Critical approaches to the study of higher education : a practical introduction /

The authors of the 13 essays in this book focus on ways in which researchers can use critical theories and research designs to see beyond the normative models and frameworks that have previously limited our understanding of higher education. The editors have included studies authored by a solid array of seasoned scholars, newly minted doctorates, and doctoral students in the field from major institutions across the country. They intend to provide examples of "best practice" in using social science methodologies to address campus issues. The essays offer rigorous research studies on critical issues on campus, including the history of institutions of higher education; race, class, and equity; human capital theory; and student persistence. However, the editors' main goal is to offer students and researchers in the discipline examples of how a variety of models relating to critical theory can be applied to real world problems to effect social change. Individual chapters are worth reading for anyone trying to understand the specific issues treated, but the main audience for the book consists of students and novice researchers in the field. Therefore, the book will be most useful to institutions that host graduate programs in higher education or maintain research-level collections in the field. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through professionals and practitioners. --Delmus E. Williams, Walden University