1st Edition
Student Affairs by the Numbers Quantitative Research and Statistics for Professionals
Student Affairs by the Numbers aims to be the go-to book for student affairs professionals who want to know the basics of quantitative research and statistics for their work. Books on assessment in student affairs tend to discuss processes more than research design and statistics. Most books on statistics share too much information for practitioners, overwhelming them and making it difficult to discern what they need to know. Since these books do not use examples from student affairs, it is even more difficult for practitioners to connect with new concepts.Student Affairs professionals need to know how to design a study, collect data, analyze data, interpret results, and present the results in an understandable manner. This book will begin by establishing the need for these skills in student affairs and then quickly move to how to develop a research culture, how to conduct research, how to understand statistics, and concluding with how to change our research/assessment behaviors in order to make higher education better for students.
Preface Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Student Affairs, Fast and Slow 2. An Introduction to Research 3. Developing a Research Paradigm 4. Research Design 5. The Theory Behind Survey Design 6. Survey Design in Practice 7. Basic Statistics 8. Statistical Approach for the Question of Relationship 9. Statistical Approach for Comparing Groups 10. Statistical Approach for Predicting Groups 11. Statistical Approach for Analyzing Structure 12. How This Book Should Change Your Life Appendix. Final Exam References About the Author Index
Biography
Rishi Sriram serves as Associate Professor of Higher Education & Student Affairs, Associate Chair for the Department of Educational Leadership, and Residential College Faculty Steward of Brooks Residential College–a living-learning community of approximately 400 students, at Baylor University. Dr. Sriram spent eight years as a higher education and student affairs administrator before beginning his current role as a professor. He played a primary role in the development of residential colleges and living-learning programs at Baylor, as well as the establishment of a faculty-in-residence program. His administrative work won him a NASPA Excellence Award (Gold Honoree) and a Promising Practices Award from the NASPA Student Affairs Partnering with Academic Affairs Knowledge Community. Dr. Sriram’s research interests include student affairs practice, collaboration between academic and student affairs, and college student retention, engagement, achievement, and learning. His work has been published in respected journals such as the Journal of College Student Development, the Review of Higher Education, the Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, and the Journal of College Student Retention. He has served on the editorial/review boards of several higher education journals and also served as the first Director of Research for the Texas Association of College and University Student Personnel Administrators.
“Rishi Sriram’s philosophical approach to research and the phobia surrounding statistical analysis is spot on. Students will find great value in reading this book, as will professionals working on their institution’s accreditation. Perhaps the greatest value the book provides is setting the tone for developing and sustaining a culture of research and assessment.”
"Student Affairs by the Numbers couldn’t arrive at a better time. The pressure from state-based performance-based funding, increased rigor from regional accrediting agencies, and an increase in a 'return-on-investment' approach to funding and program review underscores the critical importance of developing a core competence in quantitative statistics and assessment. This book is a valuable resource for student affairs professionals and graduate students who are developing research and evaluation efforts on core student affairs programs and services."
Kevin Kruger, President of NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education
"Our future will be built by student affairs educators who view themselves as scholar-practitioners. The current conditions of higher education require curious professionals who see the many research questions that surround our daily work. Understanding and engaging the science of research and statistics is not a skill reserved for faculty—it is a basic necessity for practitioners who seek to make meaningful contributions to policies, programs, and experiences that matter for students and their learning. This book is a must-read and will transform how you do your work and make decisions."
Patricia A. Perillo, Ph.D., Vice President for Student Affairs and Assistant Professor of Higher Education Virginia Tech, Former president of ACPA–College Student Educators International
"Sriram does a masterful job presenting in an accessible manner a topic that many of us in student affairs tend to avoid: quantitative research and statistics. He presents essential, foundational information about research design, data collection, and statistical analysis in a manner that allows the most numbers-averse among us to find value by situating each chapter’s discussion in a real-life situation. Readers will be able to recognize themselves in these situations and see how they might use quantitative research techniques to answer their own work-related questions. Both graduate students in student affairs masters programs and full-time student affairs professionals will find great value in this well-written and relatable book."
Robert D. Reason, Professor, Student Affairs and Higher Education
Iowa State University
