New book for researchers looking to better understand the college student experience

 

Work can help design, implementation, interpretation of results that shed light on students, especially underrepresented populations

 College students are among the most popular subjects and topics of research across academia, whether subjects in an undergraduate psychology experiment or the topic of an in-depth study by researchers looking to understand the college experience. A new book from a University of Kansas scholar aims to guide researchers conducting qualitative research to better study the college student experience, especially that of historically marginalized populations.

“Conducting Qualitative Research on and with College Students: Practical Considerations and Examples” by Antonio Duran of Arizona State University and Zak Foste, associate professor of educational leadership & policy studies at KU, provides guidance and examples for conducting sound research that can advance both understanding and student success.

Duran and Foste both specialize in qualitative research of the college student experience. Published by Routledge, the book covers considerations researchers should make when studying the growth, experience, development and challenges today’s diverse student population faces.

“Qualitative research is well suited for a host of questions related to the study of college students, including how they experience various transitions in their educational journeys, how they arrive at particular decisions or choices related to major or institution type, or how they come to understand and make sense of who they are and what they value in the world,” Foste said. “One of the benefits of qualitative research is that it can help illuminate the how and why behind many of our most desirable outcomes in postsecondary education. These approaches can illustrate how students experience and make meaning of important educational contexts and conditions.”

The authors were both students of Susan Jones, an influential researcher at Ohio State University and co-author of “Negotiating the Complexities of Qualitative Research in Higher Education: Fundamental Elements and Issues.” Jones wrote the foreword for Duran and Foste’s book, framing their new volume as a passing of the torch in qualitative college student research.

The new book provides technical guidelines on developing qualitative questions, issues related to sampling and participant recruitment, and how to write and present findings for audiences such as academic journals and practitioners who work with students. The book also guides researchers through considerations such as why qualitative research can be the proper approach, considering oneself and the relationship with college students involved in research and why qualitative research is more than just talking with people.

“We hope the reason people take up qualitative research is not just to theorize or engage in purely academic exercises, but to write in such a way that speaks to practitioners, faculty, administrators and policy makers directly responsible for student success. As we emphasize throughout the book, we believe this is especially important for students from those communities historically excluded from full participation in higher education,” Foste said.

“Conducting Qualitative Research” also provides examples of research that has successfully and effectively examined such topics and how new studies can draw inspiration and guidance from them. Ethical considerations researchers should make before and during research are also discussed throughout.

The book is written with novice researchers and graduate students looking to make a career in the field in mind but can also be a valuable resource for veteran scholars looking for new ideas.

“‘Conducting Qualitative Research on and with College Students’ should be required reading in every higher education program. The authors distill methodological texts, synthesize contemporary higher education research and offer practical examples of how to do qualitative research on college students. And they do this in an accessible, engaging manner. It's a book I wish I had as a student but am happy to have as an instructor. Duran and Foste have offered a gift to the field of higher education,” said Antar Tichavakunda of the University of California Santa Barbara.

There is a common refrain that scholars come to qualitative research because they are not good with numbers, a necessary component of quantitative research, or because they enjoy talking with people. While not discounting that, the authors hope to help show there is much more to experience in the line of inquiry.

“One of the hopes of our book is to say, ‘A meaningful study of college students is more than just talking to people,’” Foste said. “There are questions of meaning, experience and interpretation. We really want those new to the qualitative study of college students to think critically about what they are embracing and what such approaches can offer us in the way of improving our collective understanding of college students today.”