The role of narrative in public relations ethics pedagogy

Competence in ethical decision making is one of the most important issues in the industry and practice of public relations, yet professionals entering the discipline overestimate their knowledge and skills related to ethical principles. This article features a pedagogical approach to strengthen ethics education in public relations through the use of collaborative student-professional ethics narratives. This technique attempts to move beyond a traditional case study approach and transcend traditional classroom boundaries through the development of narratives featuring real ethics situations experienced by public relations professionals. The project involved the development, implementation and assessment of the pedagogical approach that required students to interview local communication professionals (mostly in public relations) and to craft narratives that explore ethical dilemmas these professionals faced. Pre- and post-test surveys and group feedback helped explore the impact of narrative inquiry in helping students internalize ethical lessons.

► This research features pedagogy to strengthen ethics education in public relations.
► Students used narrative inquiry to share ethics cases from local professionals.
► Pre- and post-test surveys assessed outcomes with a participant and nonparticipant group.
► Participant group showed improved learning and changes in ethical awareness.
► Some negative outcomes resulted, raising further questions for pedagogy and research.