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Reflection on Research Development

As a Politics and Government major at the University of Puget Sound, I developed a
strong foundation in research. Most of my courses required research papers, which focused on a
broad range of topics. For my Research Methods course, I wrote a formal research paper on the
correlation between high levels of social capital and crime closure rates in four cities. In my
Politics of Community Engagement course, I worked with a group to research the LINK light rail
extension project in Tacoma, which included interviewing stakeholders, and we developed
recommendations for moving the project forward. I also wrote a research paper for my Vietnam
War class that focused on how gender norms in the U.S. led Army nurses to be undertrained for
their roles working in combat zones. After I graduated college, I spent 10 months doing research
on a wide variety of topics for a healthcare consulting firm.
I brought this background in research with me into the SDA program as a foundation for
growth. What I learned to do in the program is to implement research into my own professional
practice. I have done this as an advisor, researching advising theories and methods, such as
Appreciative Advising, and incorporating them directly into my work with students. I have also
learned how to use research to develop effective programming. Artifact G, the diverse learning
styles workshop I developed in SDAD 578, Student Development Theory, serves as an example.
For this artifact, my team researched theory and best practices to inform the content of the
workshop, and to develop an effective strategy for delivering it. My particular focus was on
whether matching teaching and preferred learning styles resulted in better learning outcomes for
students. Research is inconclusive on this topic, and best practice recommendations say the best
approach is to use teaching techniques that engage multiple learning styles (Chickering, 2006;
Ebeling, 2000; Tulbure, 2012; Zhang, 2007; Zhang et al. 2005). This was content we shared with

participants to improve their work with learning styles. We also used this knowledge to
intentionally design a workshop with activities appealing to each of Kolbs four learning styles
(Evans, Guido, Forney, Patton, & Renn, 2010). The research I did for this workshop has
continued to inform how I develop and deliver workshops and presentations both in the
classroom and in my professional practice.
My internship at the University of Puget Sound provided me with another excellent
opportunity for growth in my research abilities. In this role, I researched best practices for
training sexual misconduct investigators and hearing board members in order to recommend
improvements to Puget Sounds approach. To make my recommendations, I researched practice
recommendations by the government and legal experts. I also sought the input of administrators
with experience in this area. I identified peer institutions and liberal arts colleges that were
awarded grants by the Office on Violence Against Women to create programs to reduce sexual
violence on their campuses, and interviewed high-level administrators about their training
approaches. This was a new approach to research for me because it was the first time that I
developed a set of interview questions for multiple experts, conducted interviews, and analyzed
the resulting data for patterns. It was a valuable experience, particularly since I am confident that
I will continue to do this kind of research in my role as a professional working to improve
institutional practices.

References

Ebeling, D. G. (2000). Adapting your teaching to any learning style. Phi Delta Kappan, 82(3),
247-248.
Evans, N. J., Forney, D. S., Guido, F. M., Patton, L. D., & Renn, K. A. Student development in
college: Theory, research, and practice (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Tulbure, C. (2012). Investigating the relationships between teaching strategies and learning
styles in higher education. Acta Didactica Napocensia, 5(1), pp. 65-74.
Zhang, L. F. (2007). From career personality types to preferences for teachers teaching styles: A
new perspective on style match. Personality and Individual Differences, 43, pp.18631874.
Zhang, L. F., Huang, J., & Zhang, L. (2005). Preferences in teaching styles among Hong Kong
and US university students. Personality and Individual Differences, 39, pp. 1319-1331.