Abstract
Despite the importance of attracting talented and qualified undergraduates into the major, the subject of recruitment for communication has received little attention. This study examines the effectiveness of a one-shot informative recruitment message on students’ beliefs and attitudes toward the communication major. As part of a quasi-experiment using a Solomon four-group design, two upper-division majors presented recruitment presentations addressing the benefits of, and misconceptions toward, the major to 130 students enrolled in introductory public speaking classes. Post-tests revealed that students exposed to the message reported significantly more favorable attitudes toward communication than those who had not seen a presentation (n = 65). Belief in the value of communication skills was also found positively associated with attitude toward the major, while belief that communication skills are innate was negatively associated with major attitude. Limitations and practical implications of this study are discussed as well.
Recommended Citation
Meiners, E. B., & Rudick, K. L. (2012). The effect of recruitment messages on undergraduate beliefs about the communication major: A quasi-experiment. Journal of the Association for Communication Administration, 31(2), 64-74.
This journal supports Open Science Badges
