Concretising Legislative Journalism: Journalism Students’ Reporting Self-Efficacy and Professional Socialisation Following an Experiential Senate Tour in Kenya

Abstract

This study evaluates a short-term experiential intervention, a formal academic tour of the Kenyan Senate undertaken by journalism students in July 2026 to address the problem that legislative reporting is frequently taught as abstract theory, leaving undergraduates with only second-hand knowledge of state institutions. Utilising a convergent mixed-methods design within a single-case study framework, this research assessed the tour's pedagogical impact. Although the Parliamentary Service Commission officially cleared 60 students, a census of the 28 students who ultimately attended was completed, and they completed a post-visit survey comprising Likert items and open-ended reflections, which were analysed using descriptive statistics and reflexive thematic analysis. Contrary to conventional assumptions about anxiety reduction, most students did not find the Senate intimidating beforehand (M = 2.86 on a 5-point scale). Instead, the intervention’s pedagogical value lay in converting abstract procedure into concrete understanding and raising reporting self-efficacy. Students reported gaining practical insights unavailable in lectures, a better understanding of debate structures, and increased confidence in pitching and writing a parliamentary story. Furthermore, navigating mandatory security protocols and gallery decorum socialised students into the access barriers and professional conduct expected of political reporters, a finding corroborated by qualitative reflections on institutional protocol and parliamentary privilege. While acknowledging that these findings capture immediate, self-reported perceptions rather than longitudinal assessments of competence, ultimately, experiential visits function as vital mechanisms of concretisation and professional socialisation rather than mere anxiety relief. These findings underscore the importance of integrating immersive field visits into specialised journalism curricula to bridge the gap between theoretical instruction and the profession's practical demands.