PAGE TURNER
by Kristin Walker-Donnelly and Tony W. Cawthon
Regardless of where student affairs professionals are in their careers, the ability to effectively consume, analyze, and use research data and findings is valuable. There’s a reason why assessment, evaluation, and research is one of the ACPA/NASPA competencies that encourages student affairs practitioners to bring intentionality to their work. In addition, ACUHO-I’s Core Curriculum supports the value of this area with its Evaluation and Planning-Research competency. But how does one stay fresh in this area as the lessons of graduate school fade further in the rearview mirror?
Research Methods and Applications for Student Affairs by J. Patrick Biddix provides the field with a tailored research methods publication that serves as a primer and refresher on research methods and applications for student affairs. Research classes in a graduate preparation program may have relied on a text intended for a broader educational context or provided a general but complicated overview of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods. The examples may or may not have resonated with readers aspiring to enter student affairs and higher education. Biddix’s work, however, serves as an engaging resource and tool that can support practitioners looking to enhance their assessment competency.
Early on the book clearly articulates why it exists and how it is designed to support the “why” of utilizing research to enhance practice. The author clearly articulates the responsibility practitioners have in using data effectively to promote evidence-based practice, inform policy, advocate for human and financial resources, and even avoid making assumptions about students and higher education. Biddix proposes that many student affairs practitioners have good intentions when engaging in and evaluating research, but good intentions are not enough and can be harmful if they contribute to misinterpreting the data. To support practitioners, this 14-chapter book is organized into three different levels: research frames, research foundations, and research methods.
The first four chapters of the book represent the research frames level. These areas cover overarching concepts that are important to consider regardless of the type of research study. The first chapter examines research in terms of its purpose, the enhancement of practice, and the reciprocity of skills related to both research and practice. Biddix also provides connections to the ACPA/NASPA competencies, functional area-specific competencies, the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) guidelines, and Assessment, Skills, and Knowledge (ASK) standards for student affairs practitioners and scholars. The second chapter addresses the basics of reading research by focusing on the basic outline or sections of a typical manuscript and offers an insightful discussion of what it means when we say that articles are peer-reviewed. The third chapter tackles the challenging topic of framing research by outlining the different research perspectives and how they connect to research method and design. Biddix closes this section of the book with a brief chapter about considering ethics through the lens of three basic ethical principles and the different ethical challenges of qualitative and quantitative studies.
The remaining chapters discuss qualitative and quantitative methods – the unique roles of both methods, their purposes, key terms, and their evaluation – as a foundation before concluding with a mixed methods chapter. Biddix provides information on overarching concepts of qualitative and quantitative methods before taking a deeper dive into specific designs. In these foundation chapters, Biddix address
The chapters on qualitative design include sections on document review, observation, and interviews and focus groups. Those on quantitative design include sections on trends, differences, relationships, and predictions. Biddix follows a consistent chapter outline for all chapters, which enhances the reader’s understanding of the differences between each design: (a) reasons for understanding, (b) guidelines for reading, (c) questions for evaluating, and (d) opportunities for applying. As he explains, this method aligns with Bloom’s taxonomy, with the goal being to scaffold the reader’s learning and comprehension.
The primary strength of the book is the author’s insights into how practitioner scholars can use and value research in their decision making and policy formation. Biddix includes voices from the profession that provide practical application of concepts such as research and peer review. The glossary of terms is comprehensive and helpful for readers, both as an aid to readers focused on a chapter topic or as a reference when reading an article. Biddix utilizes tables to condense information and easily compare and contrast topics, but he also provides explanations of the material that are easy to understand. Studies, articles, charts, and graphs are referenced through the text so that readers can easily identify real examples to illustrate concepts, types of studies, and techniques. This approach easily facilitates discussion of the concept and applications in class or with colleagues. One note of caution, however – practitioners looking for detailed specifics about different analysis techniques or how to calculate different quantitative tests will not find that here. Biddix is clear that there are other texts that already exist to fulfill that need. Instead, this text serves a different purpose by providing “graduate students, faculty, and professionals with a primary textbook and reference guide for understanding, reading, evaluating, and applying research in student affairs.”
As the authors of the foreword write, “Student affairs professionals have a responsibility to engage in research-informed practice.” With calls for accountability in terms of quality and efficiency and ensuring that students are supported in achieving success, practitioners cannot avoid what might be, for some, the intimidating element of research. This is especially true for housing professionals who are increasingly implementing residential curriculums, staff of living-learning communities, and those engaged in faculty-in-residence programs. In order to succeed, these initiatives must be grounded in research. This text supports practitioners who want to become educated and confident consumers, interpreters, users, and communicators of literature for themselves, their areas, and their institutions.
As housing professionals, the ability to generate and use data allows them to tell their stories, increase institutional credibility, and enhance their work. As good consumers of research, housing professionals must be committed to the application of research to their philosophies, policies, and practices in their delivery of university housing programs and services. This book educates the reader on how to engage and participate in the generation and dissemination of knowledge by understanding the “why” of research, how to interpret research article results and implications, and how to understand the impact of data on their work.
Kristen Walker-Donnelley, Ph.D., is the director of assessment for the division of student affairs at Clemson University. Tony Cawthon, Ph.D., is the director of graduate studies for the Clemson University College of Education. "Page Turner" is a recurring column that pairs Cawthon with a graduate student or professional colleague as they review books and scholarship of interest to campus housing and student affairs.
