Matching characteristics in students of journalism with skills for academic writing

Abstract

Skilled academic writing in young university students is a seldom explored topic. This study generates an approach to the profile of journalism students with this skill, based on their common personal and writing characteristics, situated in the environmental and intrapersonal catalysts of the Gagné Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent, as well as some resources of the development process of this model. The study was conducted with a multiple case study design, with six students from the Journalism program. The results show several coincidences in the characteristics of the environmental and intrapersonal catalysts, such as high academic performance, participation in writing contests, absence of studying patterns, low sociability, the influence of teachers triggering reading and writing interest and of peers who motivate and give feedback, and practically no family tradition of reading and writing. The students perceive themselves as possessing fine motor skills, being perfectionist and persistent, and regarding respect as a core value. We concluded that these coincidences in the cases are useful for the construction of a first approach to a profile of Journalism students skilled in academic writing.