INTRODUCTION
Do you want to know about the philosophy of research? Statistical formula? Details of research methods and strategy? I am afraid you will not find the answer in this modul. In this PR research study, you will not discuss about all the topics instead of practical procedure/guideline in order to develop a resarch outline.
Yes...according to the PR research purposes, this lesson is a kind of practical subject matter. In this study you will practice all you have learn from former research study such as research methodology, communication research methodology and statistic.
We hope, by conducting PR research, you will be able to develop research outlne. Research PR study is really a self learning process, the lecturer’s task in PR research class is only as a mentor, so that your active participation to do weekly assignment is appreciated.
Our lesson methods are doing weekly exercise based on our lesson plan, one to one discussion and consultation with the lecturer. Please feel free to discuss your poblem with the lecture, do not be reluctant and use your time as effective as possible.
Beside this practical modul, we provide another modul which is more conceptual and we also provide research guideline that will help you to form your outline with Mercu Buana University, The Faculty of Communication Studies’s standart
I.I WHAT IS RESEARCH?
ILLUSTRATION 1. RESEARCH = TROUBLE & WASTING TIME ?
Some of the things in this world you know seems so clear and obvious. Without any doubtful you know that you are breathing, you know that the world is round, you know that the sun is rising from the east, you know that men is immortal. Yes.. we all know that. Much of what you know is a matter of agreement and probably a belief
Imagine that you were born in a hundred years ago. Did you would know that the world is round. Did you know that people can connect to each other by 3G mobile phone?
How do you know about all the fact above? Some of them is common sense but some of them are based on personal experience and discovery.
Discovery....That is the point....How can you discover something.?......by conducting research of course.
There are so may definitions about researc but in the short way we can define that research is a collection of methods people use systematically to produce knowledge (Neuman, 1991;2)
Why should we spend our time to conduct research? Please think again the discussion about the question above. In our dailly life we face many kind of problem wheter is simple or big proble. Some of them need an answer and the answer of our problem will be our new understanding and knowledge.
By facing the problem you learn some asthonising facts and you learn that there are carefully worked out and tested methods of solve the problem. It is life, It is the human gift which is differ from animal or other creature. Research will bring benefit for entire world. That is your contribution as an academician or someone who pertain in one field, that is communication as a branch of social field
1.2 CAN I BE A RESEARCHER?
For several students, research is frightening and wearing. Make you uniqe and different from any other creature is not enough to encourage them to do research. But believe me, research is an exciting process of discovery. You will find something new and many astonishing fact at the end of research process. We can deny that research requires persistence, personal integrity, tolerance for ambiguity, interaction with others, and pride in doing quality work
Neuwman (Neuwman, 1991;2) reminds us that researcher should be:
1.Needs to think logically
2.Follow rules
3.Repeat steps over and over.
4.Able to combine theories and or ideas with facts in a systematic way and uses imagination and creativity
5.Quickly learn organize and plan carefully
6.Able to select appropriate technique to adress a question
7.Sensitive to treating people ho are being studied in ethical and moral ways
8.Last but not least, researcher must communicate to others clearly
Reflection and Question
1.Who You Are?
2.Which requirement you do not have?
3.How to improve yourself to be a good researcher?
4.Reconcile yourself to be a good researcher
1.3 STAGES OF RESEARCH
Although there may be some variation in the specific details of research stages, there are the following stages according to Bailey (Bailey, 1987; 11)
1.Choosing the resarch problem and stating the hypothesis
2.Formulating the research design
3.Gathering data
4.Coding and analyzing the data
5.Interpreting the results so as test the hypothesis
Each of these stages is depend at upon the others. One can not analyze data before collected the data. So besides knowing the stages stages, the researcher must have knowledge of how to conduct every steps in the stages. For example, the researches must know what is research problem and how to formulate a good research problem.. Researcher must know what is conceptual framework, What does it for and how to develop a good and adequate conceptual framework. That a PR research study is for.
1.4 WHY PR NEEDS RESEARCH
Actually beside you are an academician or someone who are in an academic field, you are also a Public Relations practitioners in the future. Like or Not, as a PR practitioners you will always face research. PR practitioners can not run the rogram without research. Reseach for PR practitioners is important becasuse research is a part of their job. Stacks, said that PR without research, you will be left to “fly by the seats of theirs pants” . Without reseach you can not demonstrate the efficacy of your program (Stacks, 2002;4)
Please consider that nowadays, PR is left behind by another subject field such as marketing and may be advertising. Why it happens? According to several researchs show that CEO in an organization think that PR is immeasurable. They think that PR is immeasurable because they have bad experience with their PR practicioners which can not demonstrate their accountability.
Broom and Dozier, cited Marston’s opinion that PR defined as planned, persuasive communication designed to influence significant publics, then goes on to outline a four step process that begins with research and ends with evaluation (Dozier, 1990; 6) In this style, PR is practiced more as a creative art than as an applied social an behavioural science. PR managers could not have to rely only on their intuition rather than informational inputs.
Another reason why PR needs research is as follow. Along with the PR theory development, recently PR as a function in an open system, it engage in exchanges of information, energy and matter with their environment. These exchanges make possible the adjustment and adaptation required for systems accomodating to changes in their environment.
Grunig as “a father of excellence PR” who develop normative theory for PR practice , described that the effective model PR practice is symetrical model. Become symetrical means that practitioners use research and dilaogue to bring about symbiotic changes in the ideas, attitudes, and behaviours of both organization and its publics (Grunig, 2002, 308)
CONCLUSION
Considering the importance of using research for PR then research PR subject is important and compulsary for PR student. This is the academic and also practical significancies of this study
Do the activity
1.Prepare yourself to be bound with PR research class
2.Check and follow your lesson plan
3.Submit your weekly assignment on time
Reference:
Bailey,Kenneth D,Methods of Social Research,The Free Press,New York,1987
Broom and Dozier,Using Research in PR. Applications to Program Management,PrenticeHall,New Jersey,1990
Grunig,Larissa A,James E.Grunig and David M.Dozier,Excellence PR and Effective Organization.A Study of Communication Management in Three Countries,Lawrence Erlbaum Associates,London,2002
Neuman,W.Lawrence,Social Research Methods.Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches,Allyn and Bacon,USA,1997
Stacks,Don.W,Primer of PR Research,The Guilford Press,New York,2002
