Stage I: Pilot study
The pilot study (see Table 1) is a convenience sample of 15 public affairs
practitioners in the Department of Defense Joint Communications Course.
The participants represented members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine
Corps, and Army National Guard. The study consisted of a survey intended
to determine how members of the military public affairs community felt
they were viewed by military leaders and servicemembers.
The survey consists of three sub-scales.
1. Leadership – Four questions were used to determine if public affairs practitioners felt that leadership understood the role of public affairs. The questions attempted to see if leadership saw PA as a valuable tool, whether leaders understood PA’s roles and responsibilities and seriously accepted input from their public affairs staff.2. Utility – Three questions were used to determine if public affairs practitioners felt that non-public affairs service members viewed Public Affairs as a viable tool in planning. The questions focused on whether PA was used proactiviely, included in the entire planning stage of an operation, and if public affairs practitioners were accorded the same amount of respect as other professions within the military.
3. Training – Three questions concerned the level of training required and available to the public affairs practitioners. These questions ranged from how much training is available, if PA training is required prior to being assigned to a public affairs position, and whether service members are given PA responsibilities as a secondary job.
Homepage
Introduction
Literature Review
Stage 2
Participants
Procedures & Design
Analysis
Limitations
Projected Results
Discussion
References