The Socialization of Journalism Students Into the Profession: Results From a Global Survey of J-Students

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

This panel will provide a global and comparative analysis of the ways in which journalism students' conceptions of their roles, job expectations, motivation for studying journalism, among others, are shaped during the course of their studies. Over the past few decades, university education in journalism has become an increasingly important pathway into the profession in many countries around the world (Splichal & Sparks, 1994; Weaver & Willnat, 2012). This boom in the popularity of journalism education has been a result of various attempts at professionalizing journalism in many countries.

Yet, while many journalists across the globe now hold a university degree, particularly in journalism, our understanding of journalism education's role in socializing students into the profession of journalism is still very limited. This is surprising given the fact that training programs such as those offered at the university level play an important role in introducing and specifying journalistic norms and values (Gravengaard & Rimestad, 2014). While graduates' norms and values will do doubt be further shaped through socialization processes they undergo in the workplace, often this first exposure to journalism at universities will arguably shape the expectations and understanding they bring to their work. As a result of the growth of tertiary journalism education and its relevance for future journalists, scholars are increasingly engaging with such questions of what students learn about journalism at universities. However, most studies in the field are based on single countries or a small number of countries with geographic proximity. We still know relatively little about the similarities and differences in how students experience university education across different political, economic, social and cultural contexts.

To address this gap, this panel examines journalism students across 30 diverse countries. Based on surveys with representative samples of students in each country, the panel participants map how journalism students' views of the profession and their future role in it develop over the course of their studies. Specifically, the four key areas that our presenters will compare across countries are related to global patterns in background and recruitment, perceptions on journalistic roles, motivations for studying journalism, and job expectations.

Yet, while many journalists across the globe now hold a university degree, particularly in journalism, our understanding of journalism education's role in socializing students into journalism is still very limited. This is curious, given the fact that training programs such as those offered at university level play an important role in concretizing journalistic norms and values (Gravengaard & Rimestad, 2014). While graduates' norms and values will do doubt be further shaped through socialization processes they undergo in the workplace, often this first exposure to journalism at university will arguably shape the expectations and understanding they bring to their work. As a result of the growth of tertiary journalism education and its relevance for future journalists, scholars are increasingly engaging with the question of what happens to journalism students at university. However, most studies in the field are based on single countries or a small number of countries in immediate geographic vicinity. We still know relatively little about the similiarities and differences in how students experience university education across different political, economic, social and cultural contexts.

To address this gap, this panel examines journalism students across 30 diverse countries from all inhabited continents. Based on surveys with representative samples of students in each country, the panel participants map how journalism students' views of the profession and their future role in it develop over the course of their university degree. Specifically, the four key areas that our presenters will compare across countries are related to global patterns in background and recruitment, perceptions on journalistic roles, motivations for studying journalism, and job expectations.

Sub Unit

• Journalism Studies

Chairs

• Claudia Mellado, Pontificia U Catolica de Valparaiso

• Folker Christian Hanusch, U of Vienna

Individual Presentations

• Comparative Design and Methodological Challenges: An Introduction to Journalism Students Across the Globe3 - Claudia Mellado, Pontificia U Catolica de Valparaiso; Folker Christian Hanusch, U of Vienna

• Global Patterns in Recruitment to Journalism Education - Jan Fredrik Hovden, Bergen U; Mireya Marquez Ramirez, Universidad Iberoamericana Mexico City

• Student Perceptions on Journalistic Roles Across the World - Tim P. Vos, U of Missouri - Columbia; Dimitri Prander, Johannes Kepler U of Linz

• Motivations for Studying Journalism Across the World - elira turdubaeva; Agnieszka Magdalena Stepinska, Adam Mickiewicz University; Ivanka Pjesivac, U of Georgia; Galiya Ibrayeva, Al-Farabi Kazakh National U, Faculty of Journalism

• Mixed Feelings: Future Journalists' Perspectives on News Industries Across the World - Dan Jackson, Bournemouth U; Einar Thorsen