Nurturing journalism students’ research orientation in practical degree programmes: The community of practice view

Abstract

The emphasis on doctoral education in Europe calls for analyses of how bachelor’s and master’s studies in creative and practical disciplines enable graduates to carry on to Ph.D. level. This study offers a methodological framework to analyse the social and situational character of students’ dispositions to research. We investigate largely practical journalism programmes that also aim to provide all students with premises to research work. Sixteen students were interviewed at the culmination of their studies at two universities in Finland. Through Wenger’s theory of a community of practice and the method of situational analysis, we analysed researcher identities and discourses on research in the students’ speech, situations and social relations in which the participation in research practice occurred, and development trends of participation. The results suggest that journalism practice is socially and situationally prioritized over journalism research in the programmes, which undermines the efforts to engage students in research.