Conducting Research That Makes a Difference

1. Conducting Research That Makes a Difference William E. Sedlacek University of Maryland wsed@umd.edu www.williamsedlacek.info

2. Research Problems • The Quest for the Golden Label • Noncognitive variables • Three Musketeers • All for one & one for all • Bias is Bias • Statistical bias may lead to racial/gender bias • Horizontal Research • Same studies repeated at same level • I’m OK; You’re Not • I’m the good guy • Multicultural Myth- We are equally sensitive to all types of discrimination-professional human beings • 70% of multicultural office staff would admit no biases

3. Audience • Define & understand your audience • White students • Students of color • Faculty • Administrators • State legislators • Parents

4. Types of Research • Define research broadly • Surveys • Likert v. Thurstone • Interviews • Nonreactive measures • Qualitative designs • Perceptual mapping • Observation

5. Focus Your Questions • Don’t try to do too much in one study • Information • How many Muslims are terrorists? • What is range of majors for Asian Americans? • Attitudes • How do men feel about women? • Situational Attitude Scale-SAS • How do White students feel about diversity? • Universal Diverse Orientation- UDO • Behavior • What interactions work best between able-bodied students & students with disabilities? • What predicts student graduation? • Noncognitive variables-NCQ

6. Control The Turf • Choose your topics well • Decide for yourself what to study • Research v data v public relations • Make others react to your data • Multiple methods of communication • Data don’t speak for themselves • Galileo • Articles • Books • Presentations • Multiple groups

7. The Long-Term View • Use references • Incremental gains • Noncognitive variable research • Longitudinal studies • Maryland Longitudinal Study • Long-term cross-sectional studies • Racism over 25 years at UMD

8. Become The Source • Who do you trust? • Politician • Partisan think tank researcher • Pollster working for a cause • Pundit • Professor • Others

9. Up The Conceptual Ladder • Deductive • Test models or theories • Don’t always measure variables well • Too much too soon • Inductive • Build higher order constructs from bottom up • May never work up ladder • Don’t use data just because it’s there

10. Stick To Your Principles • Do follow • Your goals & interests • Defining your interests in terms of your audience • Don’t follow: • The money • The latest fad • What will get published • What others want you to do

11. Patience & Persistence • The mosaic model • Internal v external motivation • Share ideas & interests • Satisfied with small gains • Learn from nonsignificance • Say hmmm at least once a day • Have fun

12. References • Sedlacek, W. E.(2004).A multicultural research program. In F. W. Hale Jr. (Ed.) What makes racial diversity work in higher education (Pp.256-271). Sterling VA :Stylus Publishing. • Sedlacek, W. E. (2004). Beyond the big test: Noncognitive assessment in higher education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. • Longerbeam, S. L., Sedlacek, W. E., Balón, D. G., & Alimo, C. (2005). The multicultural myth:A study of multicultural program organizations at three public research universities. Journal of College Student Development. 46 (3), 88-97. • Sedlacek, W. E. Conducting research that makes a difference. (2007). In C.C. Lee, & G.R. Walz (Eds.) Counseling for social justice. (Pp. 223-237). Alexandria, VA. American Counseling Association. • Sedlacek, W. E. (in press). Measures worth considering in diversity research and programming. Readings on Equal Education.