Q/R is for Qualifications of Research; Maybe we do more than we think

Most college students see "research" as a stack of papers, books, and a list of websites that must be read, understood, and analyzed in order to produce a paper accompanied by footnotes longer than the paper itself.  Some students would do just about anything to get out of "research," and see it as something painful, instead of as an opportunity to learn something completely new.  While I've always kind of enjoyed the less exciting version of research, working on research for the Department of Education has given me a chance to re-think what exactly constitutes as "research."

My pile of work research.

Working on our ED Intern Research project, which focuses on the money part of higher education, my group has had our share of this "traditional" pile of papers research.  A quick glimpse at our EduCA$Hion blog would reveal a type of "research project" you would typically expect to see.  But recently, I've found that talking with others about their experiences, listening to leaders talking about their work, and even chatting with individuals on my daily metro rides is, in itself, a type of research.

DePauw teaches us how to do this type of research; we normally call it qualitative. It consists of open-ended surveys and interviews, and doesn't always give us the satisfaction that we've conducted "research," but why is this? Today I was given the opportunity to hear both the Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, and the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Catherine Lhamon speak about their experiences and what they've learned in life leading up to their positions.  No one asked "What research did you read to help you get where you are?" And no one asked, "Was that decision you made last week backed up by pages and pages of research?  That is simply not the culture.

Arne speaking about his experiences.

Instead, interns were asking "What experiences in your life most prepared you for your work?" and "What are your worries and excitements for the future of education in the United States.  Let's be honest, there is not an individual on earth that would be able to answer both of those questions completely supported by research.

What was even more interesting was hearing Assistant Secretary Lhamon speak about sexual assault on college campuses (a short video excerpt is below) and why it seems like nothing is being done.  She spoke about the lack of research we have about "what works" for preventing sexual assault.  An advocate for domestic violence and sexual assault awareness, I was intrigued by her prescription for colleges to "create prevention programs so we can figure out what works best."

The bottom line that I've learned today, is that not everything has to be supported by research.  What's even better, is that some research is impossible without individuals acting on their instincts and with their own experiences in mind.  This makes me wonder if the critical thinking and discussion-based classroom style at DePauw isn't it's own type of research. It all depends on how you define research (maybe we need a bit more research for that? or not...)

Maybe DePauw students like and do research more than we think.