Tensions around the Use of Research and Theory in Student Affairs ...

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publications, since new information emerges and new approaches presented can be applied to administrative work, more is being asked of individuals in these economic times and less time is available for activities like professional reading. “Professional judgment,” according to Blimling (2011), is what results from the combination of experience and theory to inform professional practice. “[Professional judgment] evolves from using experience in applying theory to refine one’s way of thinking about practice” (Blimling, 45). Blimling constructed a matrix outlining four styles of integrating theory and practice, which includes the Reflective-Practitioner, the Experienced-Practitioner, the Scholar- Researcher, and the Scholar-Practitioner (46-7). Each uses theory and experience to different degrees (Blimling notes that these percentages highlight relative weights and are not absolutes), with the Reflective-Practitioner guided 60% by experience and 40% by theory, the Experienced- Practitioner guided 80% by experience and 20% by theory, the Scholar-Researcher at 80% theory and 20% experience, and the Scholar-Practitioner at 60% theory and 40% experience. He states, “They [the styles noted] suggest that the use of theory is not all or nothing, and that the nomenclature of scholar and practitioner only serves to define the tilt in the balance between using theory or experience in making professional judgments” (47). For some, the use of theory and research in their practice is so internalized that they don’t realize they’re using it: “Using theory, research and assessment results in everyday practice assumes knowledge of each. For some student affairs administrators, theory, research on students and their learning, and assessment results are so internalized they may not recognize when they are putting them to use” (Desler, 298). Others, however, may have had limited exposure to the information (perhaps primarily through graduate education) and then found their administrative roles so full that having the opportunity to continue reading theory, research and Page 8 of 12
assessment results may have fallen off the to-do list. When downsizing occurs, as has happened recently at many institutions, administrators often have to cut something out of their schedules, and reading the professional literature is easy to cut when other demands appear more pressing. Upcraft (1994) shared an anecdote regarding an interaction between himself and an administrative colleague. When Upcraft asked his colleague if he had read a recent book, the colleague said he did not have time to read and asked Upcraft to tell him about the book. This approach of having someone else summarize does not engage critical thought about what is being written, but it may be the reality of some practitioners in higher education today. Is There a Simple Answer to These Tensions? As a way to create a culture where professionals consume research, some have advocated for a registry or continuing education credits to reinforce the need to stay current in one’s professional field, while others have opposed this initiative. The fact remains that informed practice is a necessity, and using the common practice of relying on knowledge from one’s graduate experience (whether that occurred a few or many years ago) is not an acceptable professional approach. As Stage and Dannells (2000) indicated in their case study book focused on linking theory to practice, “The job of the theory builder and some kinds of researchers . . . is to ignore the finer details of students’ lives. However, the student affairs professional’s job is not to ignore these details. This discrepancy is a major cause of the gap between researchers and theorists and the practitioners” (pp. 6-7). It is this tension between the roles of researcher and practitioner that is accepted rather than questioned. Upcraft (1993) indicated that theoretical scholars may be so distanced from the day-to-day work of administrators that their theories have little relevance to campus issues and practitioners (438). That may have been the case in the Page 9 of 12
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