Michigan State University Extension
Diversity and Pluralism - DP120284
12/95/
ERIC TITLE NUMBER: ED298553 AUTHOR: Parsons, Patrick R.
TITLE: Student Values and Professional Self-Selection.
YEAR PUBLISHED: 1988
NOTE: 28 p.; Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the
Association for Education in Journalism and Mass
Communication (71st, Portland, OR, July 2-5, 1988).
ABSTRACT: To investigate the fundamental cultural values
and political attitudes of communications students at the
beginning of their professional education, and to compare
the differing attitudes of students in advertising, print
and broadcast journalism, telecommunications, and public
relations, a study surveyed journalism and communications
students at four universities--Pennsylvania State
University, The University of Minnesota, California State
University at Fullerton, and Louisiana State University. A
total of 734 usable questionnaires were completed. Those
students from mass communications, business, and marketing
were excluded, and the remaining 585 responses were
analyzed. Students responded to 18 statements on various
issues such as pollution, disarmament, and homosexuality,
rating them on a Likert-like scale. In addition, students
were asked to rank order 16 occupations on the basis of
respect for the profession. An additional 11 Likert-like
items probed life ambitions. Results revealed that: (1)
advertising students were primarily motivated by a desire
for material success; (2) print journalism students were
motivated by a desire to write; (3) public relations
students indicated extreme discomfort with creative work
(including writing); (4) telecommunications students seemed
more interested in a secure career in the creative arts
than in political involvement; and (5) broadcast
journalists were more conservative than other majors on
questions of abortion, premarital sex, gay rights, and
marijuana. (Five tables of data are included.) (MM)
KEY DESCRIPTORS: Advertising-; Higher-Education; Journalism
; Majors-Students; Public-Relations; Telecommunications-;
Undergraduate-Students
KEY DESCRIPTORS: *Moral-Values; *Social-Values; *Student
Attitudes; *Student-Characteristics
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