In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Reviewed by:
  • Research in the College Context: Approaches and Methods
  • Becky Ropers-Huilman (bio)
Frances K. Stage and Kathleen Manning (Eds.). Research in the College Context: Approaches and Methods. New York: Brunner-Routledge, 2003. 235 pp. Paper: $26.95. ISBN: 0-415-93580-6.

For those of us interested in enhancing knowledge about higher education contexts, research is often at the forefront of our thinking. If we aren't certain about the effectiveness of a program or practice, how can we improve it? When we're unclear about the potential solutions to ongoing problems, how can we develop useful remedies? If it seems that various campus constituencies are behaving in ways that are counterproductive to higher education's mission, what attitudes and values fuel their behaviors? And, in relation to each of these questions, how will we know when we know enough to enact a change in policy or practice?

Research in the College Context helps beginning scholars and practitioners conceptualize how they might find answers to the perplexing questions that are relevant to their situations. It offers at least nine methodological options for consideration, couched within integrative discussions about the parallels found in each of the methodologies presented as well as the importance of establishing a solid research question and approach. In this review, I will touch on the book's many strengths and highlight several of the chapters that I found particularly illuminating. Then, I will briefly articulate discussions that were absent in the text but which would have enhanced my own understandings of research, as well as those of the students with whom I work.

The strengths of this book were many. First, and perhaps most importantly, the methods proposed in this text were both diverse and clearly useful in helping scholars enrich their understandings of college environments. At no time did it seem that authors were arguing among themselves for prominence of their chosen methods. In fact, the authors repeatedly assured readers that these methods could be enacted in complementary ways and, subsequently, provided examples about how this complementarity could be achieved.

Second, it was generally clear that the authors were proposing ideas and methodological tools at a basic level. As such, I agree with the editors' position that this book will be widely useful to doctoral students about to embark on dissertations, as well as to practitioners and more advanced scholars who are seeking new methods to respond to existing research questions.

The structure of this book also contributed to its usefulness. Specifically, a third strength was the clear structure for each of the methodologically oriented chapters. Every chapter was laid out in a similar way, such that, after one reading, this text could be easily used as a reference tool for future consultation.

Constituting a fourth strength, the majority of chapters included very clear and specific methods and examples through which a given methodological approach could be employed. A good example of this was Bridget Turner Kelly's chapter on focus group interviews. She delineated in clear and understandable terms both why and how focus groups could be conducted.

For a variety of reasons, several chapters were particularly useful. I found Robert Schwartz's contextualization of historical research in terms of what was needed in understanding higher education particularly illuminating. Further, both Teboho Moja and J. Fredericks Volkwein clearly situated their analyses in terms of the potential links between scholarly research and higher education policy and practice. These types of chapters remind readers of the urgency and necessity of conducting both high-quality and relevant research, while also presenting varied ways in which to do so.

Also useful was Ruth V. Russell and Agnes Kovacs's chapter on unobtrusive measures. Instead of presenting unobtrusive research as a basic and preliminary type of research (as it is often [End Page 446] presented in methods texts), they suggested that these methods actually enhance more commonly accepted approaches. Russell and Kovacs's discussion on validity is one that will undoubtedly benefit many researchers, regardless of their chosen methodological approach.

Finally, the chapter by Michelle Thompson was particularly enlightening, as it articulated how legal research contradicts traditional understandings of research, as well as how it can be used...

pdf

Share