Research Methods and Applications for Student Affairs

Chapter ThreeFraming Research

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

• Define perspective as related to research.
• Identify the major types of research.
• Differentiate the major research designs in student affairs.
• Associate research methods with types and designs.

Understanding, reading, evaluating, and applying research in student affairs requires knowledge of the basic characteristics of methodology and how it functions in a study. Methodology is the research plan that serves initially as scaffolding and later as a framework for a study. Developing a methodology begins with consideration of perspective, or a view about the study that will influence how the research is conducted. This is followed by specifying ...