A Study Of Undergraduate Journalism Education In Ghanaian Universities
Date
2022-07
Authors
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Publisher
University Of Ghana
Abstract
For four decades (1959-2000) only two educational institutions offered
recognised journalism education in Ghana – the Ghana Institute of Journalism and the
then School of Communication Studies at the University of Ghana. The former, until
2001, offered journalism programmes at the diploma level, and the latter offered
journalism programmes at the post graduate level. Since 2005, Ghana has witnessed a
significant increase in university education in journalism. Journalism courses are
offered in at least fifteen public and private universities with programmes ranging from
diploma through undergraduate to graduate degrees. The fast pace of growth in
journalism programmes at universities calls for quality checks especially, in this era
of rapid evolution and disruption in the media ecology.
This study therefore inquired into the content of journalism training offerings
in Ghanaian universities. The study examined the structure of undergraduate
journalism education as well as assessed the content of the curriculum in relation to
international standards. It also examined the journalism course content vis a vis
industry and job market skill needs to ascertain whether there is a fit between them.
Data were sourced from eight universities and ten media organisations in Ghana.
Adopting a mixed methods approach, qualitative and quantitative methods
were used to analyse data sourced essentially from interviews, document reviews, and
survey. The data from the questionnaires were used to triangulate the findings from
the interviews and content analysis to provide a holistic view of the journalism courses taught in universities in Ghana. The concept of quality assurance and Holland’s Jobfit
theory underpinned this study.
The key findings that have emerged from the study are that there are
differences in journalism programmes among universities. The journalism courses
taught in universities rely on international journalism standards. Similarly, journalism
courses take into consideration industry skills requirements in developing curriculum,
indicating a positive relationship between them. However, though the journalism
courses take into consideration local skills requirement, there is no absolute fit
between the skills taught and the skills required. A significant difference was found
with four of the five skills categories namely: Reporting skills, Leadership skills,
Reading and Numeracy skills, and Entrepreneurship and ICT skills. Writing was the
only skill that there was no significant difference between what was taught and what
was required.
The study concluded that policy makers should consider standardising
journalism education in universities in Ghana through the provision of subjectbenchmark
statements. The study has provided guidelines for developing benchmarks
for communication/journalism education at the university level in Ghana. More
collaboration between universities and industry will address the skills gap.
Description
PhD. Communication Studies
Keywords
Ghanaian Universities, Journalism Education, Undergraduate