Abstract
Purpose: The first purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which students in university capstone public relations classes who receive teamwork training demonstrate effective team behaviors, produce quality work, experience satisfaction in the teamwork process, and engender client satisfaction. The second purpose was to determine the extent to which students in university capstone public relations classes who do not receive teamwork training demonstrate effective team behaviors, produce quality work, experience satisfaction in the teamwork process, and engender client satisfaction. The third purpose was to determine the differences in these two university capstone public relations classes relative to the students demonstrating effective team behaviors, producing quality work, experiencing satisfaction in the teamwork process, and engendering client satisfaction. Methodology: This study involved a Nonequivalent Control Group Quasi-Experimental Design with a population of two intact groups of students enrolled in two capstone public relations classes in the Journalism Department of California State University, Northridge, in the spring 2009 semester. Throughout the semester, one group was taught team-building skills and the other group was not taught these skills. Findings: Students in university capstone public relations classes who received teamwork training demonstrated a higher level of effective team behaviors than students in university capstone public relations classes who did not receive training. This teamwork training had a significant and positive effect on improving the quality of work produced by students. In addition, students who received teamwork training appeared to enjoy the teamwork experience more than those who did not receive training. However, students who received teamwork training did not appear to engender client satisfaction any more than students who did not take this training. Conclusions: Results show that incorporating teamwork skills into a university capstone public relations class is effective and worthwhile. Students not only learn effective team behaviors and produce quality work, but they actually enjoy the teamwork experience. Recommendations: Teaching team building is a worthwhile investment for both the professor and students. Although incorporating teamwork skills into the public relations curriculum requires extra preparation time for professors and additional study time for students, the skills learned can ultimately be transferred to the professional setting. The author recommends this study be duplicated over several semesters at a number of other universities with similar public relations programs. The same methodology should be incorporated to see if the findings can replicated and further validated.