Scholastic Journalism 2019 Abstracts
Developing critical consciousness about coverage of Latinx communities: a service-learning approach in journalism education • Alison Burns • In the summer of 2018, a suburban Maryland middle school whose students are from mostly Salvadoran immigrant families became the subject of a barrage of negative press attention. That fall college journalism students in a “Community-Engaged Research and Service” class accepted an invitation to collaborate on journalism-related projects with students at the middle school. This qualitative phenomenological study explores what student reflections during the service-learning experience tell us about the college students’ development of critical consciousness, specifically related to coverage of Latinx communities.
ICTs in Educational Contexts: Digital Storytelling in Journalism Education • Tao Fu, University of International Business and Economics; William Babcock • This paper examines how digital storytelling (DST) can be used as an educational tool. By experimenting at a Beijing university offering a small English business journalism program where there were no audio/video production courses, this study showed that DST might be used not just in primary and secondary education, but in higher education. Given the high penetration of smartphones and accessibility of mobile Internet in China, DST particularly can be niched in journalism and media studies programs without professional faculty and equipment for audio/video production – limitations shared by countless colleges and universities in developing countries. Thus, this study confirmed how DST instruction might contribute to students’ digital media competence, technology literacy, collaborative learning, and engagement. By producing digital stories, students developed a deeper understanding of the social issues and relevant theories introduced in class. By acquiring video shooting and editing skills, students prepared themselves for future careers that increasingly demand such skills.
Principals and the Press: Factors Affecting Censorship in Scholastic Media • R.J. Morgan, University of Mississippi • Qualitative interviews with practicing school administrators indicate that students’ right to publish content in their school publications is determined more by the values and beliefs of their school administrator than by the guidelines set down by the First Amendment and the U.S. Supreme Court. Administrators believe their roles as keepers of the peace and arbiters of public sentiment trump the individual rights of student journalists.
Drones on High Uses and Challenges of Incorporating Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Into Higher Education • Jean Norman, Weber State University; Avery Holton, University of Utah; Quint Randle, Brigham Young University • In 2016, Federal Aviation Administration regulations allowed for commercial UAV use including universities. With loosened federal restrictions, commercial registrations of UAVs grew and opportunities for their use in higher education increased. Yet, little is known about UAV adoption into curricula. A survey of 95 U.S. universities finds UAV use grew in 2017 and 2018 and that regulation of use by universities remains unclear. Issues of barriers and opportunity in higher education are discussed.
“Wise Freedom” in Scholastic Journalism: A Case Study of a Free Student Press in an Independent, Catholic High School • Kristin Taylor, Kent State University / The Archer School for Girls • This study investigates the factors that allowed a student-controlled free press to be successful at one independent school. Data gathered from on-site observations and interviews with students, the journalism adviser, and the head of school suggest five factors worked in concert to make this program successful: a direct connection between the school’s mission and press freedom, the program’s strong reputation, a supportive administrator, an experienced adviser who grounded students in journalistic ethics, and highly trained student leaders. Experiencing press freedom in this environment appears to have increased students’ ethical fitness, made their reporting more independent, improved their news judgment and civic awareness, and improved their confidence and preparation for adult life because they felt their voices were valued.
Children’s Views of Media Ratings in the Context of a Media Literacy Program • Erica Scharrer, University of Massachusetts Amherst; Stephen Warren, UMass Amherst; Christine Olson, University of Massachusetts Amherst; Porntip Israsena Twishime • This study qualitatively analyzed sixth-graders’ knowledge about media ratings as part of a Media Literacy Education program on media violence and bullying. Textual analysis revealed differing opinions, with some acknowledging not utilizing the ratings and others calling for increased content descriptors. The results suggest media literacy programs may inspire increased awareness, knowledge, and critical thinking about ratings, and that the existing ratings are both succeeding and failing at the goal of informing audiences effectively.
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