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“Smart” Mixed Methods: The Interaction of Philosophy and Research Design in Higher Education Inquiry

Newhart, Daniel W.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1306863023

Abstract Details

2011, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, EDU Policy and Leadership.
The following dissertation uses existing data from the National Study of Student Engagement (NSSE), collected at a large Midwestern university, and combines this data with a component of using journals and interviews to explore the meaning of “student engagement” in depth. 4,870 students took the NSSE in 2010, with a response rate of 22% (Phase I). From this sample, 50 first year and senior students were chosen for qualitative follow-up, with five agreeing to participate in a three-phase qualitative study. Students were interviewed while taking the NSSE instrument (Phase II), and then were asked to journal, for one week, the activities that they engaged in during a week in their college experience, both outside and inside the classroom (Phase III). Students were also interviewed one-on-one to further explore the meaning of student engagement in their own lives (Phase IV). While the empirical portion of this study is important, the main focus of the dissertation is on the “how” of the way in which the research is conducted. Data analysis showed that often, a deeper understanding of how students were thinking about their college experience could add to the extant student engagement theory and interpretation of NSSE results. In this study, the interaction of philosophy and research design is highlighted as an exemplar of a “nomad science” in a higher education context.
Patti Lather, PhD (Advisor)
Leonard L. Baird, PhD (Committee Member)
Susan R. Jones, PhD (Committee Member)
Bryan R. Warnick, PhD (Committee Member)
145 p.
Education; Education Philosophy; Educational Theory; Philosophy; Philosophy of Science
mixed methods; philosophy; higher education; nomad science

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Newhart, D. W. (2011). “Smart” Mixed Methods: The Interaction of Philosophy and Research Design in Higher Education Inquiry [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1306863023

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Newhart, Daniel. “Smart” Mixed Methods: The Interaction of Philosophy and Research Design in Higher Education Inquiry. 2011. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1306863023.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Newhart, Daniel. "“Smart” Mixed Methods: The Interaction of Philosophy and Research Design in Higher Education Inquiry." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1306863023

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1306863023
941
© 2011, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.