Integrating the Academic Life How “everything influences everything else in the here and now.” (Lincoln & Guba, 1985) Jeffrey Trawick-Smith Phyllis Waite Endowed Chair in Early Childhood Education

Simplistic World View Life is composed of unidirectional, linear relationships between one thing and another.

Important Intervening Life Events Losing my mind (trying to teach, conduct research, perform service) Discovering in my research that nothing seems to cause anything else. In my parenting, realizing that my children would turn out the way they would regardless of what I did. Deciding to be an anthropologist.

Integrated World View “Everything influences everything else in the here and now. The best any researcher can hope for is writing a thick description of all the possible factors that influence one another and finding their relationships.” (Lincoln & Guba, 1985)

Everything Influences Everything Else in Academic Life Leads to a mindboggling model:

Everything Influences Everything Else in Academic Life When I write an academic paper, I consider... How can this become a unit of instruction for a class? When I prepare for a class, I think... How can this be expanded into a scholarly paper? When I present at a conference, I think... How it could be reworked into a publication—even a book? When I plan a research study I consider... How can I involve at least one student whom I can mentor?

Story from an Integrated Academic Life Students were performing poorly on measures of cultural diversity and assessment. I design a project for a course: An assessment of children’s play in culturally diverse preschools. Students share what they’ve learned. I revise and enhance the project. Students offer new insights.

Story from an Integrated Academic Life

I ask: How can this interesting student-collected data complement my own research? I guide several students in analyzing their own findings. I invite them to present with me at a national conference. Students learn a lot. So do I! I write a theoretical chapter for a book, based on the conference presentation.

Story from an Integrated Academic Life

Back in my classroom, more students are asking new questions about play and culture. I add a student research component to a research grant, which is funded. Five undergraduate students became research assistants on the grant—something only doctoral students dream of! Our findings become part of my play course. Students and I write two articles together and present at a national conference. I include this research in a book chapter, and three national papers. One student and I win an award for outstanding research article in my field (and we split the $1,000 prize!).

Story from an Integrated Academic Life

Students who worked on grant funded study carry out a toy investigation with little guidance. Based on the play course and the assessment project, these students ask: How do the effects of toys vary across culture and SES? Professor beams with pride! The students present emerging findings to my play course. One student co-presents findings to a professional organization in the community. They have had a paper accepted at a national conference. Professor does back flips and cartwheels!

Story from an Integrated Academic Life Professor weaves all of this into a presentation he is asked to conduct at a new faculty orientation. That’s what is happening right now.

Story from an Integrated Academic Life

The end of the story: Everything has influenced everything else in the here and now.

Conclusions Integrating your work makes life easier: Every minute spent on one thing contributes to another. Integrating your “academic agenda” gives greater meaning to each element: You teach what you research, you research what you teach. Including work with student researchers (teaching!) has remarkable rewards!

Integrating the Academic Life How “everything influences everything else in the here and now.” (Lincoln & Guba, 1985) Jeffrey Trawick-Smith Phyllis Waite Endowed Chair in Early Childhood Education