The value of qualitative assessment approaches has been underestimated primarily because they are often juxtaposed against long-standing quantitative traditions and the widely accepted premise that the best research produces generalizable and statistically significant findings. Institutional researchers avoid qualitative methods for at least three…

Contends that qualitative research methods may improve understanding of individual students and groups of students. Discusses key questions in determining appropriateness of qualitative methods for research, evaluations, and policy analysis. Recommends that student affairs professionals consider using qualitative methods in their study of students…

Examples of qualitative investigations of traditionally hard-to-measure college and university characteristics using multiple investigators are rare, despite their potential for in-depth understanding and broad comparisons of institutional contexts. A team approach to qualitative multisite research was found useful and effective in a 9-researcher…

Student culture exerts significant influence on many aspects of college life by determining the kinds of people with whom one spends time and the values and attitudes to which one is exposed. To encourage attitudes and values consistent with the institution's educational purpose, cultural elements must be discovered and understood. (Author/MSE)

A team approach to the use of qualitative methods in a study of high quality out-of-class experiences for undergraduate students at 14 institutions of higher education is described. Four research questions examined: the physical and organizational features characterizing the institutions; the nature of institutional policies related to…

The methods used and substantive topics addressed in various kinds of college student research published between 1969 and 1983 were studied. The RAND Case Survey Method guided the development of the instrument and data collection. One of five reviewers read each of 1,189 articles and completed a questionnaire to analyze the article. The primary…

The research on college students published between 1969 and 1983 in 11 periodicals was used to examine the substantive topics and research methods preferred by male and female authors. Gender differences persisted over the 15 year period and became sharper after 1975. (Author/MLW)

Data from 1972, 1980, and 1986 reveal changes in the age, activities, research methods, and professionals of professors of higher education. Some significant scholarly differences between newly appointed and female faculty and more senior, male counterparts foreshadow changes in the professoriate. (Author/MSE)

Based on a year-long cultural study, undertaken for the 1994 merger of Bethany Theological Seminary (Illinois) and Earlham School of Religion (Indiana), this essay describes distinctive aspects of the two institutional cultures, identifies potential cultural conflicts, and discusses the implications and benefits of using cultural research to guide…

Five research principles are proposed to increase the utility of studies of college student culture: attempting to discover how group membership mediates member behavior and contributes to valued outcomes of college; using best practices of qualitative research; using flexible cognitive frameworks when collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data;…