1. Dr. Bernadette Kester Dr. Isabel Awad Dr. Nel Ruigrok
Dutch journalism students: shifting motivations, role perceptions and preferences  
Dr. Bernadette Kester
Dr. Isabel Awad
Dr. Nel Ruigrok
Erasmus Research Centre for Media, Communication and Culture (ERMeCC)

2. Outline Background & rationale research topic Research question
Research method
Findings & data
Conclusion
A survey conducted among 622 students
Missing is 3rd + 4th year group (Ede) + 4th year Tilburg + PDOJ

3. This study is part of Journalism Students across the Globe
General RQs:
Are professional views molded by university education?
Are certain influences universally applicable or limited to particular settings?
> 30 countries participate
Survey-research, 33 (mainly closed) questions
BA/MA & Applied Sciences
Journalism students across the globe
- It is now increasingly common for journalists to have earned university degrees in journalism. It is therefore crucial to investigate the ways in which journalism education influences students’ perceptions of and attitudes to their future profession, as arguably they would carry them into their career as journalists.
- This collaborative research project – conducted simultaneously in more than 30 countries – is a unique attempt to capture the views of journalism students in a large variety of political, economic, social and cultural contexts.
In early 2014, researchers began surveying representative samples of journalism students in their national contexts, this fieldwork has been completed end of 2015.
Summary (Hanusch, Mellado, 2014)
The global trend toward university-based journalism education has led to a growing scrutiny of students’ experiences at university and the extent to which professional views may be shaped there. Three main influences have been identified in the literature: students’ preferences for certain news beats, their gender, and students’ stage of progression in a journalism program. Typically, however, analyses have focused on only one potential influence within one particular country at a time. Arguing that a comparative approach is needed, this article examines potential influences on journalism students’ role perceptions across eight countries. Results suggest that students’ motivations, and the amount of time they have spent in a program, play a part in influencing their professional views while gender has little influence. S
The global trend toward university-based journalism education has led to a growing scrutiny of students’ experiences at university and the extent to which professional views may be shaped there. Three main influences have been identified in the literature: students’ preferences for certain news beats, their gender, and students’ stage of progression in a journalism program. Typically, however, analyses have focused on only one potential influence within one particular country at a time. Arguing that a comparative approach is needed, this article examines potential influences on journalism students’ role perceptions across eight countries. Results suggest that students’ motivations, and the amount of time they have spent in a program, play a part in influencing their professional views while gender has little influence.
This collaborative research project – conducted simultaneously in more than 30 countries – is a unique attempt to capture the views of journalism students in a s. Beginning in early 2014, researchers will begin surveying representative samples of journalism students in their national contexts, with fieldwork due to be completed in mid Attempts at professionalizing journalism around the world have led to a veritable boom in the education of journalists at universities in recent decades. Inspired particularly by the establishment of journalism schools at US universities in the early 20th century, tertiary journalism has swept the globe, prompting some scholars to call the phenomenon a “graduatization of journalism” (Splichal and Sparks, 1994: 114). It is now increasingly common for journalists to have earned university degrees in journalism. It is therefore crucial to investigate the ways in which journalism education influences students’ perceptions of and attitudes to their future profession, as arguably they would carry them into their career as journalists.

4. Background research topic
Global trend towards academization (graduatization)
Two pioneer studies
Johnstone, Slawski & Bowman (1976)
Splichal & Sparks (1994)
Last decade: growing national and international comparative research, and most recently by:
Claudia Mellado (2012, 2014, 2015) - international
Folker Hanusch (2013, 2014, 2015) - international
Jan-Frederik Hovden et al (2016) – Nordic countries
Comparable research on Dutch J-students does not exists
A global trend towards university-based journalism education:
In 2004 voorspelden Hallin en Mancini dat mediasystemen, in elk geval die van het westelijk halfrond, steeds meer zouden tenderen naar een overeenkomstig liberaal mediasysteem (p…). Dit impliceert dat ook het journalistiek onderwijs, als belangrijk aspect van pre-professionalisering of pre-socialisatie, internationaal een homogeniserende ontwikkeling zou doormaken. Wereldwijd is inderdaad sprake van een academisering of verwetenschappelijking (graduatization) (Splichal & Sparks, 1994:114-15) van het journalistieke onderwijs, maar niet per definitie op dezelfde manier. Professionalisering leidde tot een aantal dominante beroepsrollen zoals die van ‘neutrale informatieverspreider’, ‘duider’ of ‘waakhond’. Maar van een werkelijke homogenisering is geen sprake, althans niet overtuigend. Niet alleen tussen, maar ook binnen de diverse mediasystemen is sprake van verschillende dominante rolpercepties en niet alleen bij professionals, maar ook bij studenten (Mellado, et al, 2012; Sanders, Hanna & Berganza, et al., 2008:148 check).
the first major international study was undertaken in the early 1990s (Splichal and Sparks, 1994). In this groundbreaking, and so far only major comparative project, Splichal and Sparks analysed the views of around 1800 first-year journalism students in 22 countries, arguing that universal ethical and occupational standards were emerging, pointing to a professionalization of journalism across the globe. While some scholars have criticized this conclusion, noting the absence of questions on journalistic roles or ethical dilemmas in the study (Weaver, 1996), it nevertheless paved the way for paying closer attention to the views of journalism students. (Hanusch, 2013:2)

5. Our study: Dutch J-students
Focus:
Vocational Bachelor (HBO) vs. University Masters
Male vs. female students RQ
What are the different motivations and role perceptions that can be observed in male and female Journalism students by kind of education (Vocational BA & University MA)?
In general terms: Why do young people want to study Journalism and how do they envision their role as journalist in society?

6. Data Data collection: Oct. 2014 - April 2015
Population: Dutch Journalism students
4 Vocational BA
6 University Master programmes
1 Post-academic training programme
Students filled out the questionnaire on paper, at the beginning or at the end of a class.
In total, 21 % of the estimated population of journalism students in the Netherlands responded the questionnaire.
To secure a high response rate they were asked to fill the questionnaire on paper, at the beginning or at the end of a class.
In total, 20.5% of the estimated population of journalism students in the Netherlands (622 out of 2944) responded the questionnaire.

7. J-programmes Number of students Respondents Male Female Vocational BAs
2776
486
211
270
University Masters
150
119 39 77
Post-academic 18 17 10 7
In total
2.944
N = 622
260
N= 614
354
Sampling scheme

8. Research Methods Sample: 21% of all Dutch J-students Survey
Descriptive statistics (field perspective)
Factor analysis (role perceptions, motivations, personal preferences of news)
T-Test / Mann-Whitney U-Test
The survey consists of numerous questions that are all related to the motives of the students, their preferences to work in different fields, their personal background etc etc. In order to find answers to the research questions we conducted first a factor analysis on several questions related to the broader concept. Subsequently we determined the different factors and looked at the different preferences for these factors .
Depending on the fact if the data was normally distributed or not we used either the T-test of Mann-Whitney U-Test.
@NEL: verschil tussen t-test en Mann-Whitney U-Test is dus of data normaal verdeeld is, meestal niet dus dan gebruiken we een iets andere test die daar rekening mee houdt.
21 %

9. Where do students want to work?
We looked at the answers to the questions where students want to work in 5 categories and with a Chi-square test we looked at the differences between Master students and HBO students. The differences are significant. More HBO students want to work in journalism whereas master students opt more for advertising.
@NEL: Je kunt hier ook gewoon alleen de percentages noemen en gewoon niet de chi-kwadraat test noemen. Is gewoon niet zo interessant omdat met de % je het verschil ook al ziet. DAT is waar het hier om gaat. J ekunt dan nog ites zeggen over verschillen tussen man en vrouw en eerste en 4e jaar (zie pagina 6 resultaten)

10. Motivations: MA vs. Vocational (HBO)
* p < .05; **p<0.001
To answer the first question we looked at the motivations of the students. In total we asked the students 19 different questions about their motivation, ranging from wanting to have a secure job or earning a lot of money to meeting different people or helping the government in pursuing their policies.
These 19 questions we have put in a factor-analysis which resulted in four different factors.
Mission, pleasure, status and creative (zie hieronder welke onder welke cluster vallen)
motive_mission=V006HELP+V006INFLUENCEPUBLIC+V006DEMOCRACY+V006HELPEOPLE+V006POWERACCOUNTABLE+V006FIGHTINJUSTICE+V006HELPGOVERNMENT .
compute motive_pleasure = V006TRAVEL+V006VARIEDANDLIVELY+V006MEETDIFFERENTPEOPLE+V006LIFESTYLE+V006AUTONOMY.
compute motive_status =V006BEINGFAMOUS+V006MONEY+V006SECUREJOB+V006PRESTIGE.
compute motive_creative= V006TALENT+V006CREATIVE+V006WRITING.
execute.
WE see that only whith respect to the motive of mission there is a difference among the students. With masters being stronger focused on this role than HBO.
Bigger differences can be found among Gender perspectives.

11. Motivations: Male vs. female
Differences between male and female are more striking….
Zie voor eerste en vierde jaar nog pagina 5 resultaten

12. Role perceptions: MA vs. HBO
To study the question related to role perceptions of students we asked 23 different questions ranging from setting the political agenda and being critical towards the government to providing information to the wider public and influence public opinion. Using the factor analysis again we found 5 different roles that journalists saw for themselves.
We subsequently conducted a Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test. We do this because the data is not normally distributed (which is required performing a T-test). Unlike the t-test it does not require the assumption of normal distributions. It is nearly as efficient as the t-test on normal distributions.
@NEL: je kunt ook gewoon zeggen dat we een T-test hebben gedaan als je dat fijner vindt en alleen als je een vraag erover krijgt kun je zeggen dat we inderdaad wel hebben gekeken of de data normaal verdeeld was. Als dat niet zo was, hebben we een aangepaste test gedaan, de Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test. Beste is om het wel gewoon te zeggen, dus de Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test. Maar ik verwacht nite dat men daar echt vragen over gaat stellen. En anders gewoon zeggen dat ik dat heb gedaan 
Interesting differences can be found when looking at the watchdog role and consumer role. Apparently Maste rstudents are more inclined to be a watchdog, while HBO are more focused on catering to the consumers preferences.
(hieronder hoe ze zijn gedefinieerd)
compute role2_citizen=V007DETACHEDOBSERVER+V007ANALYSIS+V007REPORTINGTHINGS+V007ATTRACTSLARGESTAUDIENCE .
compute role2_loyal=V007SUPPORTGOVERNMENTPOLICY+V007PATRIOTISM+V007POSITIVEIMAGEPOLITICAL+V007SUPPORTNATIONALDEVELOPMENT.
compute role2_watchdog=V007INFLUENCEPUBLICOPINION+V007SETPOLITICALAGENDA+V007GOVERNMENTADVERSARY+V007PROVIDEINFORMATION+V007BUSINESS+V007POLITICALLEADERS+V007CIVICSOCIETY+V007POLITICALACTIVITY.
compute role2_advocacy=V007DAILYLIFE+V007ADVOCATESOCIALCHANGE+V007EDUCATEAUDIENCES+V007TOLERANCEANDDIVERSITY+V007WORLDSTORIES+V007LETPEOPLEEXPRESSTHEIRVIEWS.
compute role2_consumer= V007ENTERTAINMENT.
EXECUTE.
* p < .05; **p< 0.001

13. Role perceptions: Male vs. female
Interesting differences between male and female. Men are more focused on watchdog, while women are more advocacy role
* p < .05; **p< 0.001

14. Personal preferences: MA vs. HBO
Here we asked the students 12 questions that resulted in 7 factors. Differences are big. More focus on hard news, environment and science with respect to the master students, while HBO prefer entertainment.
* p < .05; **p< 0.001

15. Personal preferences: Male vs. female
* p < .05; **p< 0.001

16. Conclusions
Compared to Vocational students, MA students tend to pursue a ‘mission’; they are inclined to be watchdog and are interested in hard news, environment and science
Compared to MA students Vocational students prefer pleasure and entertainment
Female students tend towards mission and they want to perform the advocay role; but pleasure and entertainment are important as well
For Male students next to mission and pleasure, status is also an important motivation; they perceive themselves as watchdogs but also have a personal interest in entertainment