Feb

13

Diversity in Research

February 13, 2007 | posted by Ryan |

Now, a bit of a different pace……..

As some of you know, I have been teaching a Diversity Research Group at a local graduate school, helping train Ph.D. students how to conduct research. Within this class we are focusing on the topic of Diversity in Academia. Some of the key questions we are contemplating are: How does an institution of higher education promote diversity within student, faculty, and administration? How do faculty incorporate diversity into graduate training in psychology? In an institution that both differentiates itself from the normal US cultural standard and incorporates US cultural standards of education, how does one define diversity - i.e., diversity in which context? And how does an academic institution incorporate diversity into its topic area (in our case, psychology, and more specifically, transpersonal psychology)?

I am finding that as we address diversity within the classroom, academic institution, and within ourselves as a co-operative inquiry research group (see Peter Reason’s work here http://people.bath.ac.uk/mnspwr/) we are also addressing diversity within research. And I mean this several ways. First, I mean this as diversity in our approach to research technology. Our graduate school is not focused on the use of qualitative research software. However, we are finding that our work (and me as the instructor) leads us toward QDAS. And now this perspective is becoming more popular within the school - an instance of a minority position growing in the awareness of other researchers.

Second, I am referring to the diversity of/within our data. At this early stage in our research there seem to be many ways that faculty and students conceptualize diversity, and many different ways that faculty bring diversity into the classroom. While some include readings on a particular subject, others invite in guest speakers. Some have class discussions devoted (as per their syllabi) to topics of diversity, while others let diversity topics emerge from class discussion. Some types of inclusion are more overt and focused; others less so. Similarly, some faculty focus on race and ethnicity, while others on sex and gender, and still others on culture, abelism, or class. And this is just the in-class faculty aspect of higher education! It will be interesting to see the results, but for now I merely wish to bring to light the diversity of approaches to diversity.

Finally, I am referring to the diversity within our research group. Each co-researcher brings to the table some important element. And with the topic of diversity, we are finding that each voice becomes vital to speaking a particular element of the discussion at hand. While one person may be intimately aware of sex and gender issues, another may be intimately aware of abelism. As we discuss the research project, and how we will proceed, it has become vital that each of us speak up for that which we hold in our awareness, for none of us apart can hold it all simultaneously. Having a group that is able to do this has, I believe, allowed us to more soundly conceptualize how diversity affects the institution around us. Do we have it down pat yet? No. Is our conceptualization perfect? No. There are ultimately pieces that we are yet missing. However, the process of allowing the diverse voices within the research setting has raised important issues around our research topic, and this ultimately is why I am writing here today. I would like to encourage all researchers to open to serious discussions of diversity in research, beyond that of ethical obligations for IRBs or inclusion of minority populations as participants (which are both still very important).

[Posted in Research]



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