Project Proposal

Research Topic

After a preliminary read of my literature I have been able to better narrow my topic. Universities spend millions of dollars each year recruiting students and promoting their campus community (Boyer, 1990). Many universities are currently looking for new ways to recruit students by using material that includes more than facts, statistics, and academic information (Anctil, 2008a; 2008b). The new marketing plans universities are turning to use a more personal approach to recruitment. They are finding ways to create a “goodness of fit” for students through creating ways for students to visualize themselves on their campuses (Anctil, 2008; Vaughn, Hesse, Petkova, & Trudeau, 2009). Many of these newer marketing strategies encourage universities to build arguments through reason and identification, a similar function many scholars argue narratives provide.

The purpose of the current study is to analyze students’ perspectives of how universities can use stories as persuasive tools for recruiting first-year students. Using Fisher’s narrative paradigm as a theoretical lens, this study will analyze students’ perceptions of the use of narratives in recruitment material and will serve as a pilot study for researching narratives in a social scientific manner rather than a traditional rhetorical analysis. The following research questions will be explored to provide theoretical based results:

RQ1: What do students think about the use of personal stories in university recruitment material?

RQ2: How are students influenced by the use of stories in university recruitment material?

RQ3: How persuasive do students perceive the use of stories in university recruitment material to be?

RQ4: What kind of stories are students interested in hearing or reading about in university recruitment material?

Proposed Texts for Analysis and for Focus Group Responses:

I have narrowed my topic down to focusing on two forms of narrative texts, student blogs and videos, being used by admission offices. Both the blogs and videos share personal stories from current students about their experiences at their specific university. I have chosen four different universities with similar student populations in terms of the demographics of North Dakota State University (NDSU) and universities located in cities similar to Fargo because my research sample will be from the NDSU COMM 110 research pool. The four universities chosen are Hendrix College, Kent State University, Ohio University, and Oswego State University and all use stories in their recruitment materials.

Hendrix College and Oswego State were chosen because of a New York Times article titled “College Students Seek to Remake Campus Tour” that was published on August 19, 2009. The article focused on making the campus tour more personal by encouraging college tour guides to use more personal stories rather that statistics. Both universities were featured in the article.

Kent State and Ohio University were chosen because I have seen both of these universities on Facebook promoting links to videos using personal student narratives as a recruitment tool. These universities are openly promoting the idea of hearing real stories from real students via Facebook. Both universities pay for advertisements on Facebook and have free group pages perspective and current students can join.

Blogs

The blogs being used are student blogs from Hendrix College in Conway, AR and Oswego State University in Oswego, NY. I am using a blog by Bruce a male undecided student beginning his sophomore year at Hendrix College and Meghan a junior business administration major at Oswego State. Bruce’ s chosen blog entry focuses on activities he participated in during the first week back to Hendrix after summer break and Meghan’s blog entry shares her study abroad experience in New Zealand. Students at both universities manage their own blogs and the students have the freedom to update their blog as they wish. Both blogs tend to be updated weekly. The links to Meghan and Bruce’s blogs are below:

Meghan's Blog

Bruce's Blog

Videos

The videos being used are student-produced videos from Ohio University in Athens, OH and Kent State University in Kent, OH. These videos both share personal stories about their experiences at their universities. The video from Kent State showcases several students with shorter stories about their favorite memory at Kent. The video from Ohio University focuses on one student with a longer story about her favorite professor. I have chosen two videos representing two different editing styles. The Kent State video is faster paced with shorter cuts and the Ohio University video has longer shots and much slower paced. Choosing videos with different styles will provide a variety of the type of recruitment material being used by universities. The links to the videos are below:

Kent State Video (choose video titled Memories)

Ohio University Video (choose discover the Ohio University Experience and then choose Emily)

Method

The texts described above will be used in conjunction with data collected from five focus groups. I will first conduct a textual analysis of these stories to help guide the questions I will ask in the focus groups. Focus groups will have 7-9 participants and will be made up of students from the COMM 110 research pool. The focus groups will last no longer than one hour and be held in Minard 201. Focus groups will be offered at different times over two weeks to help meet the needs of the research participants. The only compensation that will be given is credit towards the COMM 110 research requirement.

Focus groups are the primary research method because the goal is to create complementary interaction and be able to react and discuss the narratives as a group. The goal of the focus groups is to create a comfortable environment of peers in order to encourage vernacular speech. I think there will be value in hearing actual talk about these narratives and listening for specific anecdotes and slang. Focus groups also provide an opportunity for participants to build off of each other’s ideas and provide a possibility for debate. The focus groups will also allow the researcher to ask for elaboration or clarification of ideas. The focus groups will be audio recorded and transcribed for analysis.

An open coding system will be used starting with a preliminary analysis using Fisher’s (1984) narrative paradigm as a priori guide. Codes then will be collapsed and a second inductive coding will occur using the new categories and also look for persuasive elements. After theses themes emerge, data will be analyzed using a deductive narrative approach based on the research questions.

Final Thoughts

After doing a preliminary read of the literature provided in my annotated bibliography, I believe my study will contribute to both narrative and student recruitment research. Higher education research does not specifically mention using narratives as recruitment tools, however, the suggestions from marketing researchers parallel communication scholars’ arguments about how humans use stories to create meaning and make decisions. This study will also move a theory that is primarily studied rhetorically towards a more social scientific area of research. Using focus groups will be the best method of conducting this research because little is known about the use of narratives as persuasive tools for student recruitment and the research questions are broad enough that students will be able to provide detailed responses about the texts provided.

Annotated Bibliography

Anctil, E. J. (2008a). Persuasion and choice. ASHE Higher Education Report, 34, 9-18.

This study focuses on universities use of a trust economy recruitment style, where admissions offices must convince students the can trust what they have purchased will deliver, an education and lifestyle in these circumstances. The study uses Elaboration Likelihood model to explain the persuasive techniques universities must use to influence perspective students to elaborate or think centrally about recruitment messages. The literature review of this study also explains the stages of college recruitment and thought it does not say specifically that using personal stories will be beneficial, the advice given about what recruitment material should do parallels what rhetorical scholars suggest can narratives do.

Anctil, E. J. (2008b). Recommendations for selling higher education. ASHE Higher Education Report, 34, 89-98.

This article provides advice for creating a marketing plan to sell a university. It follows traditional marketing strategies but focuses primarily on treating the student as a partner rather than a customer and building a relationship with the student. This article provides admissions advisors with practical advice along with the newest trends in recruiting students. Narratives would compliment many of the suggestions for message development.

Balas, G. R. (2005). Stories to live by and get through: The healing fiction of autobiography. Texas Speech Communication Journal, 29, 184-192.

This rhetorical study focuses on the use of stories during times of grief to help heal and provide structure. Although this article does not match perfectly for the subject matter of my study, it describes narrative paradigm very clearly and accurately. It also discusses the use of narratives through different media outlets as ways to build connections with a situation; this function is similar to having students connect with a university. The article also focuses on matching narratives to culture in order to build common meaning and a collective memory. This argument supports the purpose of recruitment in making a lasting collective memory about the campus and community students could be a part of.

Becher, T. (1981). “Towards a Definition of Disciplinary Cultures.” Studies in Higher Education, 6, 109-22.

This study examines the campus culture and how universities spend a significant amount of time and money in promoting and developing community and culture, but administrators and faculty only recognize this community in times of crisis or fear. Becher’s description of this unique organizational culture will beneficial to building my rationale for my study. Community and culture can be formed in many ways, but Becher discusses that not only do students have to embrace the myths and traditions but so do administrators. Tradition is important to recruiting students, traditions is shared through stories.

Boyer, E. L. (1990). Campus Life: In Search of Community. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

This book’s entire focus is on the culture of universities in the United States. It focuses on everything from recruiting students, transitioning to college life, and retaining students by reinforcing culture and making students feel a part of this culture. Boyer’s book does not only help me understand this type of university culture but points out the importance of avoiding cultural conflict; the stories told to recruit must accurately represent the campus culture. Boyer describes academics as secondary to most students when searching for a university and encourages the use of stories about campus community and life. Boyer does not specifically state that narratives are persuasive or should be used, but many of his suggestions for promoting culture could be served via narrative.

Chaffee, E. E. (1984). After Decline, What? Survival Strategies at Eight Private Colleges. Boulder, Col.: National Center for Higher Education Management Systems.

Chaffee’s book is a case study of how eight private colleges were able to boost enrollment by focusing on campus culture as a recruitment and retention tool. Chaffee describes in this book that promoting campus culture through stories and traditions not only boosts identification with the college, but also improves academic reputations of the university as a whole and its individual departments. The results of this case study support the idea that messages used to promote universities must represent a campus’s culture and provide outlets for students to see themselves fitting in this culture, something narratives could do.

Chaffee, E. E., and W. G. Tierney. (1985). Collegiate Culture and Leadership Strategy. New York: Macmillan, forthcoming.

This book is very similar to Chafee’s earlier book however this focuses primarily on leaders using and promoting campus culture with both perspective and current students. The authors promote the idea of consistent messages from leaders throughout the university and how leaders must embrace culture to promote the greater vision of the university. This book provides an inside look at campus culture and leadership, helps me understand the process behind recruiting students and matching recruitment efforts to organizational culture.

Fisher, W. R. (1978). Toward a logic of good reasons. The Quarterly Journal of Speech, 64, 376-384.

This rhetorical study is the beginning of Fisher’s rationale for his narrative paradigm that he developed six years later. The study focuses on how humans are not only reasoning creatures but valuing creatures and try to find meaning and reason based on the value of the message the receive. Stories help humans create meaning and are how humans make sense of the world. This article provides support that stories are natural and logical tools humans use to make decisions and understand the world around them. This is very influential article that will provide insight to Fisher’s narrative paradigm.

Fisher, W. R. (1984). Narration as a human communication paradigm: The case of public moral argument. Communication Monographs, 51, 1-22.

This is a seminal article in the area of narrative research. This study introduces the narrative paradigm and lays out the structure of narrative fidelity and probability. This article provides the basic definitions and explanation of how humans use and interact using stories. This article states humans are natural storytelling creatures. It will serve as the foundation of my study, explaining human interaction and understanding through stories.

Fisher, W. R. (1987). Human communication as narration: Toward a philosophy of reason, value, and action. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press.

Fisher’s book provides a more in-depth explanation of narrative paradigm and how human communication and narratives coexist. Fisher explains how humans reason an rationalize through stories and how humans naturally judge stories according to certain criteria. This is another influential source that any studying using narrative must cite and use as support. This book provides more insight to developing a message that fits the proper narrative structure, which could assist in properly building stories about a university for promotional materials that students will relate to.

Fisher, W. R. (1989). Clarifying the narrative paradigm. Communication Monographs, 56, 55-58.

This article is another source that describes Fisher’s narrative paradigm and clarifies components that critics disagreed with. What I like about this article is that Fisher explicitly states the purpose of narrative paradigm and argues that stories are used in all cultures and throughout all history. This is another seminal article for studying narratives.

Garner, A., Sterk, H., A., & Adams, S. (1998). Narrative analysis of sexual etiquette in teenage magazines. Journal of Communication, 78, 59-78.

This article does not follow the same topic of my study, but explains the versatility of narratives and how human use it for justification for their decisions. This article looks at teen magazines and how messages that have characters teens can identify with will influence their behaviors by encouraging imitation. This is a persuasive element that universities could focus on by using characters (current students) to share stories that perspective students identify with. These stories not only provide reason for choosing a university, but also reduce dissonance and justify the students’ decisions on a university.

Hoeken, H. (2003). Means of persuasion: Analogies, rhetorical figures, and stories. Documents of Design, 4, 89-92.

This article analyzes three means of persuasion including the use of analogies, rhetorical figures, and stories in messages. This study outlines the use of stories as persuasive tools as presented by persuasion theorists and argues that theories like elaboration likelihood model should be expanded by studying the use of narratives. This study’s argument supports my argument of the persuasive power of narratives. The reference page of this study has also given me possible starting points of theories that may explain my results.

Hollihan, T., A. & Riley, P. (1987). The rhetorical power of a compelling story: A critique of a “Toughlove” parental support group. Communication Quarterly, 35, 13-25.

This study also speaks to the versatility of narratives and how they apply to communication in general. This article reveals the power narratives have in parental support groups for parents with problem children. This study provides argument that sharing stories is a way to help people justify their decisions. This article focused on more serious matter than choosing a college, but similar to Garner, Sterk, and Adams article, it points out the reduction of dissonance with a decision and provides reason that humans can identify with. A persuasive technique that matches marketing strategies.

Highhouse, S., Hoffman, J. R., Greve, E. M., & Collins, A. E. (2002). Persuasive impact of organizational value statements in a recruitment context. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 32, 1737-1755.

This study examined the effect of using either statistical, anecdotal, or no evidence in organizational recruitment material in accordance with different types of communication channels. The researchers of this study also discuss what many persuasion scholars see as an effective message and compares and contrast the use of anecdotes and statistics in messages. Though anecdotes are not as long as narratives, they possess similar qualities of stories, which will be beneficial to setting up my argument for the persuasive power of narratives. Though this study focuses on the recruitment of employees the process is similar to recruiting college students.

Rhodes, S., Sherwin, C., & Smith, L. (2006). The role of student ambassadors in university recruitment. Nursing Standard, 20, 44-48.

This study analyzed the use of paid student ambassadors as recruitment agents for new nursing students. The study revealed that hearing personal stories and experiences about nursing school and clinicals reduced anxiety and motivated students to apply. The study promotes the use of paid ambassadors and argues there are benefits from hearing what older and past students have experienced. Though this article’s primary focus is not the use of stories, the ambassadors provide personal stories that act as persuasive messages and speaks to the persuasive power of narratives.

Rosteck, T. (1992). Narrative in Martin Luther King’s I’ve Been to the Mountaintop. The Southern Communication Journal, 58, 22-32.

This study has an excellent review of literature explaining narrative paradigm in a very clear manner that helps me manage it. This article also argues that narratives provide a call to action and provide closure for humans. Narratives have a natural persuasive element that provides a logical call to action, choosing this university for example. This article has several elements that will provide support for stories as tools for persuasion.

Santovec, M. L. (2005). Whole-campus efforts boosts persistence rates. Recruitment & Retention in Higher Education, 19, 1-2.

This article focuses on the recruitment efforts of Utah State University and how changing the recruitment process from primarily an admissions task to an entire university’s task. This article provides insight to the benefit have making sure recruitment messages are consistent university wide and discusses the importance of assisting perspective students in seeing their personal campus-student fit and providing information, including stories, of how their needs will be met at Utah State. Many of the messages used to recruit students uses stories and follows many of the standards set by the Anctil articles.

Smith, B. H. (1981). Narrative versions, narrative theories. In W. J. T. Mitchell (Ed.), On narrative (pp. 209-232). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

This book provides an in-depth look at narrative theories, however only one chapter will be used for my study. This chapter focuses on the narrator and how narratives are used in social interaction. This chapter analyzes the use of narratives in every day talk and how the narrator influences the story by making the structural decisions of the narrative. This provides reason for a university to use narratives, but think about the structure behind the narrative being used to represent the organization.

Vaughn, L. A., Hesse, S. J., Petkova, Z., & Trudeau, L. (2009). “This story is right on”: The impact of regulatory fit on narrative engagement and persuasion. Journal of Social Psychology, 39, 447-456.

This study focuses on the idea that some people relate to certain stories and not to others. The experiment examined ways to increase feelings of rightness and explains the persuasive possibilities of using stories that meet a receiver’s familiarity and parallels past experiences. This study not only speaks to the persuasive power of narratives but also compliments Anctil’s two articles about marketing to college students and building relationships with students while recruiting. This study would support that universities could use stories to make the student feel that a particular college is the “right fit.”

Zinch & Cappex (2007). Facebook model of finding applicants. Recruitment and Retention in Higher Education, 21, 6-7.

I am still tracking this article down. The entry on EBSCO does not even have the authors listed only the companies that were part of the interview. The abstract discusses the benefits of using social media like Facebook or Facebook style blogs as recruitment tools. More to come once I receive the article.