By Isabel Lerma, Jadyn Stowell, Dean Tran & Serina Smith
We had the privilege of interviewing our Dean of Communications, Dr. Bey-Ling Sha, an award-winning, published public relations practitioner, educator, and researcher. She received her bachelor’s in Public Relations & French at Purdue University, her master’s in Journalism, and her Ph.D. in Mass Communications at the University of Maryland. Sha has been very active within the PR world. She has been Editor in Chief for the Journal of Public Relations Research, Chair of the Board of Directors in the Union of Pan Asian Communities, and a member of the College of Fellows of the Public Relations Society of America. A handful of her studies have emphasized gender and interculturality within the field. As an Asian American woman, her impact in PR has done much for AAPI and female representation throughout the trajectory of her career, from published research to books, being a professor at SDSU to now being a mentor for students here at California State University, Fullerton. Before conducting the interview, we researched Dean Sha’s background, which helped us develop questions. We came across two articles, one of her own research, “Future Professionals’ Perceptions of Work, life, and gender issues in Public Relations” dating back to 2005, and a research study conducted by now Dr. Nicole Lee “The Role of New Public Relations Practitioners as Social Media Experts,” in which Dean Sha collaborated and oversaw the research process.
We discovered that research does not base progress on key performance indicators but is an ongoing process to find answers for said subject topic. The research concepts are not predicated upon performance bases but more so upon developing growth toward finding answers to research questions through research. Adequate questioning starts the research process with the proper direction for finding answers. They also help reevaluate how the research is being conducted by discovering previous information as a foundation to further develop research findings.
Dr. Sha then goes into how the research was conducted with background information in the public relations sector from the 1980s and 1990s to give a foundation for this research study that was conducted in 2012-2015. She then goes on to share that Dr. Lee found that social media at the time was new to the industry and that many entry-level practitioners were appointed the technician roles by the more senior positioned leaders. The executives and leaders did not grasp this new concept of social media at the time, placing the duties on younger, more entry-level practitioners to execute more managerial roles and responsibilities.
With the Dean’s level of experience and knowledge, we asked broader questions during our Zoom session with her to further develop our study topic and apply what we have learned to our research study.
Questions
Q. How would you recommend starting the research process from scratch?
First and foremost, Bey-Ling Sha mentioned that when starting research, it is essential to have a question to which you want to know the answer. Research, as a whole, is all about finding answers to our questions. Different aspects, such as the target population, help you start the research process. The target population is the one who enables you to answer the question.
Q. What aspects of human relations intrigued you the most in research?
Bey-Ling Sha is a higher education leader, and her studies focus on public relations and communications. Overall, how people relate to each other with respect to people’s different identities intrigues her. The Purdue alumni is now the Dean at CSUF and does not participate in as much research as she used to, so when students like us want to discuss her past research, it allows her to work out that part of her identity again. Bey-Ling Sha expressed her thoughts on how vital human relations are in the present world.
Q. How would you recommend splitting responsibilities between partners to complete the specific study you set out to conduct?
Splitting responsibilities all depends on the kind of study and the questions being answered. Everyone has different abilities and strong suits for contributing to the specific research, and it comes down to who you are working with. Bey-Ling Sha explained that there may be a huge data set, and the studies have various authors. To split everything, the writers will rotate authorship and help each other. Ultimately, it comes down to who’s idea the study was and who drives the question.
Q: How would you recommend splitting responsibilities between partners to complete the specific study you set out to conduct?
Splitting responsibilities all depends on the kind of study and the questions being answered. Everyone has different abilities and strong suits for contributing to the specific research, and it comes down to who you are working with. Bey-Ling Sha explained that there may be a huge data set, and the studies have various authors. To split everything, the writers will rotate authorship and help each other. Ultimately, it comes down to who’s idea the study was and who drives the question.
Q. What research methods do you prefer using from a personal perspective?
A common problem that researchers face is fixating on a specific or preferred research method in a research study. Dean Sha stressed the importance of assessing different research methods to find the one that would yield the best results. Research studies could be conducted in many ways, and conducting research that will answer your research question would be the best way to start.
Q. What type of research topics pique your interest?
Dean Sha has extensive experience in PR and finds topics within the scope of PR to be the most interesting. She is particularly interested in organizational relationships and relationship building.
Q. If a Wikipedia page were created about you, what would you want on there, and what would you want to be known for?
Dean Sha emphasized that she would rather be known for her contributions to CSUF as a mentor and dean rather than for research studies or literary work. Though she has been productive and ambitious on her path to her role as dean of communications at CSUF now, she finds her work as a college dean the most rewarding.
How people relate to each other now is increasingly important because often, what is happening is we don’t really take the time to find out who people really are. We are more reacting to who we think they are.
-Bey-Ling Sha.
Example of Findings in Bey-Ling Sha’s 2005 Study:
Conclusion:
Dr. Bey-Ling Sha has a lengthy background in PR work which deemed her the perfect candidate to enlighten us on all things research. Her published research has emphasized interculturalism, gender roles, and identity and how they are foundational in the public relations field. Our interview with her allowed us to gain perspective for our study through her hard work and experience as a seasoned professional.
The Society for Communications Research 