Multilevel Modeling Techniques and Applications in Institutional Research. New Directions in Institutional Research, Number 154

While the term benchmarking is commonplace nowadays in institutional research and higher education, less common, is a solid understanding of what it really means and how it has been, and can be, used effectively. This volume begins by defining benchmarking as “a strategic and structured approach whereby an organization compares aspects of its processes and/or outcomes to those of another organization or set of organizations to identify opportunities for improvement.” Building on this definition, the chapters provide a brief history of the evolution and emergence of benchmarking in general and in higher education in particular. The authors apply benchmarking to: Enrollment management and student success Institutional effectiveness The potential economic impact of higher education institutions on their host communities. They look at the use of national external survey data in institutional benchmarking and selection of peer institutions, introduce multivariate statistical methodologies for guiding that selection, and consider a novel application of baseball sabermetric methods. The volume offers a solid starting point for those new to benchmarking in higher education and provides examples of current best practices and prospective new directions. This is the 156th volume of this Jossey-Bass series. Always timely and comprehensive, New Directions for Institutional Research provides planners and administrators in all types of academic institutions with guidelines in such areas as resource coordination, information analysis, program evaluation, and institutional management.

Underrepresentation of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields is a problem that has persisted over the past three decades and is most severe at the highest levels of the STEM career path. Although national attention has been directed toward increasing the presence of women in STEM, women continue to leave at critical junctures in STEM training and careers at a higher rate than men. This volume of New Directions for Institutional Research takes a comprehensive look at the status of women in STEM and considers related factors, theoretical perspectives, and innovative tools that have the potential to help scholars understand, study, and improve the experiences of women in STEM fields. This is the 152nd volume of New Directions for Institutional Research. Always timely and comprehensive, New Directions for Institutional Research provides planners and administrators in all types of academic institutions with guidelines in such areas as resource coordination, information analysis, program evaluation, and institutional management.

This volume offers institutional researchers several examples of the ways in which quantitative and qualitative methods can be integrated for a better grasp of how members of our educational communities understand and experience their environments on the basis of their multiple identities. The first two chapters provide context for the volume's theme with definitions and overview of the underpinnings of mixted methodology. Subsequent chapters illustrate the multiple ways in which qualitative and quantitative methods can be integrated to understand the complexity of identity and experiences of marginalized groups in the academy. Other chapters focus on students' experiences and demonstrate how mixed-methodology approaches were used to explore college access among first-generation Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders analyze racial ideology of white males with interview data driving analysis of longitudinal dataset and research and accessment generating accurate understanding how of race and gender shape students' experiences within the campus The final chapter presents findings of a mixed-methods inquiry to challenge current conceptions about racial categorization and practices for gathering institutional data on students' identity. Volume editors Kimberly A Griffin, assistant professor of education policy studies at the Pennsylvania State University, and Samuel D. Museus, assistant professor of educational administration at University of Hawai?i Manoa, and contributing authors advocate for intersectionality research and argue that it holds great promise for advancing knowledge in higher education. Their book is ideal for institutions and institutional researchers who want to understand and most effectively serve their students and faculty. This is the 151st volume of the Jossey-Bass quarterly report series New Directions for Institutional Research. Always timely and comprehensive, New Directions for Institutional Research provides planners and administrators in all types of academic institutions with guidelines in such areas as resource coordination, information analysis, program evaluation, and institutional management.

How does one assess community service, civic engagement, and the impact of service learning on a college campus? This volume reviews contemporary research, measurement instruments, and practices in the assessment of civic engagement in higher education, including: meta-analyses of students, faculty, institutions, and higher education systems at-large, targeted case studies of campus-specific practices at individual institutions, efficient and effective ways to gauge the influence of civic engagement on higher education policy, practices, and outcomes, and quantitative and qualitative approaches to measuring the effort, importance of, and impact of students’ and institutions’ involvement in community service, community engagement, civic engagement, and service learning on a college campus. The research ranges between decisions made either as part of institutional agendas, curricular enhancements, or student life initiatives and student and professor involvement in civic engagement activities and supportive attitudes. This is the 162nd volume of this Jossey-Bass quarterly report series. Timely and comprehensive, New Directions for Institutional Research provides planners and administrators in all types of academic institutions with guidelines in such areas as resource coordination, information analysis, program evaluation, and institutional management.

Faculty diversity is gaining unprecedented emphasis in the mission of colleges and universities, and institutional researchers are being pushed for relevant data. This volume examines faculty diversity from a variety of perspectives. Together, they constitute a comprehensive outlook on the subject, highlighting factors including racial background, gender, citizenship, employment status, and academic discipline, and examining how growing diversity has affected the work experience and productivity of faculty and the learning outcomes of students. Special attention is given to international and nontenure-track faculty members, two groups that have experienced rapid growth in recent years. The authors: Present empirical evidence to support the increasing importance of faculty diversity in institutional research Show the need for actively tracking the changes in diversity over time Highlight the critical role of research methodology in all such work. This is the 155th volume of this Jossey-Bass quarterly report series. Always timely and comprehensive, New Directions for Institutional Research provides planners and administrators in all types of academic institutions with guidelines in such areas as resource coordination, information analysis, program evaluation, and institutional management.

Facing a new round of criticisms on the quality of undergraduate education in American colleges and universities, higher education administrators are eager to find—or create—effective programs and practices that can enrich student experiences and enhance outcomes. In order to do that, those who work at colleges and universities need to have a better understanding of their students. Institutional researchers, with access to a wealth of student data, have the analytical expertise to supply information that can guide institutional policy and practice. Typological frameworks particularly can be used to generate such information, and this volume presents rich examples of typological approaches to the study of college students. Typological research can reveal patterns in students’ characteristics, attitudes, and behaviors and how those patterns are related to desirable outcomes such as learning and persistence, or to the nature, meaning, and utility of student-faculty interactions outside the classroom. Such information can help campus leaders and other concerned groups gain a deeper understanding of their students, design better targeted and intentional interventions to optimize student experiences, and maximize student learning and personal development outcomes. This is a special supplemental issue of New Directions for Institutional Research. Always timely and comprehensive, this series provides planners and administrators in all types of academic institutions with guidelines in such areas as resource coordination, information analysis, program evaluation, and institutional management.

This volume is the second in a two-part series on differentiating approaches to quantitative research from more traditional positivistic and postpositivistic approaches. While the first volume provided an expanded conceptualization of critical quantitative inquiry, this volume concludes the series by: applying critical quantitative approaches to new populations of college students who are rarely addressed in institutional and higher education research, such as American Indian, Alaska Native, and students with disabilities, applying the principles of quantitative criticalism to advanced methods of statistical analysis, and discussing the variety of challenges to overcome and presenting a future research agenda using these methods. This work is of interest to institutional and higher education researchers who want to expand and critique new ways of thinking about the broad array of populations participating in and served by higher education, while keeping in mind the goals of revealing inequity, challenging marginalization, and helping all students to succeed. This is the 163rd volume of this Jossey-Bass quarterly report series. Timely and comprehensive, New Directions for Institutional Research provides planners and administrators in all types of academic institutions with guidelines in such areas as resource coordination, information analysis, program evaluation, and institutional management.

Provides the essential information that health care researchers and health professionals need to understand the basics of qualitative research Now in its fourth edition, this concise, accessible, and authoritative introduction to conducting and interpreting qualitative research in the health care field has been fully revised and updated. Continuing to introduce the core qualitative methods for data collection and analysis, this new edition also features chapters covering newer methods which are becoming more widely used in the health research field; examining the role of theory, the analysis of virtual and digital data, and advances in participatory approaches to research. Qualitative Research in Health Care, 4 th Edition looks at the interface between qualitative and quantitative research in primary mixed method studies, case study research, and secondary analysis and evidence synthesis. The book further offers chapters covering: different research designs, ethical issues in qualitative research; interview, focus group and observational methods; and documentary and conversation analysis. A succinct, and practical guide quickly conveying the essentials of qualitative research Updated with chapters on new and increasingly used methods of data collection including digital and web research Features new examples and up-to-date references and further reading The fourth edition of Qualitative Research in Health Care is relevant to health care professionals, researchers and students in health and related disciplines.

‘The perfect text for any health care professional who wishes to gain a sound understanding of research…This text succeeds where others fail in terms of the thoroughness of the research process and the accessible style in which the material is presented. In an age when nursing and health care research is going from strength to strength this book offers those in the world of academia and practice an excellent and essential 'bible' that is a must on any bookshelf’ Dr Aisha Holloway, Lecturer Adult Health, Division of Nursing, The University of Nottingham ‘a book that helps you each step of the way. A very understandable and enjoyable publication’ Accident and Emergency Nursing Journal ‘key reference resource that students of research can use at various levels of study. It is comprehensive, user friendly and very easy to read and make sense of’ Gillian E Lang, Amazon reviewer The sixth edition of this book reflects significant developments in nursing research in recent years, ensuring the reader is provided with the very latest information on research processes and methods. It continues to explore how to undertake research as well as evaluating and using research findings in clinical practice, in a way that is suitable for both novice researchers and those with more experience. Divided into six sections, the chapters are ordered in a logical fashion that also allows the reader to dip in and out. The first two sections of the book provide a comprehensive background to research in nursing. The third section presents a variety of qualitative and quantitative approaches, both new and well-established. The final three sections then look at collecting and making sense of the resulting data and putting the research findings into clinical practice. Summarises key points at the start of each chapter to guide you through Includes contributions from a wide range of experts in the field Accessible but doesn’t shrink away from complex debates and technical issues New to this edition: Accompanying website (www.wiley.com/go/gerrish) Ten completely new chapters including Narrative Research, Mixed Methods and Using Research in Clinical Practice ‘Research Example’ boxes from a wide variety of research types

The concept of concurrences is a blanket term for challenging dominating statements of the past and present. Concurrent stories have varying claims to reality and fiction, as well as different, diverging, and at times competing claims to society, culture, identity, and historical past. Dominant Western narrations about colonial power relationships are challenged by alternative sources such as heritage objects and oral traditions, enabling the voice of minorities or subaltern groups to be heard. Concurrences is about capturing multiple voices and multiple temporalities. As such, it is both a relational and dynamic methodology and a theoretical perspective that undergirds the multiple workings of power, uncovering asymmetrical power relations. Interdisciplinary in nature, this anthology is the outcome of scholarship from the humanities and social sciences with an interest in the multiple temporality of postcolonial issues and engagements in various places across the world.