Creative Inquiry in Student Affairs


Posted by Lisa Endersby on 01 Oct 2012 / 4 Comments


I’ll take this term over ‘research’ any day.

A recent #sachat on ‘Beginning Research in Higher Education’  uncovered many different definitions of research. Many participants defined the term to a point where they could not see themselves engaging in research, making it something that others in the field do with more resources or time.

I’d like to challenge that assumption.

Research, in higher education at the very least, is not something that always leads to a publication, or requires hours in the field. It is not always about annotated bibliographies and APA style and reviews by the ethics board.

Research is creative inquiry. Quite simply, research in higher education is what happens when we have the courage to ask questions and to seek out the answer. At times it is systematic, but the search for knowledge is more often messy. Just as there is no one set path to success, the same applies to the answers we seek. Any time we seek insight, information or ideas we are doing research. Simply by being curious, we are researchers.

There is also a level of responsibility that comes with this creative inquiry. Just as we are bound to be lifelong learners, there is an equivalent duty to be lifelong teachers. Knowledge gained through creative inquiry is not meant to be hoarded or hidden, but rather shared. Creative inquiry is in part a call to action – we are charged to communicate what we have learned, to add to the wider network of knowledge we all draw from and, in the process, to help guide others in their own journey. Just as we teach community building in our work with students, so too must we act as contributors to the knowledge network. I prefer ‘network’ in this case to ‘knowledge economy’ – knowledge being distributed, reviewed and refined rather than consumed after being sold to the highest bidder.

Of course, as one rocket scientist once said “Research is what I’m doing when I don’t know what I’m doing.” (Wernher von Braun). But isn’t that the point? Creative inquiry by its very nature starts with not knowing – if we knew the what, the why and the how it wouldn’t be research now would it?

Written by Lisa Endersby


  • http://mistakengoal.com/ Kevin R. Guidry

    I don’t quite agree, Lisa. I agree with you that the creative and often unorganized exploration we perform every day is valuable and should sometimes be rewarded, encouraged, shared, and celebrated. But if it’s not organized and systematic then it’s not research – or at least it’s not *good* research! It’s very useful to have a way of differentiating systematic exploration from unorganized exploration, particularly when we are forced to evaluate how or if we can apply what someone else has done to our life.

    An example: I am currently taking a break from writing a brief overview of the literature regarding student evaluations of teaching (SETs). I wasn’t given a whole lot of time to do this and it’s not a literature with which I have intimate familiarity. So I initially began by haphazardly digging around to see what was out there, largely by conducting simple Google searches and Google Scholar searches. After some time, I was able to understand the literature enough to formulate a more systematic way to go about things: it’s a very large literature base so I decided to concentrate on finding literature reviews and metastudies published in very well-known and trusted venues. That’s when I began to conduct research. The initial bumbling around was absolutely essential but it wasn’t research and it wasn’t something that would be very useful for anyone else. It was only when I became organized and systematic that my work became something that I could easily share with someone else both as a process and content and that – publication and generalizability – is what makes it research.

    Although I don’t agree with you, I do like your emphasis on creativity! We seem to often forget the incredibly important role of creativity in research so it’s nice to place some emphasis on it here.

    • http://twitter.com/lmendersby Lisa Endersby

      Thanks for joining the conversation Kevin. I really appreciate your perspective.

      Perhaps there is a distinction between creativity in the process of inquiry and creativity as part of the impetus or motivation to seek out answers? I would agree that there is certainly a need for organized and systematic inquiry, particularly when the research is done within a campus and/or institutional setting and also when the results are mean to impact policy or programming.

      My intent with this post was to make the notion of assessment (which could be grouped under the research umbrella) a more accessible notion. It’s frustrating for me to see many people dismiss assessment based on the perceived amount of work or intellect required when I believe in its importance for supporting and improving the work we do in student affairs.

      Is it possible to combine creativity in the idea generation and initial inquiry stages with a more systematic approach to the research you describe?

      • http://mistakengoal.com/ Kevin R. Guidry

        I’m sorry but I don’t quite understand your question. Creativity is integral to the research process, or at least it always is in mine as a social science researcher and assessment analyst.

        I think it’s important to distinguish between (a) assessment that is intended to inform local decision-making and (b) research that is intended to be published for or presented to an outside audience where it will be generalized beyond the specific case(s) examined. Those two factors – publication and generalization – are how many people, especially IRBs, determine what is and is not research. I bring up these important characteristics of research because I think that we should not redefine research even if our goal is something as important as helping others become more involved in and less fearful of assessment.

        Two of the primary questions we have to pose in assessment are: Assessment for what purpose and what audience? To me, the answers to those two questions determine how rigorous the process needs to be and that in turn largely determines the amount of effort and prior training and experience necessary. If you only want to know if a program is working to your own satisfaction and the stakes are low then you only have to do enough to convince yourself so that probably won’t be terribly complex or involved. If others are interested in knowing about the success of your program then things will become more complex because you have to meet their standards of evidence, Most people can define success and collect evidence if they’re only convincing themselves but many people need assistance, training, and experience to meet the expectations of multiple audiences, especially when the stakes are high. So maybe that is where we go wrong: We don’t often distinguish between different levels of assessment and we expect everyone to be able to do the most rigorous levels of assessment all of the time.

        • http://twitter.com/lmendersby Lisa Endersby

          Your distinction between assessment and research here is important and a good one. I think the terms are at times used interchangeably particularly when it comes to discussing the ‘how’ of assessment. Assessment results can often be used to inform practice and process, such that the demand for rigour in these procedures is often construed to be just as high as for the more academic research you speak of. Assessment is also tied to programs and initiatives that many feel a personal attachment to, muddying the waters further.

          Your last line about high expectations for rigorous assessment levels also rings true for me. It’s a key reminder for those who teach and lead assessment to be conscious of what work is required and with what skill level or set it needs to be completed. I wrote my original post with the intent to show that we do not need to expect everyone to perform at a ‘high level’ with assessment all the time given the assumptions around what assessment is and how it’s done. Thanks for saying what I wanted to say more articulately. :) I appreciate this conversation and your insight.

  • Latest Activity

  • Tags

    #sabest #sachat 9/11 acpa Advice advising career Community Conferences Education and Technology Education Theory engagement facebook Graduate Students higher ed Higher Education how to ideas interviews Job Search leadership leadership development NASPA Orientation Personal Poll professional development reflection residence life social justice Social Media student activities Student Affairs student affairs technology Student Development Student Engagement Student Engagement Theory students Supervision technology This and that Top Content Twitter Uncategorized video

  • Archives

  • Categories