Who is Schooling Whom?

As I near graduation at the University of Oregon, I wonder what work in the field will be like compared to things I've learned in school. That question led me to research the differences between public relations academics and the industry. The academic side of public relations is often referred to as theory-oriented, while the industry is said to be the applied branch.

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Research
Few analyses on the relationship between the two have been produced, which inspired I-Huei Cheng at National Chengchi University and Frederico de Gregorio at the University of Akron to delve further into the subject in this study. Members of several public relations organizations were reviewed and selected to participate in the study. Any members identified as scholars were included in the sample and those with industry affiliation were omitted. Any with unclear affiliations were also included in the sample. The limitations are the study only represents opinions of scholars on this topic and all perspectives are biased.

Likert Scale

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Method

More than 966 public relations academics (educators, researchers and students) in the U.S. and abroad were invited to participate and 273 completed the questionnaires. Opinions were gathered regarding the content of academic research and results, diffusion of knowledge, and characteristics of the academic system. The respondents' answers were recorded on a five-point Likert scale, and relationships between the answers were analyzed.

Results

Conclusions from the surveys indicate public relations academics are industry-oriented, but there is a gap in the working relationship between academics and practitioners. Scholars believe their research topics cover relevant topics for the industry and they welcome collaborative opportunities to work with practitioners on research projects.

Citation
Cheng, I-H. & de Gregorio, F. (2008). Does (linking with) practice make perfect? A survey of public relations scholars’ perspectives. Journal of Public Relations Research, 20(4), 86-103. doi:10.1080/10627260802153298