Sociology and Social Work Undergraduates’ Experiences Participating in a Research Project on Campus Sexual Assault and Misconduct

Abstract

In this article, we discuss the application of a collaborative, team-based, semester-long research project in undergraduate sociology and social work research methods courses at a midsize southeastern university. The goal of the endeavor was to engage undergraduates in research on students’ perceptions and knowledge about sexual assault and misconduct on their college campus. Surveys focusing on sexual assault and misconduct modeled after the Association of American Universities’ Campus Climate Survey and the Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale were distributed to students in introductory classes on campus. The data from the surveys were then used in various assignments in the social work and sociology research methods courses to demonstrate to students the multitude of steps involved in the research process. The assignments culminated in a research paper and presentation at the end of the semester. We use data collected from end of the semester student evaluations to better understand students’ learning experiences by participating in this hands-on research project in the sociology and social work methods courses.

What Is Title IX? Toward a Campus-Based Pedagogy to Study Inequality

“…A less examined site for the development of a sociological imagination is direct engagement with the college campus itself. Notable exceptions in the field of sociology include the work of Burke and Banks (2012), who developed a first-year campus orientation program to foster sociological and critical approaches to diversity among incoming students, and Donley and Paige (2018), who explicitly explored Title IX and sexual assault on college campuses through a course-administered survey instrument with students enrolled in sociology and social work research methods courses.…”

“… 7. A greater familiarity with Title IX as a policy was echoed in a study by Donley and Paige (2018), who developed a survey instrument with students enrolled in sociology and social work methods courses. The students in the course, who surveyed other students enrolled at the university about Title IX and their understandings of sexual violence and misconduct, emphasized how much they had learned about Title IX in the process of developing and administering the survey: “Many students commented this was the most important thing they learned because they were previously unaware of what Title IX did for students and universities, or the frequency of sexual assault and misconduct on college campuses” (p. 54). …”