The sophisticated analytical techniques available to institutional researchers give them an array of procedures to estimate a causal effect using observational data. But as many quantitative researchers have discovered, access to a wider selection of statistical tools does not necessarily ensure construction of a better analytical model. Moreover,…

This article describes a mixed-methods approach to integrating the methodological tools of social network analysis and qualitative research to explore intersectionality as it pertains to faculty experiences in institutional contexts. These research strategies, employed at the individual and aggregate levels, can be useful tools as institutions aim…

Drawing on the work of several prominent scholars, the author describes the evolution of quantitative critical inquiry and compares this perspective to traditional research paradigms. (Contains 1 table.)

Conducting institutional research on a complex issue such as retention provides the opportunity to use the method of comparative analysis through which numerous independent comparisons can provide the institution with a more complete picture of an issue. Researchers have done different types of comparative analysis at one university over the last…

The structure and process of college institutional research is compared with three different ways in which science is conceptualized. It is concluded that, although institutional research has much in common with science, it is distinct because the dynamic nature of institutional research prevents development of a cohesive body of knowledge.…

To test the findings of a 1981 study, which concluded that the Supreme Court of Chief Justice Warren Burger has attempted to reverse the liberal policies of the court presided over by Earl Warren by adopting a policy of ignoring precedent, a second study duplicated the earlier study's general research design, except that it focused on freedom of…

Institutional comparison groups can be selected in several ways, depending on the comparison issue. The method chosen involves both technical and political considerations. (Author/MSE)

The utility of the fail-safe "N" statistic was evaluated by computing it for studies in three organizational research domains in which discrepant conclusions were reached by initial and subsequent meta-analyses. Calculation of the fail-safe "N" may have led to more cautious interpretations. Implications for meta-analyses are…

This article suggests that the choice by institutional researchers to use qualitative or quantitative research is often dictated by time, money, resources, and staff and not necessarily with an understanding of the underlying philosophical assumptions structuring beliefs about methodology, knowledge, and reality. These underlying assumptions are…

Policy analysis in higher education is distinct from but is informed by and can contribute to both institutional research and institutional planning. Policy analysis extends beyond data analysis, using many qualitative research methods and a degree of intuition, and focuses on specific issues, not systems as does planning. (MSE)

Governments now expect universities to behave entrepreneurially generating revenues from the commercial exploitation of their intellectual assets ("third stream" income). This study questions whether this is possible for all universities in the UK and for all disciplines, or whether there are differences between institutions, between…

The lack of consensus among researchers in defining the focal construct of rurality has led to contradictory conclusions of whether or not a rural-urban performance gap exists in higher education. Compounding this problem are the changing definitions of rural and urban, even among governmental agencies. Thus, this study used two different…

The use of a semantic differential measure to investigate the institutional image of Tufts University (Massachusetts), both internal and external, is reported. The study focused on (1) differences between the current and desired image, and (2) differences among alumni, current student, and other constituencies' views of the institution.…

The derivation of discipline cost indexes, developed to permit accurate interinstitutional comparisons of relative costs among disciplines, is explained using expenditure data from five peer institutions. How the indexes have been used in one research university's budget allocation process is then described. (Author/MSE)

Successful outcomes assessment programs have many common characteristics. Institutional researchers should examine these signs of success and use them as guides for developing their own campus programs. (Author/MSE)