneders&Weaver,1990).Oneearlystudy

8

indicatedadvertisingstudentshavetendednottoviewtheprofessionascredible

withthepublicandthinktheywillneedtosacrificeethicstobesuccessful(Surlin,

1977).Amorerecentstudyconductedin2009supportsthesesideas,thatstudents

perceivealackofcredibilityinthepublicrelationsprofession(Bowen,2009).

PursuingJournalism

Whenmotivationsforpursuingjournalismfirstbegantobeexamined,print

publicationswerethedominantformofmedia.Inthe1950sand1960sresearch

primarilyfocusedonthereasonsstudentschosenottopursuecareersinnewspaper

journalism(Weigle,1957;Dodd&Tipton,1992).Asizeableincreaseinenrollment

numbersinthe1970sledThomasBowers(1974)toexplorestudentattitudes

towardjournalismasacareer.Sincethen,researchhasemphasizedjournalismasa

possiblecareerchoiceamongstudents.

Motivations

Reasonsstudentschoosetoenterthefieldofjournalismvary,butsomeofthe

topfactorshaveremainedthesamethroughoutalmost60yearsofstudy.According

tonumerousstudies,thedesireandabilitytowritecontinuestobeadriving

motivationforstudentstopursuejournalism(Lubell,1959;Lubell&Kimball,1960;

Rice,1967;Bowers,1974;Parsons,1989;Splichal&Sparks,1994;Weaver&

Wilhoit,1996;Adams,Brunner&Fitch‐Hausser,2008).Weaveret.al(2007)report

thatmorethanoneinfiverespondentsindicatedaloveforwritingwastheprimary

reasonforpursuingacareerinjournalism.Peoplearealsodrawntojournalism

9

becauseofactivitieslikenewsgathering,researching,talkingtoandmeetingnew

peopleandthechancetotellstories(Weaveretal.,2007).

Thedesiretobeinaprofessionthathasanimportantsocialorpoliticalrole

alsowasappealing(Bowers,1974;Becker,Fruit,Caudill,1987;WeaverandWilhoit,

1996;Weaveretal,2007).AccordingtoWeaveretal.(2007)journalistssaidthey

weredrawntothefield“becauseofthespecialroleajournalisthasinademocratic

society.The‘importance’ofjournalism,thechancetoservethepublic,the

opportunitytowitnessimportanthistoricaleventsandthepotentialtoeffectsocial

changewereprimarymotivationsforaboutaquarterofrespondents.Almost16

percentalludedtothecentralroleofjournalisminpubliclife”(pp.57‐58).Others

chosetopursuejournalismbecausetheyvieweditasanexcitingprofession(Becker,

Fruit,&Caudill,1987;Weaveretal,2007).

Peoplehavealsobeendrawntojournalismthroughsocializationtothefield

byearlyinfluentialexperiences.Forexample,theseexperiencesmayhaveoccurred

becauseofsomethingthattookplaceinaclassroomorsomeonelikearelativeor

friendmayhaveinfluencedthembyexposingthemtojournalism(Splichal&Sparks,

1994;Weaveretal.,2007).

EducationandTraining

Whenlookingateducationandtraininginrelationtostudentspursuing

journalism,itisnecessarytolookatbothhighandcollegeexperiences.Research

consistentlyshowsthatexperiencesandexposuretojournalismbeforeenteringthe

jobmarkethaslastingpositiveeffectsandisinfluentialinhelpingstudentssucceed

infindingjobs(Feldman,1995;Becker,Vlad,&Olin2009).

10

Experienceinjournalismpriortoenteringcollegeplaysasignificantrolein

students’decisionstopursuemajorsinjournalismandmasscommunicationsand

careersinthefieldoncetheyfinishcollege.Studiesshowthatstudentswho

participatedinhighschooljournalismactivitiessuchasnewspaper,yearbook,radio

andtelevisionhadhigherGPAs,andscoredhigheronstandardizedtestslikethe

ACTthanstudentswhodidnotparticipateinsuchactivities(Dvorak,1990;Dvorak,

J.,&Changhee,C.2009;Beckeretal.,2009).Gradesbystudentsinjournalismand

masscommunicationsprogramsincollegehavegenerallyimprovedovertheyears.

Thenumberofjournalismstudentsfinishingcollegewithan‘A’gradepointaverage

increasedfrom26.2percentin1989to48.4percentin2009,whilethenumberof

studentswhoreceiveda‘B’droppedsignificantlyfrom70.1percentin1989to47.3

percentin2009(AnnualSurveyofJournalismandMassCommunicationsGraduates,

2009).

Also,exposureinhighschoolcreatedawarenessandinterestinthefieldof

journalism(Castaneda,2001),leadingstudentstopursuejournalismasamajorand

acareer.Studentsinvolvedinjournalismactivitiesorclassesinhighschoolwere10

timesaslikelytomajorinjournalismormasscommunicationswhileincollegeand

laterpursueacareerinthefield(Dvorak,1990).Anddecidingearly,inhighschool,

topursuejournalismisassociatedwithincreasedcommitmentlatertojournalism

asafield(Lowrey&Becker,2004).The1997AmericanSocietyofNewspaper

Editors(ASNE)studyreportedthat25percentofparticipantsindicatedthey

decidedonacareerwhilestillinhighschool(Butler,2006;Beckeretal.,2009).

Becker,Fruit&Caudill(1987)reportedthat5.5percentofstudentsdecidedto

11

studyjournalismbeforehighschoolbutthatamajorityofstudentsmadethe

decisiontomajorinjournalismwhileinhighschool(33.1percent)indicatingthat

earlyexperiencesplayanimportantroleindecidingtopursuejournalism.Sincethe

1990s,thepercentageofstudentsdecidingtomajorinjournalismbeforeentering

collegehasremainedconsistent.In1990,50.4percentofjournalismgraduates

chosetostudyjournalismandthenumberhasincreasedto56.7percentby1995

andthatnumberhasremainedstablewith55.4percentofgraduatesin2007

choosingtomajorinjournalismbeforecollege.(AnnualSurveyofJournalismand

MassCommunicationsGraduates;Beckeretal.,2009).Themajorityofstudentswho

decidedtomajorinjournalismandmasscommunicationspriortoenteringcollege

wereengagedinvariousjournalismactivitiesinhighschool.Forexample,80

percentof2007graduatesreportedhavingworkedforthestudentnewspaperin

highschool,whereas45.9percentdidnotand80.5percentworkedforthecampus

TVorradiostationand51.8percentofrespondentshadnot(AnnualSurveyof

JournalismandMassCommunicationGraduates;Beckeretal,2009).Accordingto

Beckeretal.(2009),highschoolexperiencesnotonlypreparestudentsforcollege,

butalsohavelastingeffectsthatwillhelpstudentssucceedinthejobmarketwhen

theyfinishschool.Amongthe2007bachelorsdegreerecipientssurvey,the

percentageofstudentsemployedwithin6to8monthsaftergraduationwashigher

amongthosewhoparticipatedinjournalismactivitiesinhighschoolthanthosewho

didnot.

Researchalsoindicatesthatcollegeexperiencesandinternshipsserveas

predictorsofsuccessinthejobmarket(Becker,Kosicki,Engleman&Viswanath,

12

1993;Feldman,1995;Becker,Lauf&Lowrey,1999;Beckeretal.,2009).

Internships,asanactivity,haveconsistentlyrankedhigherthananyothercampus

activitystudentsareinvolvedinduringcollege,accordingtotheAnnualSurveysof

JournalismandMassCommunications(Beckeretal.,2009).Forexample,even

whenparticipationinthestudentnewspaperwasatanall‐timehighin1986(58.4

percent),participationinaninternshipwashigher,with67.9percentofstudents

engaginginaninternshipincollege.Morethan20yearslater,thesameholdstrue,

with79.3percentofstudentsinvolvedinaninternshipandonly30percent

involvedwiththestudentnewspaperin2009.Thenewspaperwasthemostpopular

campusactivity,aftertheinternship.Internshipsplayavitalroleinstudentsuccess

injournalism.AsFemmel(1978)pointsout,internshipsprovidestudentswith

professionalexperiencebeforegraduation,allowingthemtobuildaportfolioand

makeprofessionalcontacts.

JobAvailabilityandJobSatisfaction

Whengraduateswereaskedwhytheytookthejobstheydidinthe2009

AnnualSurveyofJournalismandMassCommunicationGraduates,answers

indicatedthatavailabilitywasthebiggestfactor.Forexample,in2008and2009

therewasalargeincreaseinthepercentageofpeoplewhotookjobsbasedon

availabilityratherthantakingjobsbecausethatwaswhattheywantedtodo.In

2007,23.1percentofrespondentstookjobsbasedonavailability.Thatnumber

increasedto33.7percentin2008and43.9percentin2009.Likewise,thenumbers

ofthosewhotookjobsbecauseofwhattheywantedtododecreased.In2009,only

51.2percentofrespondentstookjobsbecauseitwaswhattheywantedtodo.That

13

numberdecreasedfrom56.8in2008and60.9in2007.Thelasttimetherewasa

largeincreaseinthepercentageofpeoplewhotookjobsbasedonavailability

occurredin2001whenthatnumberjumpedto33.9percentfrom18.2percent.In

2001,theunemploymentrateamongjournalismgraduatesjumpedto5.4percent

from4.1percentin2000.In2007,theunemploymentrateamongjournalism

graduateswas8.2percent,risingto14.3percentin2008andthenreachinganall‐

timehighat14.9percentin2009.Thesestatisticsindicateaweakenedeconomy

affectwhyjournalismgraduatestakejobs(Beckeret.al,2009).

However,eventhoughfewerpeopletookjobsbasedonwhattheywantedto

overthislastyear,thelevelofjobsatisfactionremainedfairlystablefrom2008to

2009withonlya1.2percentdecreaseinjobsatisfactionamongthosewithfull‐time

jobsand0.3percentdecreaseamongthosewithpart‐timejobs,indicatingthat

graduatesmaysimplybesatisfiedwithhavingajobintheworstjobmarkettodate

forthoseenteringthefieldofjournalismandmasscommunication(Beckeret.al,

2009).Giventhatjobsatisfactiontendstoremainstableintheweakenedeconomy,

itisnecessarytolookatwhataffectsjobsatisfactionandtherelationshipofjob

satisfactiontocommitmenttojournalism.

Formorethan30years,jobsatisfactionamongjournalistshascontinuedto

steadilydecline.Researchshowsthatthedeclineinjobsatisfactionisaresultof

changesinprofessionalpractice.Johnstoneetal.(1976)foundthatbetween20%

and25%ofyoungjournalistsquestionedtheirprofessionalcommitmentbecauseof

thedissatisfactiontheyexperiencedregardingprofessionalconsiderations,not

economicopportunities.AccordingtoJohnstoneetal.(1976),48.8percentof

14

journalistsreportedbeingverysatisfiedwiththeirjobs.Morethan10yearslater,

only40percentofyoungjournalistsreportedbeingverysatisfiedwiththeirjobs

(WeaverandWilhoit,1986).Bythe1990s,jobsatisfactionamongjournalists

droppedsignificantly.Only27.3percentreportedbeingverysatisfiedwiththeir

work.In2002,jobsatisfactionincreased,accordingtoWeaver,Beam,Brownlee,

VoakesandWilhoit(2007),whoreportedthat33.3percentsaidtheywerevery

satisfiedwiththeirwork.

In1971,reportedpredictorsofjobsatisfactionincludedthejournalists’

perceptionofhowwelltheirnewsorganizationsweredoingtheirjobofinforming

thepublic,andtheimportanceofautonomyintheworkenvironment.Job

satisfactionisalsostronglyrelatedtocommitmenttothefield.82.8percentof

journalistsinthe1971studyexpectedtobeworkinginnewsmediainfiveyears

(Johnstoneetal.,1976).SimilartothefindingsofJohnstoneetal.(1976),82.6

percentofjournalistsstillexpectedtobeworkinginthenewsmediainfiveyears

(WeaverandWilhoit,1986).In1992,thedeclineinjobsatisfactionwasattributed

toanincreaseinmorestrictpolicesonjournalists’autonomy.Andthenumberof

journalistswhoexpectedtoremaininthefieldinfiveyearsdroppedto73.8percent

(WeaverandWilhoit,1996).Likethepreviousresearch,predictorsofjob

satisfactionin2002werelinkedtojournalisticautonomyandnewsorganizations’

abilitytoeffectivelyinformthepublic.Weaveretal.(2007)reportedthat17.2

percentofjournalistsintendedtoleavetheprofession,citingpay,jobsecurityand

anunfavorableworkenvironmentasreasonsforwantingtoleave.Morerecent

researchsupportsthepreviousstudiesfindingthatwhileorganizationalsupport

15

andsocialsupportarekeystojobsatisfaction,aharshworkenvironment

contributestodissatisfactionamongworkingjournalists(Reinardy,2009).

AccordingtoReinardy(2009),industryissuesandjobsatisfactionweremost

directlyrelatedtojournalists’intentionstoleavetheprofession.

OccupationalCommitment

Asthepracticeofjournalismcontinuestochange,itisnecessaryto

understandwhatfactorswillaffectstudents’commitmenttotheoccupationover

thelongterm.Commitmenttojournalismhasdeclinedoverthelastthreedecades

andcontinuestodoso(Becker,Vlad,,Coffey,&Hennink‐Kaminski,2003;Johnstone,

Slawski&Bowman,1976Voakes,1996;Lowery&Becker,2004).Someofthemost

recentresearchexploringoccupationalcommitmentasitrelatestojournalismis

LowreyandBecker’s(2004)studythatlooksathowhighschoolandcollege

activitiesinfluencecommitmenttojournalisticwork.Thestudyemphasizesthata

cleardistinctionexistsbetweenorganizationalandoccupationalcommitment:

Factorsthatinfluenceoccupationalcommitmentdifferfromthoseinfluencing

organizationalcommitment(Lee,Carswell,&Allen,2000;McDuffandMeuller,

2000).LowreyandBecker(2004)foundthateventhoughhighschoolandcollege

experiencesarepredictorsoflookingforworkinjournalism,thoseexperiencesdo

notdirectlydetermineoccupationalcommitmenttojournalism.Rather,theyhave

anindirecteffect,astheyincreaselikelihoodofcollegejournalisminvolvementand

ofmakingconnectionsinjournalism.Thestrongestdirectpredictorsofoccupational

16

commitmentwerefactorsrelatedtosatisfactionwithone’sworkenvironment,

includingjobsatisfactionandprideintheorganization(LowreyandBecker,2004).

Tobetterunderstandthedistinctionofoccupationalcommitmentasit

relatestojournalism,abriefreviewoftheliteratureregardingoccupational

commitmentwouldbehelpful.Overtheyears,literaturehassometimesusedthe

termsorganizationalcommitmentandoccupationalcommitmentinterchangeably,

thoughthishascausedsomeconfusion(Lee,Carswell&Allen,2000).Early

researchdefinesoccupationalcommitmentintermsofcareersalience,the

importanceofworkinone’slife(Greenhaus,1971,1973;Morrow,1983;Lee,

Carswell&Allen,2000).Commitmenttoone’scareerhasbeendefinedasone’s

attitudetowardhisorherprofessionorvocation,separatingitfromorganizational

commitmentandjobcommitment(Morrow,1983;Blau,G.,1985,1988,1989;

McGinnis&Morrow1991).Careercommitmentinvolvesdedicationtoaspirations

inworkandcareer,whereasjobinvolvementreferstotheextenttowhichwork

activitiesfactorintolifeplansandthedesiretowork,evenwhennofinancialneed

exists.Therehasbeensomeredundantusageamongtheterms“careersalience,”

“careercommitment”and“jobinvolvement”(Morrow,1983;Blau,G.,1985,1988).

Researchindicatesbothprofessionalsandnonprofessionalsexperience

occupationalcommitment,commitmenttoaspecificlineofwork(G.Blau,1998,

1989;Meyer,Allen&Smith,1993;Lee,Carswell&Allen,2000).Occupational

commitment,whendefinedasapsychologicallinkbetweentheoccupationandthe

individualcanbesaidtobebasedonanaffectivereaction(Lee,Carswell&Allen,

2000,Blau,G.,2003).Apersonwhopossessespositivefeelingstowardshisorher

17

occupation,identifiesmorestronglywiththeoccupationitself,leadingtoahigher

occupationalcommitment.Thefeelingsoneexperiencestowardtheoccupation

providesinsightastowhetherornotthepersonchoosestoremainintheprofession

(Blau,G.,1985,2003;Meyer&Allen,1993);Lee,Carswell&Allen,2000).

However,occupationalcommitmenthasalsobeendiscussedbyresearchers

intermsofnormativeandcontinuancecommitment,inadditiontoaffective

commitment(Meyer&Allen,1991;Meyeretal.,1993;Morrow,1993;Irvingetal.,

1997;Lee,Carswell&Allen,2000;Blau,G.,2003).MeyerandAllen(1991)first

proposedthisthree‐componentmodelasacombinationoftheattitudeand

behavioralapproachestooccupationalcommitment.Thesethreetypesof

commitmentactuallymeasuremotivationsforcommitmenttoafieldratherthan

commitmentitself.Themodelwasfirstusedtostudyorganizationalcommitment,

butitwaslaterappliedtooccupationalcommitment(Irving,Colemam&Cooper,

1997;Lee,Carswell&Allen,2000;Blau,G.,2003).

Thefirstcomponentofthisthree‐dimensionalstructure,affective

commitment,dealswiththeemotionalattachmentandpersonalinvolvementone

hasinanoccupation(Kanter,1968,Buchanan,1974;Myer&Allen,1991;Lee,

Carswell&Allen,2000).Feelingsregardingpersonalcommitmentleadtoone’s

decisiontoremainintheirparticularoccupationalrole(Allen&Meyer,1990,Meyer

&Allen,1991;Lee,Carswell&Allen,2000).Affectivecommitmentisdistinctfrom

bothnormativeandcontinuancecommitment(Meyeretal,1993;Irving,Coleman&

Cooper,1997;LeeCarswell,&Allen,2000).Normativecommitment,alsoreferred

toasobligation,determineswhetherornotindividualsfeeltheyshouldremaininan

18

occupationbecausetheyfeelobligedtodoso.Theyfeelapressuretoactinsucha

waythatreflectsaneedtomeetthenormativegoalsandinterestsofthe

organizationoroccupation(Weiner,1982;Myer&Allen,1991;Irving,Coleman&

Cooper,1997).Myer&Allen(1991)statethatthisobligationisaresultof

socializationexperiences,whetherthatisbecauseofloyaltytorolemodels(i.e.

colleagues/employers)orbasedonreciprocityfromrewardsandpunishment

(Eisenbergeretal.,1986).

Continuancecommitmenthastodowiththeperceivedcostsofleavingan

occupation(Becker,1960;Kanter,1968;Meyer&Allen,1991;Irving,Coleman&

Cooper,1997;Lee,Carswell&Allen,2000;Blau,2003;Lowrey&Becker,2004).

Oneoftheearliesttheoriesdevelopedregardingcontinuancecommitmentdefinesit

insuchawaythatimpliespersonalinvestmentsmadeintakingacourseofaction,

andthentherelativecostofleavingtheoccupationorstayingwithit,giventhese

investmentsmade(Becker,1960).Thisconceptualdefinitionhastrickleddown

throughongoingresearch(Meyer&Allen,1991,Lee,Carswell&Allen,2000;

Lowrey&Becker,2004).

Blau(2003)re‐conceptualizedoccupationalcommitmentbyintroducinga

four‐dimensionalstructure:affective,normative,accumulatedcostsandlimited

alternatives.Occupationalentrenchment,orestablishmentwithintheoccupation,is

proposedasaconstructthatoverlapscontinuancecommitment,fromthe

frameworkprovidedbyBecker(1960).Itemphasizestheperceivedcostsofleaving

theoccupationaswellastheavailabilityofoccupationalalternatives(Carson,

Carson&Bedeian,1995;Carsonet.al,1996;G.Blau,2003).Occupational

19

entrenchment,similartotheconceptofcontinuancecommitment,consistsofthree

occupationalconstructsincludingoccupationalinvestment,emotionalcostsand

limitedalternativestotheoccupation.Occupationalinvestmentmeasuresthe

accumulatedcoststhatwouldbelostifonelefttheprofession.Emotionalcosts

examinetheemotionaltagthatcomeswithpursuinganewoccupation,while

limitednessofoccupationalalternativesisdefinedasthelackofperceivedoptions

inpursuinganewoccupation(Carsonetal.,1995;G.Blau,2003).Maintaining

occupationalinvestmentswhiletryingtoreduceemotionalcostspreventsan

individualfrompursuingapplicableoccupationalalternatives(Teger,1980;Blau,

2003).Alloftheseconstructsrepresentcostsassociatedwithcontinuance

commitment,resultinginanoverlapbetweentheconcepts.Blau(2003)proposes

thatemotionalcostsandoccupationalinvestmentsbecombinedandrepresentedas

accumulatedcostsaspreviouslysuggestedinresearchbyBlau(2001).Inthisstudy,

explanationforoccupationalcommitmentwillbeexploredintermsofthethree

motivationsofaffective,normativeandcontinuancecommitment–withcontinuance

relatingtocostsandinvestmentsmadeovertime–asdoneinpreviousstudies

relatedtojobsinjournalism(Lowrey&Becker,2004)

20

ResearchQuestions

Previousresearchshowsanimpactofeconomicconditionsonthe

perceptionsofthoseenteringthefieldsofjournalismandmasscommunication,

includingthedegreetowhichtheypursuejournalismjobs.Researchalsoshowsthat

one’sworkingconditionshasanimpactonjobsatisfactionandcommitment.Given

theapparentchallengesjournalismfacesintryingtoofferthosewhoenterthefield

secureandappealingworkingenvironments,itseemsreasonabletotestthe

importanceofperceptionsofthehealthofthefieldonthecommitmenttothefield.

Howimportantisperceptionofthehealthofthejournalismfieldtothedecisionsof

studentstopursuejournalismandtofeelcommittedtoit?

Thefollowingresearchquestionsareposed:

RQ1:Howimportantarestudents’perceptionsofthestateofthejournalism

professionandjournalismindustrytotheirdecisionstopursuejournalism,relative

tootherfactors?

RQ2:Howimportantarestudents’perceptionsofthestateofthejournalism

professionandjournalismindustrytotheircommitmenttojournalismasan

occupationalfield,relativetootherfactors?

Previousresearchhasalsoshowntheimportanceofthethreemotivationsof

affective,normativeandcontinuancecommitmentforexplainingthelevelof

occupationalcommitment:

21

RQ3:Towhatdegreearethethreetypesofmotivationforoccupational

commitment–affective,normativeandcontinuance–evidentamongthestudents?

Howdotheycompareindegreeofimportance?

RQ4:Howimportantarethesethreetypesofmotivationtostudents’decisionsto

pursueajournalismjob?Andtotheircommitmenttojournalismasanoccupational

field?

Itislikelythatotherfactorswillaffectthedecisiontopursuejournalismas

wellascommitmenttothefield,includinghighschoolandcollegeinvolvementin

journalismactivities,internships,perceptionofthenewsmediaanddemographic

factors.

RQ5:Whatotherfactorsinfluencestudents’decisionstopursuejournalism?

RQ6:Whatotherfactorsinfluencestudents’commitmenttojournalismasafield?

22

CHAPTER3

METHODS

Multiplefactorsinfluenceastudent’sdecisiontopursuejournalismasa

majorcourseofstudyandasacareer(Bowers,T.,1974;Singer,J.&Craig,D.1996;

Gaziano,C.&McGrath,K.1986).Extensiveresearchhasbeenconductedthat

examinestheeducationalandoccupationaltrainingstudentsreceiveinthe

classroom,throughinternshipsandtheirinvolvementincampusmedia,aswellas

theeffectsoftheseexperiences(Yarnall,L.,Johnson,J.T.,Rine,L.&Ranney,M.A.

2008;Feldman,B.1995;Lowrey,W.&Becker,L.2004).Studiesshowthatstudent

experiencesandperceptionsaboutjournalismvaryduetoawiderangeof

educationalandtrainingprogramsthatexistinuniversitiesthroughoutthecountry.

(Bowers,1974;Becker,L.B.,Fruit,J.W.&Caudill,S.L.1987;Weaver,D.,Beam,R.,

Brownlee,B.,Voakes,P.&Wilhoit,G.2007).Occupationalcommitmentisalso

relatedtojobfactorssuchasthenatureofthework,theworkenvironment,

professionalautonomy,andtangiblebenefitssuchassalary,benefits,and

opportunitiesforadvancement(Blau,G.2003;Lee,K.,Carswell,J.,Allen,N.2000;

Meyer,J.P.,Allen,N.J.,Smith,C.A.1993),thoughthesefactorsarenotassessedhere.

Examiningthemechanismthatinfluencesstudentdecisionstopursue

journalism,asajobandasacareer,shouldgivejournalismeducatorsand

journalismemployersinsightfulinformationtoassisttheminmakingdecisions

whendesigningcoursesforstudentsandtrainingprogramsforjobentrants.

23

Thestudywasbasedonasurveyofcollegestudentscurrentlyenrolledin

mediacoursesattheUniversityofAlabama’sCollegeofCommunicationand

InformationSciencesandSamfordUniversityatalllevels–freshman,sophomore,

junior,seniorandgraduatestudents–duringspring2011.Thestudyfocusedon

reasonsfordecidingtopursuejobsandcareersinjournalism,soacollege‐student

sampleisappropriate.Participationwasvoluntary.Diversitybyyearinschoolwas

sought,thoughthesamplecontainssignificantlymoreunderclassmenthan

upperclassmen.Thestudytargetsjournalismstudents,butunderclassadvertising

andPRstudentswerealsoincluded,astheytakethelargeJN150andJN311

introductorycoursesattheUniversityofAlabama.

Studentsweresente‐mailsthroughtheirinstructorsrequestingtheytake

partinthestudy.IRBapprovalwasacquired,andthee‐maildetailedstudents’

rightsasresearchparticipants.Studentswereofferedasmallamountofextracredit

forparticipating,dependingonthewishoftheclassinstructor.

Thee‐maillinkedtoanonlineinstrumentdesignedtomeasuredecisionsto

pursuejournalismjobsaftergraduation,aswellaslevelofcommitmentto

journalism(andsecondarily,othermediafields).Inthissurveyjournalismrefersto

informationalmediaworkproducedforvariousmediaoutletslikenewspapers,

magazinesandtradepublications,onlineandbroadcast(TV,film).Othermedia

relatedfieldsreferstopublicrelationsandadvertising.Theinstrumentalso

measuredfactorsthatmayinfluencestudents’decisionstopursuejournalism.For

exampleitmeasuredtheirfeelingsabouttheeconomichealthofjournalismasa

professionandasanindustry.Otherpossiblepredictorsthatthesurveymeasured

24

included:“affective”motivationsforcommitment,“continuance”motivationsfor

commitmentand“normative”motivationsforcommitment;feelingsaboutthenews

mediaingeneral;typicalexposuretonewsmedia;pastinvolvementinhighschool

andcollegejournalismactivitiesandinternships,andsalaryexpectations.

Questionsrelatedtodemographicswerealsoincluded.Surveyquestionswere

adaptedfrompreviousresearchregardingjournalismeducationandoccupational

commitment(Weaver,D.,Beam,R.,Brownlee,B.,Voakes,P.&Wilhoit,G.2007;

Becker,L.B.,Vlad,T.,Vogel,M.,Wilcox,D.,&Hanisak,S.(2008);Meyer,J.P.,Allen,

N.J.,Smith,C.A.1993).TheonlinesurveywascreatedinSurveyMonkey.

Datawerecollectedoverathree‐weektimeperiod,inthemiddleofthe

spring2011semester.Thefirstsurveyinstrumentwascomposedofatotalof36

surveyitems(SeeAppendix1).Atotalof454studentsrespondedtothissurvey.It

wasdiscoveredthatthreeofthequestionsmeasuringperceptionofmediawereleft

outofthissurvey,andsoafollow‐upsurveywassentthatcontainedonlythese

threequestions(Appendix2).Atotalof208responseswerecollectedfromthis

survey,andresultswereaddedtotheoriginalsurveyaftermatchingstudentID

numbers.Relationshipsbetweenvariablesinthehypothesesandresearchquestions

weremeasuredusingStatisticalPackagefortheSocialSciences(SPSS).

Decisiontopursuejournalismandcommitmenttojournalism:

Thefirstmaindependent(criterion)variable“decisiontopursuejournalism”

isdefinedaschoosingtoactuallypursueajournalismjobupongraduation.Itis

operationallydefinedthroughsurveyquestionsthataskdirectlyaboutintentto

pursueajobupongraduation(M=2.79,s.d.=1.23),andquestionsthataskmore

25

specificallyaboutintenttopursuecertaintypesofjobs(Allquestionsona5‐point

scale;SeesurveyquestionnaireinAppendixA).Thesemeasuresweresummed

(alpha=.80).Theconceptualdefinitionforthesecondmaindependent(criterion)

variable,“commitmenttojournalism,”istheintenttostayinthefieldofjournalism

asacareer.Commitmentisoperationallydefinedbyaskingwhetherornotthey

hopedtobeworkinginajournalism‐relatedfieldin5to10years(Yes=17.1%)

(Lowrey&Becker,2004),andbyaskinghow“committed”theindividualistoa

careerinjournalism(M=1.62,s.d.=1.31,range=1‐5).Thesemeasureswereturned

intoz‐scoresandthensummed(alpha=.78)

Themeansforthesemeasureswerehigherforonlythose120studentswith

ajournalismemphasis(Pursueajournalismjob:M=4.0,s.d.=1.0;Workingin

journalismfieldin5‐10years:53.3%;Committed:M=2.90,s.d.=1.0)

Astalkedaboutintheliteraturereview,theconceptofcommitmentcanbe

thoughtofashavingthreedifferentmotivations:oneis“liking”thefieldof

journalismorfeelingaffectforjournalismasafield(“affectivecommitment”);

anotherisapulltowardajournalismcareerbecauseofinvestmentsoftimeand

effortalreadymadeinpursuingjournalism(continuancecommitment);athirdisa

motivationfromfeelingjournalismisasociallyworthygoal(normative

commitment).Questionsusedforthesethreetypesofmotivationforcommitmentto

thefieldwereadaptedfromquestionsthathavebeenusedtoassessoccupational

commitmentinpreviousresearch(Blau,G.,2003;Lee,K.,Carswell,J.,Allen,N.,

2000;Gaziano,C.&McGrath,K.,1986;Lowrey&Becker,2004;Meyer,J.P.,Allen,

N.J.,Smith,C.A.,1993;).Using5‐pointscaleitems,motivationsforcontinuance

26

commitmentweremeasuredbyaskingparticipantssurveyitemsabouttimeand

energyinvestedanddegreeofdifficultyinchangingcourse(M=4.61,s.d.=2.64).

Affectivemotivationsforcommitmenttojournalismweremeasuredthroughsurvey

itemsthatassessedattitudestowardtheprofession,todeterminethelevelof

commitmentbasedonfeelingsaboutjournalism.Scaleitemsrangingfrom1‐5

included:“Iamenthusiasticaboutjournalismasaprofession”and“Iregretmy

decisiontopursuejournalism”(M=10.76,s.d.=2.64).Normativecommitmentwas

alsousedmeasuredusingthe1‐5rangescaleitems.Normativecommitment

measuresthelevelofcommitmenttowardstheprofessionbasedonasenseofsocial

obligation.Anexampleofastatementusedtomeasurenormativecommitment

says,“IwouldfeelguiltyifIleftjournalism,”or“Ifeelaresponsibilitytocontinuein

journalismbecauseofjournalism’sservicetothepublic”(M=8.13,s.d.=2.63).

Otherpredictors:PerceptionsofJournalismandthestateoftheIndustry:

Participantswereaskedaboutpreviousjournalismexperiencesinhigh

schoolandcollege.Theseexperienceswerescoredas1=Yes,0=Noandsummed

(M=1.64,s.d.=1.60).Forexample,participantswereaskedabouthighschool,college

andworkexperienceinthefield,theywereaskedtospecifywhichspecializationof

communicationstheychosetopursueaswellaswhichextra‐curricularactivities

theywereinvolvedinhighschoolandcollege;andtheywereaskedtospecifyifthey

tookjournalismcoursesinhighschool,andwereinvolvedwithstudentmediain

highschool.Also,studentswereaskedtoindicatewhetherornottheyhadwork

experienceinthefield,includinginternshipsandpart‐timeorfulltimework.These

questionscomefrompreviousstudiesofjournalismeducationandcommitment

27

(Weaver,D.,Beam,R.,Brownlee,B.,Voakes,P.&Wilhoit,G.2007;Becker,L.B.,Vlad,

T.,Vogel,M.,Wilcox,D.,&Hanisak,S.2008).,Beckeret.al,2009).

Participantsalsoansweredquestionsthatratetheirattitudesaboutthe

currentstateofthemedia.Perceptionsweremeasuredaspredictorsorinfluences

ondecisiontopursuejournalismandcommitmenttojournalism.Threequestions

relatingtotheirperceptionsaboutthehealthoftheindustrywereassessed,eachon

ascaleof1‐5(M=10.74,s.d.=2.01).Also,perceptionwillbeassessedbasedon

questionsrelatingtohowmanyhoursperdayonaverageparticipantspayattention

tomedia(M=9.38,s.d.=5.77),aswellassevenquestions(scaleof1‐5)relatedto

theiroverallimpressionsofnewsmedia‐‐perceptionsofcredibilityofjournalists,

andthoughtsabouttheroleofjournalisminsociety(M=21.20,s.d.=3.12).These

questionswereadaptedfromtheAnnualSurveyofJournalismandMass

Communicationgraduates(Beckeretal.,(2009).

Demographics:

Participantsansweredgeneralquestionswithregardtodemographics.

Participantswereaskedtoprovideinformationona3‐pointscaleabout

socioeconomiclevel(M=2.99,s.d.=.82),politicalleaningsona5‐pointscale(M=2.73,

s.d.=0.97),gender,raceandyearinschool.Manyofthesequestionswereadapted

fromthe2002JournalistsSurveyQuestionnaire(Weaveret.al,2007)andthe

AnnualSurveyofJournalismandMassCommunicationGraduates(Beckeret.al,

2009).Allofthedemographicfactorsareoperatingasindependentvariables.

28

CHAPTER4

FINDINGS

Inordertoanswertheresearchquestionsinthisstudy,hierarchicalmultiple

regressionanalyseswereused.Also,bivariatecorrelationanalysesandmeans

analyseswereconducted.Ahierarchicalregressionanalysis,aformoflinear

regression,isamulti‐levelanalysisthatallowsthevarianceofoutcomevariablesto

beanalyzedatmorethanonelevelinsteadofjustasinglelevel.Usuallyindependent

variablesareenteredindifferentblocks.Theyaretestedtoseehowmuchthey

explainthevarianceinthedependentvariableaseachoneisadded.Regressionlets

theresearchercontrolothervariableswhentestingtheeffectforeachvariableon

thedependentvariable.Thebivariatecorrelationsimplyevaluatestherelationship

betweentwoquantitativevariableswithoutdistinctionbetweentheindependent

anddependentvariables,anditdoesnotcontrolforothervariables.

Thefirstandsecondresearchquestionsaddressedinthisstudyexamine

whetherornotstudents’perceptionsofthestateofthejournalismprofessionand

thehealthoftheindustryplayaroleintheirdecisionstopursuejournalismand

theircommitmenttothefieldofjournalism.Foreachdependentvariable,the

decisiontopursuejournalism,andcommitmenttothefield,tworegressionanalyses

wereconducted.Oneregressionanalysislooksatonlythoseparticularcasesof

studentswhoemphasizestudyingjournalism.Theseincludeallstudentswholisted

journalismaseitheramajor,apossiblemajor,oraminor.Therewere57such

students.Theotherlooksatallcasescombined–studentswhoindicatedan

29

emphasisinjournalismaswellasthosewhoindicatedanemphasisinotherfields

(mosttypically,publicrelations,advertising,telecommunications).Therewere208

suchcases.Resultsindicatedthatperceptionsaboutthejournalismprofessionand

thehealthoftheindustrywerenotpredictiveofstudents’decisionstopursue

journalism(beta=.03).Perceptionsaboutthehealthoftheindustryandthe

professionwerealsonotpredictorsofcommitmenttothefieldeither(beta=.09).

Bivariatecorrelationswerealsosmallandnotsignificant,withthelargestbeing

between“Ithinkthenewsindustrywillhavejobs”and“DecisiontoPursue”(r=.16).

Theseresultsmaysuggestthatstudentswhodecidetopursuejournalismarewell

awareofthehealthoftheindustrybeforetheypursuethiscareerpath.Thefindings

alsosuggestthatotherfactorsexistthatleadstudentstopursuecareersin

journalism.Theseotherfactorsareaddressedinresearchquestions5and6.

Inaddressingthethirdresearchquestion‐‐towhatdegreearethethree

typesofmotivationforoccupationalcommitment,affective,normativeand

continuance,evidentamongthestudents–descriptivestatisticswereusedtomake

comparisonsintermsofmeans.Standarddeviationswerealsocalculated.Affective

motivationis“liking”thefieldofjournalismorfeelingaffectforjournalismasafield;

continuancemotivationisapulltowardajournalismcareerbecauseofinvestments

oftimeandeffortalreadymadeinpursuingjournalism;normativemotivationisa

motivationfromfeelingjournalismisasociallyworthygoal.Eachtypeof

motivationwascalculatedusingasumofthreemeasures.Eachmeasureallowedfor

scoresfrom1to5.Thisanalysiswasrunintwoways.First,allcaseswereanalyzed,

includingstudentswhobothemphasizedanddidnotemphasizejournalismasa

30

career.Continuancecommitmentappearedtobeleastevidentofthesethreetypes

ofmotivationthatinfluencestudents’commitment,withameanof4.61(s.d.=

2.64).Normativecommitmentwashigher,withameanof8.13(s.d.=2.63).Finally,

amongthesethreetypesofcommitmentmotivationthemotivationofaffective

commitmentseemstoplaythestrongestroleinstudents’commitmenttothefieldof

journalismwithameanof10.76(s.d.=2.64)(SeeTable1).

Table1:Meansfordifferenttypesofmotivationforoccupationalcommitment

Allstudentsinsample Studentswithjournalism

emphasis

Commitment N Mean S.D. N Mean S.D.

Continuance 431 4.61 2.64 120 6.21 2.13

Normative 367 8.13 2.63 120 8.97 2.60

Affective 353 10.76 2.64 120 12.60 2.64

Next,meanswerecomputedforonlystudentswithajournalismemphasis(listing

journalismasamajororminor).Themeanforcontinuancecommitmentwas6.21

(s.d.=2.13),themeanfornormativecommitmentwas8.97(s.d.=2.60)andthe

meanforaffectivecommitmentwas12.60(s.d.=2.64).Studentswithajournalism

emphasisweremoremotivatedbycontinuancecommitment,normative

31

commitmentandaffectivecommitmentthanwerethesampleofallstudents,though

motivationbynormativecommitmentwasonlyalittlehigher.Thesenumbers

indicatethatcomparatively,timeandeffortstudentsalreadyhaveinvestedin

pursuingjournalism,andnormativepressuresliketheperceivedneedtohelp

societyasawholethroughjournalism,arenotasinfluentialinmotivatingthemto

pursuejournalismastheirownpersonalfeelingsaboutjournalism.

Toanswerthefourthresearchquestionabouthowimportantthesethree

typesofmotivation(affective,normative,continuance)aretostudents’decisionsto

pursuejournalismandtheircommitmenttothefield,bivariatecorrelationswere

conducted.Thebivariatecorrelationanalysesresultedinsomesignificant

correlationswithdecisiontopursuejournalismandcommitmenttothefield(See

Table2).Motivationfromaffectivecommitmentnotonlycorrelatedstronglyand

significantlywiththedecisiontopursuejournalism(r=.58,p<.01)butalso

correlatedstronglywithcommitmenttojournalism(r=.66,p<.01).Thiswas

similartoresultsforonlystudentswithajournalismemphasis.Forthesestudents,

thecorrelationwithdecisiontopursuejournalismwas.40,whilethecorrelation

withcommitmenttojournalismwas.61.Thesenumberssuggestaffectivemotivation

relatesnotsolelytocommitmenttothefieldbutalsoindicatesarelationshipto

students’decisionstopursuejournalism.Likewisenormativemotivationis

significantlyrelatedtostudents’decisiontopursuejournalism(r=.41,p<.01)as

wellascommitmenttothefield(r=.40,p<.01)Again,thisissimilartofindingsfor

onlystudentswithajournalismemphasis.Normativemotivationisrelatedto

decisiontopursue(r=.32,p<.01)andtocommitmenttojournalism(r=.31,p<.01).

32

Continuancemotivationalsosharesastrongrelationshipwiththedecisionto

pursuejournalism(r=.45,p<.01)andcommitmenttothefield(r=.41,p<.01).For

onlyjournalismstudents,motivationbycontinuancecommitmentwasmoderately

correlatedwithdecisiontopursue(r=.25,p<.01),buthadaweakandnon‐

significantcorrelationwithcommitment(r=.12,p>.05).

Table2:Bivariatecorrelationsfortypesofmotivation,decisiontopursuejournalism,and

commitmenttojournalism.

Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients

**p<.01 *p<.05

Itappearsthatjustlikingthedoingofjournalism–affectivemotivation–isthemost

powerfultypeofmotivationamongthesethree.Incontrast,continuancemotivation

doesnotseemtoexplainjournalismstudents’levelofcommitmenttothefield.They

donotfeelthattheinvestmentthattheyhavemadetothispointisthereasonthey

arecommittedtothefield.Normativemotivationordoingjournalismbecauseitis

DecisiontoPursue

Journalism,allstudents(N=426)

CommitmenttoJournalism,allstudents(N=426)

DecisiontoPursue

Journalism,onlyJNstudents(N=120)

CommitmenttoJournalism,

onlyJNstudents(N=120)

NormativeCommitmentMotivation

r‐Value

.41**

.40** .32** .31**

ContinuanceCommitmentMotivation

r‐Value

.45** .41** .25** .12

AffectiveCommitmentMotivation

r‐Value .58** .66** .40** .61**

33

seenastherightthingtodoforsocietyisafairlystrongmotivator,butnotnearlyas

strongasaffectivemotivation.

Whenlookingatresearchquestions5and6–whatotherfactorsinfluence

students’decisionstopursuejournalismandtheircommitmenttothefieldof

journalism–hierarchicalmultipleregressionanalyseswereconducted.Aswith

researchquestions1and2,fourregressionanalyseswereused,twotoassess

predictorsofthedecisiontopursuejournalisminrelationtootherfactors,andtwo

toassesspredictorsofcommitmenttothefieldinrelationtootherfactors.Foreach

ofthedependentvariables,aregressionanalysiswasconductedthatincludedonly

studentswithanemphasisinjournalism,andaregressionanalysiswasconducted

thatincludedstudentsfromallareasofemphasistoseehowfactorsaffecting

students’decisionstopursueandcommitmenttofieldcomparedamongjournalism

studentsandstudentsfromotherareasofstudy.Fortheseanalyses,the

independentvariable“perceptionofthehealthoftheindustry”wasdeletedfrom

themodelbecauseitwasnotsignificantandcorrelationswereverysmallinthe

earlieranalysis.Alsotherewereonlyhalfthenumberofcasesforthisvariable,

meaningonlyhalfthetotalcaseswouldbeincludedinthisanalysis.

TheR‐Squareforthemodelregressingthedecisiontopursuejournalismon

factorsforstudentswhoemphasizestudyinjournalismis.40.TheR‐Squareforthe

modelregressingthedecisiontopursuejournalismonfactorsforallstudentsis.41.

Accordingtothesenumbers,manyfactorsthatwouldpredictdecisiontopursue

journalismareaccountedforinthisstudy.Whendoingaregressiononthedecision

topursuejournalismonpredictorsforstudentswhohaveajournalismemphasis,a

34

strongpredictorofdecisiontopursuewas“perceptionofthemedia”(beta=.25,

p<.05).Thiswasnotanimportantpredictorforallstudents.Apparentlyfor

journalismstudents,feelingpositiveaboutthejobthenewsmediadoesnowis

importanttomakethemfeelcomfortableaboutthepossibilityofworkinginthat

field.

Otherwiseforstudentswithajournalismemphasis,likingcertainjournalism

skillswasmostimportantinexplainingdecisiontopursuejournalism,inparticular

editing(beta=.31)andonlinework(beta=.25).

Socioeconomiclevel(beta=­.15,p<.01),highschoolandcollegeactivities

(beta=.35,p<.01),andsalaryexpectations(beta=­.13,p<.01)weresignificant

predictorsfortheanalysiswithallstudents(SeeTable3).Withregardstoskills,

reportingandinterviewingwasamoderatepredictoramongstudentsasawhole

(beta=.19,p<.01),andsowasediting(beta=.11,p<.05)andproducingonlinemedia

(beta=.19,p<.01).

TheRSquareforthemodelregressingcommitmenttothefieldofjournalism

onfactorsforstudentswhoemphasizestudyinjournalismwas.30.TheRSquare

forthemodelregressingcommitmenttothefieldofjournalismonfactorsforall

studentswas.38.Again,thesemoderatelyhighnumbersindicatethatmanyofthe

factorspredictingcommitmenttothefieldofjournalismwereaccountedfor.Across

allstudents,thestrongestpredictorofcommitmenttojournalismwasinvolvement

inhighschoolandcollegemediaactivities(beta=.33,p<.01).Socioeconomicstatus

(beta=­.15,p<.01),salaryexpectations(beta=­.16,p<.01)werealsosignificant,but

thesecorrelatedintheoppositedirection,sothatthosewithlowersocio‐economic

35

statusandlowerexpectationsofsalarysaidtheyweremorecommittedto

journalismasafield.Havingamorepositiveperceptionofthenewsmediawasalso

asignificantfactor,butitwasfairlyweak.Enjoymentofjournalismskillswasalso

correlated:Writingskillswasastrongpredictorforcommitmenttojournalism

(beta=.18,p<.01)thoughnotinthedecisiontopursue,andlikingonlinework,and

reportingwerealsocorrelated.Likingvisualdesignskillswasnegativelycorrelated

(beta=‐.14,p<.05),andthismaybebecausemanyofthestudentswereadvertising

andpublicrelationsstudents,anddesignskillsareimportantintheirfields.Forjust

journalismstudents,havingapositiveperceptionofthemediawasaveryimportant

factorforcommitmenttothefield(beta=.32,p<.01),andexpectedsalarywasabig

negative(beta=‐.29,p<.01).Again,lowersocioeconomiclevelwasapredictor,as

waslikingreportingandinterviewing.

36

Table3:Hierarchicalregressionanalysis:DecisiontoPursueJournalismandCommitmentto

JournalismasaFieldregressedonblocksofpredictors

DecisiontoPursueJN

(N=431)

CommitmenttoJN

(N=120)

Studentsw/JNEmphasis AllStudents Studentsw/JNEmphasis AllStudents

BLOCK1:DEMOGRAPHICS

Race(Caucasianornot) .05 .02 ‐.10 ‐.02

Gender ‐.05 .02 .01 .01

SocioeconomicBracket ‐.17 ‐.15** ‐.21* ‐.15**

PoliticalLeaning(higherscoreindicatesmoreliberal)

‐.03 ‐.03 ‐.06 ‐.02

HighSchool&CollegeActivities(summed)

.16 .35** .10 .33**

RSquareChange .15 .26 .10 .23

BLOCK2:ENJOYSKILLS(5‐pointscales,SDtoSA)

Ienjoywriting ‐.03 .08 .04 .18**

Ienjoyediting .24* .11* ‐.04 .05

Ienjoyreportingandinterviewing

.11 .19** .27* .12*

Ienjoyphotographyand/orvideography

.04 .03 .06 .08

Ienjoyproducingonline/webmedia

.31** .19** .01 .14*

Ienjoydoingvisualdesign ‐.16 ‐.07 .04 ‐.14*

RSquareChange .19 .13 .07 .12

RSquare .34 .39 .18 .35

AdjustedRSquare .25 .37 .07 .32

BLOCK3:PERCEPTIONSABOUTMEDIAANDMEDIAINDUSTRY

Perceptionofmedia(5‐ptscale)

.25* .03 .32** .10*

37

Hoursspentusingmediaperday

.11 .08 .07 ‐.01

RSquareChange .06 .01 .06 .01

RSquare .40 .39 .23 .36

AdjustedRSquare .30 .37 .11 .33

BLOCK4:EXPECTATIONS

SalaryExpectations(higherscore=higherexpectations)

‐.08 ‐.13** ‐.29** ‐.16**

RSquareChange .01 .01 .06 .02

RSquare .40 .41 .30 .38

AdjustedRSquare .30 .38 .18 .35

Standardized regression coefficients

**p<.01 *p<.05

38

CHAPTER5

CONCLUSIONS

Basedonthefindingsofresearchquestions1and2regarding

perceptionsaboutthehealthoftheindustryandthemediaprofession,neitherof

thesefactors,thehealthoftheindustry,norperceptionsaboutthemediaprofession

supportedstudentdecisionstopursuejournalismortheircommitmenttothefield.

Initially,thecurrentstateofthemediaindustryinrelationtotheunstableeconomy

waswhatledtothepremiseofthisresearch,butthesefindingssuggestthatthe

stateofthemediaindustryandtheprofessiondonotaffectstudents’decisionsto

pursuejournalismasmuchasfirstthought.Afewconclusionscanbedrawnfrom

theprimaryfindingsofthisresearch.Studentsaremostlikelyawareofthehealthof

theindustryandthestateoftheprofessionbeforetheyevenconsiderchoosingto

pursueacareerinthefield,andsotheychoosejournalismwith“eyeswideopen.”

Thismightsuggestexposuretomediainfluencesstudents’decisionstopursue

journalismandtheircommitmenttothefield.Therefore,exposingstudents’to

journalismthroughhands‐onclassroomcurriculumandextra‐curricularactivities

becomesnecessaryinincreasingtheircommitmenttothefield.

Forjournalismstudents,perceptionofthemediawasastrongpredictorin

boththedecisiontopursuejournalismandtheircommitmenttothefield,meaning

feelingpositiveaboutthejobthenewsmediadoesisimportantinmaking

journalismstudentsfeelcomfortableaboutthepossibilityofworkinginthe

industry.Forjournalismeducatorsthismeansdevelopingcurriculumthatincreases

39

students’exposuretomediainpositiveways,soastoestablishtrustbetween

studentsandthemedia.Industryprofessionalsalsoshareinthisresponsibilityin

establishingtrustbetweenstudentsandthemediaiftheyhopetodrawstudentsto

workfortheirorganizations.Thistrustcanbeestablishedinanumberofways.

Journalismeducatorscandevelopcurriculumthatbringspositiveexamplesof

mediaintotheclassroom.Forexample,whenteachingstudentsaboutproducing

journalism,teacherscouldshowexamplesofnewsbroadcastsforstudentsto

analyze,askingthemtoidentifywhatmakesthebroadcastcredibleandaskingthem

whattheylikeaboutthebroadcast.Anotherwaytoestablishtrustamongstudents

andmediaprofessionalsisforeducatorstobringmediaprofessionalsintothe

classroomtotalkwithstudentsaboutcurrenttrendsintheindustryandanswer

students’questionswithregardstoworkinginthefields.Thisalsoallowsmedia

professionalstobeinvolvedintheprocessofestablishingtrustamongstudents.If

studentsreceivedirectexposuretomediaprofessionalsandhavetheirquestions

answeredbythoseactuallyworkinginthefield,theymaybemorelikelytotrustthe

mediaandfeelmorecomfortableaboutworkingintheindustry.Educatorscould

alsodesigncurriculumthattakesstudentsoutoftheclassroom,tomedia

organizations.Thisgivesstudentsexposuretoworkinginthemediaenvironment

andallowsthemtheopportunitytotalkwithmediaprofessionals.Thisalsoallows

mediaprofessionalstheopportunitytoshowstudentstheproductionprocessinan

efforttodrawstudentstotheirorganizationsasprospectiveemployees.

Similartoperceptionofthemediabeingastrongpredictoramong

journalismstudents,exposurethroughinvolvementinjournalismactivitiesinhigh

40

schoolandcollegewasastrongpredictoramongallstudentsbothinthedecisionto

pursuejournalismandcommitmenttothefield.Inanefforttomotivatestudentsto

getinvolvedwithcampusmedia,educatorscouldcreatecurriculumwith

assignmentsthatincludeproducingworkforstudentmedia.Forexample,have

studentssubmitworkpublishedinstudentmediaasoneoftheirgradesforthe

course,theworkvaryingdependingonthecourse.Formediaprofessionals,this

meanstakinganinterestinstudent‐producedworkinordertounderstandwhat

skillsfutureemployeeswillbringtotheirorganizations.Todothis,leadersof

professionalmediaorganizationsmighttakeaninterestinservingonstudentmedia

advisoryboards.Thisallowsstudentsandmediaprofessionalstoworktogetherin

acollaborativeway.

Inlookingathowdifferenttypesofmotivationinfluencedstudents’decisions

topursuejournalismandtheircommitmenttothefield,findingsindicatedthat

amongallrespondents,affectivemotivationcorrelatedmoststrongly,amongthe

threemotivationtypes,withbothdependentvariables.Thissuggestsstudents

pursuejournalismbecauseitissomethingtheyenjoy.Relatedtothisaffective

motivationarethejournalismskillsstudentsliked.Thestudyrevealedthatediting,

reportingandinterviewing,andproducingonlineworkwerefavoriteskillsamong

allstudents.Ifaffectivemotivationiswhatdrivesstudentstopursuejournalism,

educatorsshouldcreatealearningenvironmentthatallowsstudentstoworkinthe

areasofjournalismthatinterestthemmost.Forexample,educatorscouldcreatea

practicumcourseinthecurriculuminwhichtheclasscollaborativelycreatesa

publication,andperhapsacorrespondingwebsiteandbroadcast.Studentswould

41

takeonassignmentsbasedonskillinterestandtalent.Thosewhoenjoyproducing

onlineworkwouldberesponsibleforcreatingthewebsitewhilethosewhoenjoy

editingandreportingwouldengageinproducingtheprintpublication.Creating

coursesthatallowstudentstoexploreinterestswouldbehelpfulforuniversity

administratorsandeducatorsinpromotingtheirprogramsandrecruitingstudents.

Studentsinterestedinpursuingjournalismwouldbemoreinterestedinprograms

thatgivethemthefreedomtoexploretheirinterestsandtalents.Whentakingthese

findingsintoconsideration,mediaprofessionalsshouldthinkaboutcreating

positions(e.g.,practicums,internships)withintheirorganizationsthatwouldallow

futureemployeessuchasjournalismstudentstoworkinareasofinterest.

Findingsofthisstudyalsorevealedthatsocioeconomicstatusandsalary

expectationswerestrongpredictorsamongallstudentsinboththeirdecisionsto

pursuejournalismandtheircommitmenttothefield.However,thesepredictors

correlatednegativelywithdecisionstopursueaswellascommitment.Students

moreinterestedinpursuingjournalismandmorecommittedtojournalismhad

lowersalaryexpectations.Thisagainindicatesstudentsarepursuingjournalism

becauseitissomethingtheylikeratherthanforthesalary,indicatingastronger

personalcommitmenttothefieldanditscrafts.Asmentionedabove,basedon

thesefindings,botheducatorsandmediaprofessionalsshouldcreateopportunities

thatallowstudentstoexploretheirinterestsrelatedtojournalism.Thisgives

educatorsanincreasedchanceofrecruitingstudentsandindustryprofessionalsa

chancetorecruitprospectiveemployeestrulyinterestedinpursuingjournalism.

42

Theotherstrongpredictor,socioeconomicstatus,alsocorrelatednegatively

withbothdependentvariables.Studentsfallinginlowersocioeconomicstatus

bracketsindicatedastrongerintenttopursuejournalismandahigherlevelof

commitmenttothefield.Forbotheducatorsandmediaprofessionals,thismeans

targetingrecruitingeffortsatlowerincomeschools.Inordertorecruitstudents

fromlowerincomeschools,universityadministratorsandmediaorganizationsneed

toprovidefundingforthesestudentstoparticipateinjournalismrelatedactivities

topromoteinterestaswellasacademicfundinglikescholarshipstoprovidethese

studentswitheducationalopportunitiesthatmightnototherwisebeavailableto

them.

Limitations

OnelimitationinthisstudywasthatonlystudentsfromAlabamaandtoa

lesserextent,fromSamford,weresurveyed.Sostudyresultscannotbegeneralized

beyondthesample.Also,thesurveywasnotarandomsample,andsoerrorfrom

samplingcannotbecalculated.Anotherlimitationistherelativelylowlevelof

responsesreceivedinthefollow‐upsurvey,comparedtothefirstsurvey.Only208

responseswerereceived,approximatelyhalfofthenumberofresponsesreceivedin

theinitialsurvey.Ifthesequestionshadbeenaddressedintheinitialsurvey,itmay

bethatamoreaccurateviewofstudents’perceptionsaboutthehealthofthe

industrywouldhavebeenobtained,possiblychangingtheoutcomethatofa

primaryresearchquestion;however,correlationsweresolow,itisdoubtfulthey

wouldhavechangedenoughtobecomenotablepredictors.Also,thenumberof

responsesprovidedbyupperclassmenwasmuchlowerthanthenumberof

43

responsesgivenbyunderclassmen.Ifahighernumberofupperclassmenresponses

hadbeenobtained,itispossibletheremighthavebeenmoreinformationrevealed

abouttherelationshipbetweencontinuancemotivationandcommitmenttothe

fieldofjournalism,giventhatupperclassmenareclosertobeingfinishedwith

schoolandasaresulthaveinvestedevenmoretimeinjournalism.Similarly,

respondentsworkinginthefieldwouldlikelyhavedifferedonthedegreetowhich

theyexpressedmotivationbycontinuancecommitment.Andsotheresultsare

limitedbythestudent‐onlysample.

Insum,resultsshowthatstudentspursueandfeelcommittedtojournalism

becausetheyarecomfortablewithandsimplyenjoydoingjournalism:Theyenjoy

particularskills(witharisingnumberindicatingtheylikeonlineskills),theyhave

hadpastinvolvementinjournalismactivitiesandwithjournalismskills,andthey

saytheyfeelcomfortablewithandtrustthenewsmediaasafield.Journalism‐

orientedstudentsseemtobealreadyawareoflowsalary,andtheysaythisandthe

stateoftheindustryarenothavingabigimpactontheirdecisiontopursue

journalism–thisisthecaseeventhoughthosemorelikelytopursuejournalism

tendedtorankthemselveslowerintermsofsocio‐economiclevel.Lowimportance

ofcontinuancecommitmentseemstomeanstudentsfeeltheyhavetheiroptions

open,despitepastinvolvementinjournalism–studentsareflowingtowardthefield

becausetheywantto,andnotsomuchbecausetheyfeeltheyhavetooreven

becausetheyfeeltheyshould.Inall,resultswarrantsomemeasureofoptimismfor

thefield’sfuture,withmanystillpulledtowardthecraftandprofessiondespite

presentturbulenceanduncertaintyintheindustry.

44

REFERENCES

Adams,J.,Brunner,B.,&Fitch‐Hauser,M.(2008).Amajordecision:Students’perceptionsoftheirprintjournalismeducationandcareerpreparation.Smile,8(1),1‐11.

Allen,N.J.,&Meyer,J.P.(1990).Themeasurementandantecedentsofaffective,

continuanceandnormativecommitmenttotheorganization.JournalofOccupationalPsychology,63(1),1‐18.

Baker,R.T.(1954).ThebicentennialhistoryofColumbiaUniversity.NewYork:

ColumbiaUniversityPress.Becker,H.(1960).Notesontheconceptofcommitment.AmericanJournalof

Sociology,66,32‐42.Becker,L.B.,Vlad,T.,Desnoes,P.(2009).2009EnrollmentReport:Enrollments

DeclineSlightlyandtheStudentBodyBecomesMoreDiverse.Journalism&MassCommunicationEducator,65(3&4),224‐249

Becker,LeeB.,Vlad,T.,Olin,D.(2009).AEJMCNews,43(1),1‐8.Becker,L.B.,Vlad,T.,Vogel,M.,Wilcox,D.,&Hanisak,S.(2008).Enrollmentsin

crease,withslightlyhigherpercentagesofmalestudents.Journalism&MassCommunicationEducator,63(3),198‐223.Retrievedfromhttp://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=36111468&site=ehost‐live

Becker,L.,Vlad,T.,Coffey,A.J.&Hennink‐Kaminski,H.(2003).2003Annualsurvey

ofjournalismandmasscommunicationgraduates.(unpublishedmanuscriptfromtheJamesM.CoxJr.CenterforInternationalMassCommunicationTrainingandResearch,2003.[http://www.grady.uga.edu.annualsurveys].

Becker,L.,Lauf,E.&Lowrey,W.(1999).Differentialemploymentratesinthe

journalismandmasscommunicationlaborforcebasedongenderraceandethnicity:theimpactofaffirmativeaction.Journalism&MassCommunicationQuarterly,76,631‐645.

Becker,L.,Kosicki,G.,Engleman,T&Viswanth,K.(1993).Findingworkandgetting

paid:Predictorsofsuccessinthemasscommunicationmarket.JournalismQuarterly,70(4),919‐933.

Becker,L.B.,Fruit,J.W.,Caudill,S.L.,Dunwoody,S.L.,&Tipton,L.P.(1987).The

TrainingandHiringofJournalists.NewJersey:AblexPublishingCorporation.

45

Bilnkman,D.,&Jugenheimer,D.(1977).Simpleprojecttellswhystudentschosejournalism.JournalismEducator,32(1),44‐60.Retrievedfromhttps://ezproxy.samford.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=16138040&site=ehost‐live

Blau,G.(2003).Testingforafour‐dimensionalstructureofoccupational

commitment.JournalofOccupationalandOrganizationalPsychology,76,469.Retrievedfromhttp://libdata.lib.ua.edu:2048/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com/pqdlink?did=522045441&Fmt=7&clientId=31537&RQT=309&VName=PQD

Blau,G.(2001).Onassessingtheconstructvalidityoftwomultidimensional

constructs:Occupationalcommitmentandoccupationalentrenchment.HumanResourceManagementReview,11,279‐298.

Blau,G.J.(1985).Themeasurementandpredictionofcareercommitment.Journalof

OccupationalPsychology,58(4),277.Retrievedfromhttp://libdata.lib.ua.edu:2048/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com/pqdlink?did=1178429&Fmt=7&clientId=31537&RQT=309&VName=PQD

Blau,G.(1989).Testingthegeneralizationofacareercommitmentanditsmeasure

anditsimpactonemployeeturnover.JournalofVocationalBehavior,35,88‐103.

Blau,G.(1988).Furtherexploringthemeaningandmeasurementofcareer

commitment.JournalofVocationalBehavior,32,284‐297.Bowen,S.A.(2009).Allglamour,nosubstance?howpublicrelationsmajorsand

potentialmajorsinanexemplarprogramviewtheindustryandfunction.PublicRelationsReview,35(4),402‐410.doi:10.1016/j.pubrev.2009.05.018

Bowers,T.A.(1974).Studentattitudestowardjournalismasamajorandcareer.

JournalismQuarterly,51(2),265‐270.Buchanan,B.(1974).BuildingOrganizationalCommitment:Thesocializationof

managersintheworkplace.AdministrativeScienceQuarterly,19,533‐546.Butler,K.(2006).Thenextgeneration.ColumbiaJournalismReview,44(5),38‐41.Carson,K.,Carson,P.,Phillips,J.&Roe,C.(1996).Acareerentrenchmentmodel:

Theoreticaldevelopmentandempiricaloutcomes.JournalofCareerDevelopment,22,273‐286.

Carson,K.,Carson,P.&Bediean.(1995).Developmentandconstructvalidationof

careerentrenchmentmeasure.JournalofOccupationalandOrganizationalPsychology,68,301‐320.

46

Castaneda,L.(2001).Preview:Highschooljournalism—We’retryingtoinspirefolkstobelieveagain.ColumbiaJournalismReview,39(6),12.

Dodd,J.E.,&Tipton,L.(1992).Shiftingviewsofhighschoolstudentsabout

journalismcareers.NewspaperResearchJournal,13/14(4),111‐120.Retrievedfromhttp://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=18050417&site=ehost‐live

Dvorak,J.,&Changhee,C.(2009).Highschooljournalism,academicperformance

correlate.NewspaperResearchJournal,30(3),75‐89.Dvorak,J.(1990).Collegestudentsevaluatetheirscholasticjournalismcourses.

JournalismEducator,45(1),36‐46.Eisenberger,R.,Huntington,R.,Hutchison,S.&Sowa,D.(1986).Perceived

organizationalsupport.JournalofAppliedPsychology,71,500‐507.Endres,F.F.,&Wearden,S.T.(1990).Careerchoices,perceptionsofworkby

undergrads.JournalismEducator,45(1),28‐35.Retrievedfromhttps://ezproxy.samford.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=14524415&site=ehost‐live

Feldman,B.J.(1995).Journalismcareerpathsandexperientiallearning.Journalism

&MassCommunicationEducator,50(2),23‐29.Retrievedfromhttp://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=14555688&site=ehost‐liveWeaver,D.H.,Beam,R.A.,Brownlee,B.J.,Voakes,P.S.&Wilhoit,G.C..(2007).TheAmericanJournalistinthe21stCentury:U.S.NewsPeopleattheDawnoftheMillennium.NewJersey:LawrenceErlbaumAssociatesPublishers.

Femmel,R.(1978).Whynotmakeinternshipsmandatoryforeverybody?.

JournalismEducator,33(3),17‐19.Fosdick,J.A.&Greenberg.(1961).Journalismasacareerchoice:Asmallsample

study,JournalismQuarterly,38,380‐381.Gaziano,C.,&McGrath,K.(1986).Measuringtheconceptofcredibility.Journalism

Quarterly,63(3),451‐462.Greenhaus,J.(1973).Afactorialinvestigationofcareersalience.Journalof

VocationalBehavior,3,95‐98.Greenhaus,J.(1971).Aninvestigationoftheroleofcareersalienceinvocational

behavior.JournalofVocationalBehavior,1,209‐216.

47

Irving,P.G.,Coleman,D.F.,&Cooper,C.L.(1997).Furtherassessmentsofathree‐componentmodelofoccupationalcommitment:Generalizabilityanddifferencesacrossoccupations.JournalofAppliedPsychology,82(3),444‐452.doi:10.1037/0021‐9010.82.3.444

Johnstone,J.W.C.,Slawski,E.J.&Bowman,W.W.(1976).TheNewsPeople:A

sociologicalportraitofAmericanjournalistsandtheirwork.Illinois:UniversityofIllinoisPress.

Kanter,R.M.(1968).Commitmentandsocialorganization:Astudyofcommitment

mechanismsinutopiancommunities.AmericanSociologicalReview,33,499‐517.

Kimball,P.T.&Lubell,S.(1960).Highschoolstudents’attitudestowardjournalism

asacareerII.37,413‐422.Lee,K.,Carswell,J.J.,&Allen,N.J.(2000).Ameta‐analyticreviewofoccupational

commitment:Relationswithperson‐andwork‐relatedvariables.JournalofAppliedPsychology,85(5),799.Retrievedfromhttp://libdata.lib.ua.edu:2048/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com/pqdlink?did=63651792&Fmt=7&clientId=31537&RQT=309&VName=PQD

Lowrey,W.,&Becker,L.B.(2004).Commitmenttojournalisticwork:Dohighschool

andcollegeactivitiesmatter?Journalism&MassCommunicationQuarterly,81(3),528‐545.Retrievedfromhttps://ezproxy.samford.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=15198922&site=ehost‐live

Lubell,S.(1959).Highschoolstudents’attitudestowardjournalismasacareer.

JournalismQuarterly,36,199‐203.McDuff,E.&Mueller,C.W.(2000).Theministryasanoccupationallabormarket.

WorkandOccupations,89‐116.McGinnis,S.K.&Morrow,P.C.(1990).Jobattitudesamongfull‐andpart‐time

employees.JournalofVocationalBehavior,36,82‐96.Meyer,J.P.,&Allen,N.J.(1988).Linksbetweenworkexperiencesand

organizationalcommitmentduringthefirstyearofemployment:Alongitudinalanalysis.JournalofOccupationalPsychology,61(3),195‐209.Retrievedfromhttp://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=4619368&site=ehost‐live

48

Meyer,J.P.,Allen,N.J.&Smith,C.A.(1993).Commitmenttoorganizationsandoccupations:Extensionandtestofathree‐componenentconceptualization.JournalofAppliedPsychology,78,538‐551.

Meyer,J.P.,&Allen,N.J.(1991).Athree‐componentconceptualizationof

organizationalcommitment.HumanResourceManagementReview,1(1),61‐89.

Morrow,P.C.(1983).Conceptredundancyinorganizationalresearch:Thecaseof

workcommitment.AcademyofManagementReview,8(3),486‐500.Retrievedfromhttp://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=4284606&site=ehost‐live

Parsons,P.R.(1989).Valuesofcommunicationstudentsandprofessionalself‐

selection.JournalismQuarterly,66(1),161‐168.Peterson,P.V.(1982).Enrollmentsreach77,540,butgrowthcurvelevelsoff.

JournalismEducator,36(4),3‐8.Peterson,T.(1960).Thechangingroleofjournalismschools.JournalismQuarterly,

37,578‐585.Reinardy,S.(2009).Beyondsatisfaction:Journalistsdoubtcareerintentionsas

organizationalsupportdiminishesandjobsatisfactiondeclines.AtlanticJournalofCommunication,17(3),126‐139.

Rice,W.M.(1967).Asurveyinthedeterminantfactorsinthechoiceofjournalism

asacareer(Ph.D.Dissertation,SouthernIllinoisUniversity).JournalismAbstracts,62,2‐3.

Singer,J.B.,&Craig,D.(1996).Attitudesofprofessorsandstudentsaboutnew

mediatechnology.Journalism&MassCommunicationEducator,51(2),36‐45.Sloan,W.D.(Ed.)(1990).“Insearchofitself:Ahistoryofjournalismeducation.”In

W.D.Sloan(Ed.),Makersofthemediamind,1‐22.NewJersey:LawrenceErlbaumAssociates.

Smith,R.F.(1987).Acomparisonofcareerattitudesofnews‐editorialandad‐pr.

students.JournalismQuarterly,64(2),555‐559.Splichal,S.&Sparks,C.(1994).Journalistsforthe21stcentury.NewJersey:Ablex.Surlin,S.H.(1977).Image'perceptionsvarybetweenmale,femaleadstudents.

JournalismEducator,32(2),14‐16.

49

Sutton,A.A.(1945).Educationforjournalists.Illinois:NothwesternUniversity.Teger,A.(1980).Toomuchinvestedtoquit:Thepsychologyofescalationofconflict.

NewYork:Pergamon.Voakes,P.(1996).Thenewspaperjournalistsofthe90s.

[http://www.asne.org/kiosk/reports/97reports./journalists90s/coverpage.html.]

Weaver,D.H.,Beam,R.A.,Brownlee,B.J.,Voakes,P.S.&Wilhoit,G.C.(2007).The

Americanjournalistinthe21stcentury:U.S.newspeopleatthedawnofanewmillennium.NewJersey:LawrenceErlbaumAssociates.

WeaverD.H.&Wilhoit,G.C.(1996).TheAmericanjournalistinthe1990s:U.S.news

peopleattheendofanera.NewJersey:LawrenceErlbaum.WeaverD.H.&Wilhoit,G.C.(1991).TheAmericanJournalist:APortraitofU.S.

NewsPeopleandTheirWork.Indiana:IndianaUniversityPress.Weaver,D.H.&Wilhoit,G.C.(1986).TheAmericanjournalist:Aportraitof

Americannewspeopleandtheirwork.Indiana:IndianaUniversityPress.Weigle,C.P.(1957).Influenceofhighschooljournalismonchoiceofcareer.

JournalismQuarterly,34,39‐54.Wiener,Y.(1982).Commitmentinorganizations:Anormativeview.Academyof

ManagementReview7,418‐428.Winfield,B.H.(Ed.)(2008).Journalism1908BirthofaProfession.Missouri:

UniversityofMissouriPress.Williams,S.L.(1929).Twentyyearsofeducationforjournalism.Missouri:TheE.W.

StephensPublishingCo.Wu,W.(2000).Motivesofchinesestudentstochoosejournalismcareers.Journalism

&MassCommunicationEducator,55(1),53‐65.Retrievedfromhttp://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=3107439&site=ehost‐live

Yarnall,L.,Johnson,J.T.,Rinne,L.,&Ranney,M.A.(2008).Howpost‐secondaryjournalismeducatorsteachadvancedCARdataanalysisskillsinthedigitalage.Journalism&MassCommunicationEducator,63(2),146‐164.Retrievedfromhttps://ezproxy.samford.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=34514437&site=ehost‐live

50

APPENDIXA:SURVEYINSTRUMENT

1.Youarebeingaskedtobeinaresearchstudycalled“StudentDecisionstoPursueaMediaCareer.”ThestudyisbeingconductedbyEmilyVernon,aMaster’sstudentintheCollegeofCommunicationandInformationSciencesattheUniversityofAlabama.

Iamstudyingcollegestudents’decisionstopursueacareerinjournalism.IaminterestedinhelpingexplainthesedecisionsbecauseIthinkthisexplanationwouldbehelpfultoschoolsofjournalismastheyplantheircurriculaaswellastothenewsindustryastheyconsidertheirowntrainingprograms.

Youareaskedtoparticipateinthisstudybecauseyouareacollegestudent.Ineedyourpermissionbeforeyoucanparticipateinthestudy.

ThestudyinvolvestakinganonlinesurveyonthecomputerandmaybetakenatanylocationwithInternetaccessandaWebbrowser.Theonlinesurveyshouldtakeapproximately10‐15MIN.tocomplete.Itwillbeadministeredonlyonce.

•ParticipationinthisresearchprojectisVOLUNTARY.Byclicking'yes'below,youareagreeingtotakethesurvey.

•Ifatanytimeyouwishtostopfillingoutthesurvey,youmay.Noonewillhavetocompletethesurvey.

•Youridentitywillbekeptconfidential.Pleasebehonestandcandidinyourresponses.Youdonothavetoansweranyquestionsorprovideanyinformationyoudonotwantto.

Yournamewillnotappearonanystudydocument;however,theonlinesurveywillincludeafinalpageinwhichyoucanprovideyourstudentidentificationnumberandprofessor’sname.Inthisinstance,onlyyouandyourprofessorwillknowyouparticipatedinthestudy.Yourprofessorwillnotknowhowyouansweredthequestions.Wewanttoensureyourconfidentialityandprivacy,sowewillseparateyourstudentidentificationnumberfromyourresponses,soyouridentitycannotbeconnectedtoyourresponses.Yournamewillnotappearonanystudydocument.Alldatawillbereportedintermsofaggregatesandgroups.NoonewillbeabletotellyouparticipatedinthisstudyexceptyourprofessorifyouarecompletingthesurveyforresearchcreditandprovideyourstudentIDnumber.

•Thereisnocompensationforyouforparticipationinthisstudy.Participatinginthisstudywillnotcostyouanythingexcepttime.Ifyouaretakingajournalismcourse,yourprofessormayallowyoureceiveresearchcreditforyourparticipationinthesurvey.Pleaserememberyoudonothavetotakepartinthisstudy.Youcanalsostartthestudyanddecidetostopatanytime.Yourresponseswillgiveusgreaterunderstandingofcollegestudents’decisionstopursueajournalismcareer.

51

•Riskstoyouareminimalbutexistent.Thesurveyincludesquestionsrelatedtoperceptionofthecurrentstateofthemediaindustrymaycreatenegativefeelingsaboutthefieldofjournalismingeneral.Whileitisanunlikelyeffect,itispossible.Youmayalsobeuncomfortableansweringquestionsaboutsocioeconomicfactors.Pleaserememberyoucanstopfillingoutthesurveyatanytime.

•Forallofthequestionsinthesurvey,therearenorightorwronganswers.Thequestionssimplyallowyoutoprovideyourpersonalviewsandopinions.

Ifyouhaveanyquestionsatanytime,pleaseask.Ifyouhavequestionsatalatertime,youmaycontactEmilyVernonat(205)613‐3007oratejvernon@crimson.ua.eduorDr.WilsonLowreyat(205)348‐8608orwlowrey@bama.ua.eduTheUniversityofAlabamaInstitutionalReviewBoardisthecommitteethatprotectstherightsofpeopleinresearchstudies.TheIRBmayreviewstudyrecordsfromtimetotimetobesurethatpeopleinresearchstudiesarebeingtreatedfairlyandthestudyisbeingcarriedoutasplanned.YoumayalsocontacttheHumanSubjectsrepresentativefortheUniversityat(205)348‐5152ifyouhaveanyotherquestions.

Byclicking"Yes"below,youagreetoparticipateinthissurvey.

‐Yes

‐No

2.Whichofthefollowingbestfitswhatyouthinkyouwilldoafteryougraduate?

‐Workafull‐timejob

‐Workapart‐timejob

‐Attendgraduateschool

‐Don’tknow/Undecided

‐Other(PleaseSpecifiy):

3.Howlikelyareyoutopursueajournalismjobaftergraduating?

‐Idefinitelywillnot

‐Iprobablywillnot

‐Imight

52

‐Iprobablywill

‐Idefinitelywill

4.HowlikelyareyoutopursueajournalismCAREERaftergraduating?

‐Idefinitelywillnot

‐Iprobablywillnot

‐Imight

Iprobablywill

Idefinitelywill

5.Whichofthefollowinghaveyoueithersearchedorinterviewedfor?

‐Full‐timejobrelatedtojournalism

‐Part‐timejobrelatedtojournalism

‐Internshiprelatedtojournalism

‐None

6.Howlikelyareyoutopursueajobinthefollowingareasupongraduating?(Youmaychoosemorethanonearea.)

Idefinitelywillnot

Iprobablywillnot

Imight Iprobablywill

Idefinitelywill

Magazines/TradePublications

Newspapers

Digital,OnlineMedia

BroadcastJournalism(TV,Film)

53

TeachingJournalism

7.Wheredoyouhopetobeworkingin5to10years?

‐Inajournalism‐relatedfield

‐Inanothermedia‐relatedfield

‐Doingsomethingelseentirely

‐Don’tknow

8.Howcommittedareyoutothefieldofjournalism?

‐Notatallcommitted

‐Slightlycommitted

‐Somewhatcommitted

‐Mostlycommitted

‐Completelycommitted

9.Assumingyouwanttopursuejournalism,howlongdoyouthinkyoumightworkinthejournalismfield?(Estimateinnumberofyears.)

_________________________

Pleaseindicatehowstronglyyouagreeordisagreewiththestatementsbyselectingthechoicethatbestfitsyouropinion.YoumayclickN/A(NotApplicable.)

10.DecisiontoPursueJournalism

StronglyDisagree

Disagree Neutral Agree StronglyAgree

N/A

IregretmydecisiontopursueJN(asaprofessionorasa

54

degree)

Iam/wouldbeproudtobeinthejournalismprofession

Iamenthusiasticaboutthejournalismprofession

11.PlannedCareerPath

StronglyDisagree

Disagree Neutral Agree StronglyAgree

N/A

Ihaveputtoomuchtimeandenergyintothepursuitofjournalismtochangemycareerpathnow

Therearenopressurestokeepmefromchangingmycareerpathinjournalism

Changingmycareerpathinjournalismnowwouldrequirepersonalsacrifice

12.ObligationtoJournalism

StronglyDisagree

Disagree Neutral Agree StronglyAgree

N/A

Idonotfeelanyobligationto

55

maintainmycareerpathinjournalism

Ifeelaresponsibilitytocontinueinjournalismbecauseofjournalism’sservicetothepublic

IwouldfeelguiltyifIleftjournalism

Belowisalistofstatementsrelatedtoenjoymentofvariousmediaskills.Pleaseindicatehowmuchyouenjoytheseskills.

13.Skills

StronglyDisagree

Disagree Neutral Agree StronglyAgree

Ienjoywriting.

Ienjoyediting.

Ienjoyreporting&interviewing.

Ienjoypublishing/producingworkIknowotherswillsee.

Ienjoyphotographyand/orvideography.

Ienjoyproducingonline/webmedia.

Ienjoydoingvisualdesign.

56

Thefollowingquestionsaskaboutyourexperiencesincollegeandhighschool.

14.Whatyearareyouincollege?(Estimateifyou’reunsure.)

‐Freshman

‐Sophomore

‐Junior

‐Senior

‐Graduatestudent

15.Whatisyourcollegemajor?

‐Journalism

‐PublicRelations

‐Advertising

‐Telecommunications&Film

‐CommunicationStudies

‐Undecided

‐Other(Pleasespecify):

16.Whatisyourcollegeminor?(pleasefillin).Ifyoudon'tknow,type"Unsure"or"Undecided.”

________________________________________________

17.Ihaveparticipatedinextra­curricularactivitiesrelatedtojournalisminCOLLEGE.

‐Yes

‐No(Ifno,SKIPtoQuestion19.)

18.Ifyes,pleasespecifywhichextracurricularactivitiesinCOLLEGE.

‐Schoolnewspaper

57

‐Yearbook

‐Literarymagazine

‐Schoolbroadcastproduction(radio/TV/film)

‐SchoolWebsite

‐Independentstudentpublication(print,web,etc.)

‐Journalism/media/writingorganization(s)/club(s)

‐Journalism/mediahonorsociety(s)

‐Attendedjournalismworkshops

‐Other(Pleasespecify):

19.Itookjournalismcourse(s)inHIGHSCHOOL

‐Yes

‐No

‐Journalismcourseswerenotoffered.

20.Iparticipatedinextra­curricularactivitiesrelatedtojournalisminHIGHSCHOOL.

‐Yes

‐No(Ifno,SKIPtoQuestion22.)

21.Ifyes,pleasespecifywhichextracurricularactivitiesinHIGHSCHOOL.

‐Schoolnewspaper

‐Yearbook

‐Literarymagazine

‐Schoolbroadcastproduction(radio/TV/film)

‐SchoolWebsite

‐Independentstudentpublication(print,web,etc.)

58

‐Journalism/media/writingorganization(s)/club(s)

‐Journalism/mediahonorsociety(s)

‐Attendedjournalismworkshops

‐Other(Pleasespecify):

22.Wereyouinajournalismleadershippositioninhighschool(aneditor,aproducer,oraclubleader,etc.?)

‐Yes

‐No

Thefollowingquestionsrelatetoworkexperiencesyoumayhavehadinjournalism.

23.Ihavehad,oramcurrentlyworking,aninternshiporpracticumrelatedtojournalism/media.

‐Yes

‐No

24.Ipresentlyworkorhaveworkedafull­timeorpart­timejobinjournalism/mediathatwasnotaninternship.

‐Full‐time(atleast40hoursperweek)

‐Part‐time

‐No

Expectations

25.Whatareyourexpectationsforastartingannualsalarycomingoutofyourcollegeprogram?

‐Higherthanmostfieldsinwhichcollegegradswork

‐Aboutthesameasmostfieldsinwhichcollegegradswork

‐Lessthanmostinwhichcollegegradswork

‐Don’tknow

59

26.Thefollowingstatementsrelatetoyourfeelingsaboutfindingworkafterleavingcollege.Pleaseindicatehowstronglyyouagreeordisagreewitheachstatement.

StronglyDisagree

Disagree Neutral Agree StronglyAgree

IfeelIwillbecapableoffindingagoodjob.

IfeelIhavethetalenttofindagoodjob.

IfeelIhavetheskillsnecessarytofindagoodjob.

Thefollowingquestionrelatestoyouruseofthemedia.

27.Onaverage,howmanyHOURSPERDAYwouldyousayyouobtaininformationfromthefollowingmediatypes?

Newspapers

Magazinesand/ortradepublications

Television

Radio

Journalism/newsWebsites(news,sports,entertainmentinfo,etc.)

Socialmedia(Facebook,LinkedIn,Twitter,Youtube,etc

60

NewsMedia

28.Thefollowingquestionsandstatementsrelatetohowwellyouthinkthenewsmediadotheirjobs.Pleaseindicateyouropinionsofthefollowing?

StronglyDisagree

Disagree Neutral Agree StronglyAgree

Thenewsmediaarebelievable.

Thenewsmediaarebiased.

Thenewsmediaareaccurate

Thenewsmediaareconcernedaboutthecommunity'swell‐being.

Thenewsmediaareconcernedmostlyaboutmakingprofits.

Thenewsmediahavewell‐trainedreporters.

Thenewsmediasensationalize.

Demographics

29.Whatisyourage?_____________

30.Whatisyourgender?

‐Male

‐Female

61

31.Tothebestofyourability,indicateyourrace/ethnicity.

‐African‐American

‐AsianorAsian‐American

‐Caucasian

‐HispanicorLatino

‐NativeAmerican

‐Other(Pleasespecify):

32.WhatisyourcurrentGPA?

‐<2.0

‐2.0‐2.49

‐2.5‐2.99

‐3.0‐3.49

‐3.50‐3.749

‐3.75orhigher

‐Don'tKnow

33.Itisveryhardtodeterminepeople’ssocio­economicstatus,andthecategoriesbelowarefarfromperfect.Buttothebestofyourability,pleaseestimatewhichofthefollowingcategoriesyouthinkbestfitsyourfamily,intermsofincome.

‐Belowmiddleclass

‐Middleclass

‐Middletouppermiddleclass

‐Uppermiddleclasstoupperclass

‐Iprefernottoanswer

62

34.Pleaseindicateyourpoliticalleaning.

‐VeryConservative

‐ConservativeModerate

‐Liberal

‐VeryLiberal

‐Noneofthese

35.Pleaseindicateyourpoliticalpartyaffiliation.

‐Republican

‐Democrat

‐Independent

‐Noneofthese

36.Pleasefillouttheinformationbelow.Remember,yourresponsesarekeptconfidential.

StudentIDNumber:

Professor'sName:

63

APPENDIXB:FOLLOW­UPSURVEYINSTRUMENT

PerceptionsaboutthehealthoftheMediaIndustry

StronglyDisagree

Disagree Neutral Agree StronglyAgree

IthinkthenewsmediaindustrywillbeeconomicallyhealthywhenIgraduate.

Ibelievethenewsindustryisadaptingwelltochangingtechnologies.

IthinkthenewsmediaindustrywillhaveplentyofjobstoofferwhenIgraduate.

64

APPENDIXC:DESCRIPTIVEDATAONSURVEYMEASURES:ALLRESPONDENTS(N=454)

Workafull‐timejob

Workapart‐timejob

Attendgraduateschool

Don’tknow/Undecided

Plansaftergraduation

61.6% 3.0% 28.1% 7.2%

Idefinitelywillnot

Iprobablywillnot

Imight Iprobablywill

Idefinitelywill

Howlikelyareyoutopursueajournalismjobaftergraduating?

14.5% 31.4% 27.8% 13.6% 12.7%

HowlikelyareyoutopursueajournalismCAREERaftergraduating?

20.3% 36.1% 21.4% 10.4% 11.7%

Full‐timejobrelatedtojournalism

Part‐timejobrelatedtojournalism

Internshiprelatedtojournalism

None

Whichofthefollowinghaveyoueithersearchorinterviewedfor?

4.5% 5.9% 28.5% 61.1%

Idefinitelywillnot

Iprobablywillnot

Imight Iprobablywill

Idefinitelywill

Newspapers 31.4% 26.1% 28.0% 10.2% 4.3%

Magazines/TradePublications

6.8% 11.8% 44.8% 27.3% 9.3%

Digitalonlinemedia(web,socialmedia,mobile,etc.)

7.8% 17.9% 42.3% 23.9% 8.0%

Broadcastjournalism(radio/TV/film)

15.9% 25.7% 36.6% 15.4% 6.4%

Teachingjournalism 57.6% 27.4% 12.2% 2.1% 0.7%

65

Inajournalism‐relatedfield

Inanothermedia‐relatedfield

Doingsomethingelseentirely

Don’tknow

Wheredoyouhopetobeworkingin5to10years

17.0% 60.6% 14.3% 8.1%

Notatallcommitted

Slightlycommitted

Somewhatcommitted

Mostlycommitted

Completelycommitted

Commitmenttothefieldofjournalism

26.0% 24.4% 21.7% 17.6% 10.2%

Stronglydisagree

Disagree Neutral Agree StronglyAgree

N/A

Iregretmydecisiontopursuejournalism(asaprofessionorasadegree)

21.3% 29.2% 25.7% 4.6% 1.2% 18.1%

Iam/wouldbeproudtobeinthejournalismprofession

2.1% 8.8% 31.6% 27.5% 20.3% 9.7%

Iamenthusiasticaboutthejournalismprofession

5.5% 13.4% 31.1% 20.0% 17.3% 12.7%

Ihaveputtoomuchtimeandenergyintothepursuitofjournalismtochangemycareerpathnow

12.7% 27.6% 24.7% 14.3% 4.6% 16.1%

Therearenopressurestokeepmefromchangingmycareerpathinjournalism

5.5% 15.7% 30.0% 25.8% 8.1% 15.0%

Changingmycareerpathinjournalismnowwouldrequirepersonalsacrifice

9.2% 22.2% 26.8% 17.8% 6.7% 17.3%

Idon’tfeelanyobligationtomaintainmycareerpathinjournalism

5.0% 17.6% 28.8% 24.9% 8.0% 15.6%

Ifeelaresponsibilitytocontinueinjournalismbecauseofjournalism’sservicetothepublic

9.9% 21.0% 30.6% 17.3% 5.3% 15.9%

IwouldfeelguiltyifIleftjournalism

17.7% 25.8% 26.7% 10.1% 4.6% 15.0%

66

Stronglydisagree

Disagree Neutral Agree Stronglyagree

Ienjoywriting 3.2% 6.7% 14.9% 46.1% 29.1%

Ienjoyediting 6.9% 17.0% 28.4% 31.4% 16.3%

Ienjoyreporting/interviewing

4.6% 16.3% 25.5% 35.6% 17.9%

Ienjoyphotographyand/orvideography

1.1% 7.8% 20.2% 40.6% 30.3%

Ienjoyproducingonline/webmedia

3.2% 11.7% 33.4% 33.6% 18.1%

Ienjoydoingvisualdesign

3.2% 11.0% 30.1% 29.4% 26.2%

Freshman Sophomore Junior Senior Graduate

Yearincollege 27.5% 31.7% 30.5% 8.5% 1.8%

Journalism PR Advertising Telecom&Film CommunicationStudies

Undecided Other

Major 22.4% 46.5% 14.0% 2.3% 2.1% 0.7% 12.1%

Yes No

Iparticipatedinextra‐curriculumactivitiesrelatedtojournalisminCOLLEGE

29.1% 70.9%

Iparticipatedinextra‐curriculumactivitiesrelatedtojournalisminHIGHSCHOOL

44.6% 55.4%

Iheldajournalismleadershippositioninhighschool(editor,producer,clubleader,etc.)

25.1% 74.9%

67

JournalismActivityParticipation College HighSchool

Schoolnewspaper 50.4% 48.5%

Yearbook 13.7% 57.7%

Literarymagazine 7.6% 13.3%

Schoolbroadcastproduction(TV/radio/film)

15.3% 20.4%

SchoolWebsite 11.5% 9.7%

Independentstudentpublication(print,Web,etc.)

20.6% 6.6%

Journalism/media/writingorganizations/clubs

25.2% 12.8%

Journalism/mediahonorsociety(s) 12.2% 5.1%

Attendedjournalismworkshops(s) 26.0% 10.2%

Yes No Journalismclasseswerenotoffered

Itookjournalismclassesinhighschool.

31.8& 36.4% 31.8%

Yes No

Ihavehadoramworkinganinternshiporpracticumrelatedtojournalism/media.

19.1% 80.9%

Full‐time(atleast40hrs/wk) Part‐time No

Ipresentlyworkorhaveworkedafull‐timeorpart‐timejobinjournalism/mediathatwasnotaninternship

1.6% 12.4% 86.0%

68

Higherthanmostfieldsinwhich

collegegradswork

Aboutthesameasmostfieldsinwhichcollegegradswork

Lessthanmostfieldsinwhich

collegegradswork

Don’tknow

Expectationsforannualstartingsalarycomingoutofcollege

17.1% 52.8% 15.2% 15.0%

Stronglydisagree

Disagree Neutral Agree StronglyAgree

Thenewsmediaarebelievable 1.6% 10.6% 33.7% 51.3% 2.8%

Thenewsmediaarebiased 0.2% 6.0% 36.6% 45.6% 11.6%

Thenewsmediaareaccurate 0.2% 7.6% 42.4% 46.8% 3.0%

Thenewsmediaareconcernedwiththecommunity’swell‐being

1.8% 16.9% 40.4% 36.7% 4.2%

Thenewsmediaareconcernedmostlyaboutmakingprofits

1.8% 13.4% 39.5% 35.6% 9.7%

Thenewsmediahavewell=trainedreporters

0.7% 5.1% 32.9 55.6% 5.8%

Thenewsmediasensationalize 0.7% 6.2% 45.5% 35.1% 12.5%

African‐American

AsianorAsian‐American

Caucasian HispanicorLatino

NativeAmerican

Gender 8.8% 1.2% 88.8% 3.5% 0.7%

Belowmiddleclass

Middleclass Middletouppermiddleclass

Uppermiddleclasstoupper

class

Iprefernottoanswer

Socio‐economicstatus 3.0% 23.6% 41.4% 28.7% 3.2%

Veryconservative

Conservative Moderate Liberal Veryliberal Noneofthese

Politicalviews

7.9% 32.8% 36.5% 13.6% 4.6% 4.6%