Student affairs professionals are increasingly being called upon to become scholar practitioners, to reflect on and share their experiences to further the knowledge of the field, and to disseminate practices to promote student learning and development. This book offers practical guidance to anyone in the field interested in presenting at conferences or publishing in scholarly and professional journals, and sets the work of scholarly practice in the context of its vital role of influencing and shaping the future of student affairs, and in promoting continuous learning.The authors demystify the processes of producing research and scholarly work; address motivation and barriers such as time-constraints or confidence; and provide advice on developing ideas, writing, getting feedback, staying on task, identifying the appropriate outlets and venues for ideas, submitting proposals, as well as on speaking and presentation skills. It also directs readers to books and online resources and presents the reflections of senior student affairs officers on scholarship in the profession. As the authors state, student affairs professionals are often in the best position to test the myths about what really works for college students to have access, persist, and graduate. Through their daily interactions with students they develop the grounding for theories and strategies to improve the college experience, none of which can be advanced without scholarship, without presenting and writing, and the debate that they stimulate.This book is intended for student affairs professionals at all levels. It sets the context for those starting their careers as they navigate and understand their new roles; aims to inspire mid-level professionals to present or write about their experiences and contributions; and offers senior administrators strategies to pursue their own scholarship while creating a supportive environment for their staff to do so, and develop their agency and professional growth in the process.

Organization Development (OD) is a young social science. Little has been written on the intentional development of OD professionals. As a young field of inquiry it is important to understand how the future leaders of the field of OD are being developed. The focus of this work explores the education of scholar practitioners in OD. The research upon which this document is based examined the impact that professional research doctoral programs (affiliated with the field of OD) had on the learning and professional development of select doctoral graduates. Alumni reported important elements of their educational experience that contributed to their professional and personal growth. The nature of these educational elements suggest processes or methods of teaching that may be transferable to training OD professionals in a broader context outside of higher education. Even more directly this research provides well informed feedback to administrators and faculty of professional research doctorate programs from the alumni about their educational experience. This feedback could be used to advance both program and course development in universities that offer these types of degrees. The intended audience of this work includes practitioners of OD, professors of OD and management, faculty and administrators of doctoral education, talent management and leadership development professionals, and adult educators.

This book challenges the traditional dichotomy between scholars and practitioners and argues that Scholar-Practitioner is a mindset comprising six qualities: Pedagogical Wisdom, Theoretical Understanding, Contextual Literacy, Ethical Stewardship, Metacognitive Reflection and Aesthetic Imagination.

Research Design and Methods: An Applied Guide for the Scholar-Practitioner is written for students seeking advanced degrees who want to use evidence-based research to support their practice. This practical and accessible text addresses the foundational concepts of research design and methods; provides a more detailed exploration of designs and approaches popular with graduate students in applied disciplines; covers qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods designs; discusses ethical considerations and quality in research; and provides guidance on writing a research proposal.

Student affairs professionals are increasingly being called upon to become scholar practitioners, to reflect on and share their experiences to further the knowledge of the field, and to disseminate practices to promote student learning and development. This book offers practical guidance to anyone in the field interested in presenting at conferences or publishing in scholarly and professional journals, and sets the work of scholarly practice in the context of its vital role of influencing and shaping the future of student affairs, and in promoting continuous learning.The authors demystify the processes of producing research and scholarly work; address motivation and barriers such as time-constraints or confidence; and provide advice on developing ideas, writing, getting feedback, staying on task, identifying the appropriate outlets and venues for ideas, submitting proposals, as well as on speaking and presentation skills. It also directs readers to books and online resources and presents the reflections of senior student affairs officers on scholarship in the profession. As the authors state, student affairs professionals are often in the best position to test the myths about what really works for college students to have access, persist, and graduate. Through their daily interactions with students they develop the grounding for theories and strategies to improve the college experience, none of which can be advanced without scholarship, without presenting and writing, and the debate that they stimulate.This book is intended for student affairs professionals at all levels. It sets the context for those starting their careers as they navigate and understand their new roles; aims to inspire mid-level professionals to present or write about their experiences and contributions; and offers senior administrators strategies to pursue their own scholarship while creating a supportive environment for their staff to do so, and develop their agency and professional growth in the process.

The idea of the professional who bridges both research and practice has been largely overlooked and at times even disregarded by the academic and administrative structures that govern activity in higher education today. In international higher education, the number of students who now engage in mobility and exchange has expanded globally, along with the administrative cadre that manages all facets of internationalization, and the quickly growing scholarly attention to understanding the phenomenon. In this process, two distinct professional categories have emerged: those who ‘study it’ and those who ‘do it’ – the scholars and the practitioners. Practitioners are seen as those who manage the daily logistical flow of students and personnel around the globe, while scholars are seen as those who conduct research, collect and analyze data, and publish findings to inform, improve, and justify the activity. Yet this dichotomy is overly simplistic, outdated, and excludes the large and growing class of hybrid scholar-practitioners who now engage regularly in both kinds of activity. It is this rapidly growing population of bridge builders that are profiled and discussed in this book through critical essays on the notion of the scholar-practitioner and its implication for the further development of international higher education. The chapters include detailed analyses from university faculty, senior international officers and other high-level administrators, directors of research centers, key leaders from influential professional associations and private organizations, managers of study abroad and exchange, and graduate students. This book launches a much-needed dialogue about the perception and reality, potential and promise, of the scholar-practitioner in higher education today. It will be of relevance to a wide variety of readers, from those within universities and organizations to those who are outside observers of higher education.

Envisioning Scholar-Practitioner Collaborations: Building Communities of Practice in Education and Sport presents a collection of case studies of collaborations between scholars and practitioners dedicated to both the generation of new knowledge and innovative best practices at the nexus of education and sport. This inaugural text in a series sponsored by the Research Focus on Education and Sport Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association seeks to reveal a number of educational spaces in which this critical work takes place. The volume, comprising ten unique collaborations, outlines the important intellectual and social work of scholar-practitioners at the intersection of institutional sport and education at a variety of sites, both in school and in non-school settings. Each of these chapters has a unique set of research questions, programmatic goals and findings. For the purpose of this book, however, contributors have described the nature of their collaborations—for whom and by whom these collaborations are forged—such that the “findings” are presented as lessons learned from the process of collaboration. This book reveals educational spaces where scholars and practitioners are collaborating and generating new understandings of the world we know. We characterize this effort as mutually beneficial and respectful, engendering a vision of hope, exploration and educational transformation.