Scholastic Journalism 2007 Abstracts
Scholastic Journalism Division
She Took a ‘Leap of Faith’ and Lost Her Job: The Censorship of Ann Long • Genelle Belmas and Andi Stein, California State University at Fullerton • This paper is a case study of the censorship of Ann Long at Troy High School in Fullerton, Calif., who was asked to resign her position as co-editor of her school paper following publication of a controversial article. It examines her situation in the context of other cases involving student censorship and explores the question of why the case received as much publicity as it did, given that there was no legal action involved.
The Scholastic Journalism Effect on a Newspaper’s Teen Section: A Case Study with Curricular Implications • Amanda Brozana and George Daniels, University of Alabama • Few studies have empirically tested the link between a local teen newspaper section and the existence of middle or high school journalism in a community. This paper conducted such a test using PULSE, a teen newspaper section launched in October 2005 in a small Southeastern community where all three-city high schools have school newspapers. An 18-month census of PULSE content showed no significant difference between number of stories from scholastic journalists and other students.
Media Convergence in the Classroom: A Survey of How Mass Communication Academics Are Confronting a New Paradigm • Coy Callison, Texas Tech University and Pamela Parry, Belmont University • This internet survey of mass communication educators (N = 281) indicates that media convergence and integrating it into the curriculum is becoming less controversial. Respondents rejected the notion that convergence diminishes traditional classroom instruction. The majority disagreed that adding a focus on technology to the curriculum results in deletion of critical thinking and writing skills. Respondents noted barriers to teaching convergence but remained neutral in terms of how strongly they saw them as real impediments.
Managing the Mass Communications or Journalism Department: Do Department Chairs Think They’re Doing a Good Job? • Andrea Dilworth and Donna Lander, Jackson State University • An analysis of perceived leadership practices of mass communications and journalism department chairs at 33 southeastern colleges and universities found significant differences between chairs in public and private institutions, chairs appointed to the position and those hired through a competitive process, and chairs with varying degrees of experience. The chairs responded to surveys that addressed Kouzes and Posner’s five effective leadership practices. The most prevalent leadership practice was Enabling Others to Act.
Retooling the news approach: Online news professionals’ attitudes towards current and future journalism skills • Shahira Fahmy, Southern Illinois University • This paper, based on a national survey, examines the attitudes of online news professionals towards current and future journalism skills, and it looks at the implications for the training and hiring of online journalists. Overall, respondents stressed the importance of fundamental journalism skills and emphasized the importance of a few digital and web-coding skills.
An examination of the comfort levels of high-school principals and newspaper advisers regarding controversial topics • Vincent Filak and Adam Maksl, Ball State University • A survey of 202 high-school principals (n=100) and newspaper advisers (n=102) revealed high levels of congruity regarding controversial topics that members of each group were most and least comfortable seeing covered in their student newspaper. However, statistical analyses demonstrated that advisers were significantly more comfortable than were principals in the coverage of topics related to sex, substance abuse/use and religion.
Why Men from Mars Stay on Mars, and the Women Roam: Differences in Journalism Student Perceptions of Study Abroad • Hans Ibold, University of Missouri • This study investigates differences in male and female journalism student perceptions of study abroad. Participants have been characterized by a 2-to-1 female-to-male ratio for decades. To gain a better understanding of this gender gap among journalism students, surveys were administered to a sample drawn from an undergraduate news reporting class at a large Midwestern journalism school known for its internationalization efforts.
Documenting Decline in Chicago’s High School Newspapers • Linda Jones, Roosevelt University • A survey of Chicago high school newspaper advisers and journalism teachers finds that, compared with research conducted in 1996, newspapers publish less frequently and print fewer pages per issue; advisers have less experience; advisers spend little teaching time on the First Amendment; principals are exercising considerably more prior review of newspapers; and media companies and journalism educators make little effort to reach out to high school journalism programs and their newspapers.
Academic Pursuits on Behalf of Scholastic Journalism: Research Projects Concerning the Student Press • Bruce Konkle, University of South Carolina • Throughout the past 85 years, hundreds of theses, dissertations, course research papers and research studies addressed scholastic journalism topics. Knowledge of these works needs to be highly visible as journalism teachers and publication advisers attempt to educate administrators and others about the student press.
Measuring Students’ Journalism Career Potential: A Simple Inventory • Bruce Plopper, University of Arkansas at Little Rock • Through focus group interviews with journalism students and through career inventory item testing processes with several subgroups, this research attempted to create a career inventory that would identify students likely to succeed as hard-news, print media reporters. Ultimately, a set of 11 items that described journalistic values, beliefs, and behaviors was found to differentiate journalism majors from non-majors, and to identify students with a high likelihood of success as professionals in the field.
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