Campus Response to a Student Gunman by Kelly J. Asmussen, John W. Creswell - Case Study Example

 Introduction The development of violence in educational settings is a common phenomenon in countries worldwide; for most people, this phenomenon is related with the increase of violence in daily life. However, there are also people who believe that the above problem can be effectively controlled – even independently from the potential limitation of violence in other aspects of social life – if educational administrators take appropriate measures. This trend is reflected in the study of Kelly Asmussen and John Creswell; the specific study, entitled as ‘Campus Response to a Student Gunman’, aims to highlight the causes of increase of violence in campuses across USA – particular emphasis is given on student gun violence, a social phenomenon which ‘has received little attention’ (case study, p.337) despite the increase of such incidents in campuses across USA. The credibility of the study is highly supported by its research method: the qualitative case analysis; a relevant incident ‘in the campus of a public university, cited in a Midwestern City’ (case study, 338) is analytically presented and explained aiming to highlight the various aspects of student gun violence but also to provide information regarding the measures that are most appropriate for the limitation of the phenomenon – as these measures have been applied on the University involved in the specific case study. The examination of the article’s sections – in terms of structure, content and language used – has led to the assumption that the particular study can be quite valuable for legislators, educators and community leaders – helping them to understand the emergent character of the problem and propose appropriate plans of action. However, the conclusion section of the paper has been rather discouraging regarding the above perspective – emphasizing on the lack of interest by the educational and local authorities in regard to the prevention of such incidents. However, even under these terms, the existence of studies like the one under evaluation proves that the expansion of violence in educational units across USA has attracted the attention of the academia. As for the level at which the authors of this study have contributed to the achievement of the above target, this can be identified by referring to the characteristics and the content of their study and by evaluating its credibility – taking into consideration the relevant rules of academic research. Evaluation of the article The study of Asmussen and Creswell highlights a quite important problem: the increase of violence in university campuses across USA; reference is made specifically to the student gun violence. The particular study can be characterized as quite valuable, mostly because it deals with a problem, which is avoided by most academic researchers – an issue also notified in the study under examination. The importance of the study – meaning especially its contribution in the particular field – can be identified and understood by referring to its content but also to its structure; the theme chosen should be also evaluated – compared to other, most common, themes of academic research. On the other hand, the research methodology employed should be evaluated, as of its appropriateness taking into consideration the fact that the literature in regard to the issue under discussion – and the research methods which are most appropriate for such studies – is quite limited, a problem also highlighted by the authors. The development of the above tasks would allow the evaluation of the following facts: a) whether the study has been appropriately structured, b) whether the research methods chosen were the most appropriate, c) which were the most critical challenges that the authors had to face and d) whether the authors managed or not to achieve their aims – as these aims are included in the research questions on which the study under examination is based. Themes of the study As noted above, the study under examination focuses on a social phenomenon, which is currently expanding across USA; indeed, the use of violence in campuses of USA universities has been increased – a fact which is verified by the incidents occurring across the country; the authors refer to certain of these incidents in order to justify the choice of the particular topic. Taking into consideration the level of the problem for Universities across USA and the limited literature published on the issues involved, it could be stated that in terms of its main theme, the study under examination is really valuable highlighting a problem which is likely to be avoided by researchers – probably due to the existence of fear on the potential consequences of such initiative, a feeling that the authors also have felt, as they reveal in the conclusion section of their study. At this point, it should be noted that the study under examination refers to a series of important sub-topics, such as denial, fear, safety and retriggering – as consequences of a violent event and the failure of Universities to respond appropriately to the increased risk of violence across their settings; these topics are also important, indicating the lack of effective framework for facing the expansion of violence in University campuses across USA. Another important issue addressed in the study under examination is the failure of existing legislation to protect the victims of such incidents – referring not only to those who have been physically injured – or the families of those who have died in such incidents – but also those who suffer from psychological problems after having experienced such incidents. All these topics are quite important not just at the level they are related to the study’s main subject – the student gun violence in University campuses – but also as independent topics, being related to violent incidents in general. Structure The structure of the article had to be developed in order to respond to the following problem: the literature available on the issue under discussion has been quite limited; therefore, emphasis should be given on the research methodology section. Indeed, after briefly explaining the study’s topic – in the introductory section of the paper - the authors proceed to the research methodology section; in fact, there is no literature review section in the study under examination – due to the lack of literature in this field, as explained above. For this reason, the research methodology section of the paper is placed after the introduction, a practice which is not common in academic research but which has to be used here due to the characteristics of the study. In accordance with the issues presented above, the structure of the study under examination should be characterized as quite effective, responding the needs of the research but also to the resources available and the permission provided by the University’s administrators – who reviewed and approved the structure of the study under examination. Taking into consideration the structure and the scope of the study under examination, it could be noted that the specific study is an intrinsic study focusing primarily on the examination of the various aspects of the particular incident; then, the application of the assumptions made on similar cases would be evaluated. Language The language used by the authors for the support of their arguments is clear; complex or too academic terms have been avoided aiming to make the study readable and easy to understand. On the other hand, the style of writing has been aligned with the common rules on academic studies – avoiding long paragraphs, dividing the text into sub-sections and try to avoid referring in terms and concepts which are not known in the public – meaning the average individual, independently of social, educational or financial status. Presentation of key issues The key theme of the study is presented in the introductory section; it is in this section also that the potential sub-issues of the study are presented. At the next level, the key issues of the study are analyzed in separate sections – for making the paper more readable as explained above. One of the most important problems regarding the presentation of the study’s issues to the public has been the lack of relevant literature. A qualitative case analysis is used instead in order to ensure the sufficient development of the study’s main issues. Again, the use of plain language, meaning language free from complex concepts, has been particularly important for the effective presentation of the study’s key issues. Support of arguments At this point, the methods and the arguments used by the authors for the support of their arguments should be critically analyzed. The phrase ‘support of arguments’ is used in order to reflect the presentation of the material – mainly the findings of the qualitative case analysis –, which has been employed for justifying the views of the authors, as related to the issues under discussion. Presentation and Justification of research methods The research method used by the authors for supporting their study has been the qualitative case analysis; no literature was available in regard to the issues under discussion – referring to the postsecondary literature; therefore, the authors had to identify a research method that could bee the requirements of the particular study. At this point the following issues need to be highlighted: a) limitations have been set to the authors regarding their potential to choose the research method employed in their study; these limitations have been resulted from the following facts: a1) the research proposal had to be aligned with the ethics of academic research as recognized and promoted by the University’s authorities, a2) the research proposal had to cover all issues discussed in the study under examination – since there was no literature available for exploring the aspects of the study’s subject, b) in accordance with the authors the research method chosen is the most appropriate for examining the particular subject – taking into consideration the fact that ‘models and variables were not available for assessing a campus reaction to a gun incident in higher education’ (p.341 case study); the above justification is provided by the authors regarding the research method chosen. Presentation and analysis of findings Because of the form of the research method chosen in this study, the methods available for the analysis of results are limited; in fact, only the narrative approach has been considered as being most appropriate for presenting the findings of the particular study. The use of the specific method of presentation is related, in accordance with the authors with the following benefits: it can be used for analyzing in details the views of participants/ interviewees, it can be used in cases where contradictory findings are expected to appear; the use of narrative method for presenting the findings of the research has also another benefit: personal interpretation can be given to events or ideas; in this way, the study is kept well-organized and clearly focused on the examination on the issues under discussion. The achievement of the above target is further secured through the structure of the paper; in the case of the presentation of findings, the categorization of the material available – referring to the views of participants but also to the assumptions developed through the observation of the site involved - among different sections makes the study more readable. Alignment of case study with the standards of academic research The ethical rules related to academic research has been quite important for this study; indeed, prior to the development of the research the authors submitted its proposal to the University’s administrators; those granted their approval for the project to further proceed. In this way, it has been ensured that the research developed for this study will be fully aligned with the standards and ethics held in academic research – as these standards can be appropriately customized to meet the needs of educational sites worldwide. Appropriateness of case study chosen At this point, the following issue would be examined: is the study chosen appropriate in terms of its content, i.e. of its relevance to the issues under discussion. As noted by the authors, a series of similar incidents has been developed across USA the last decade; however, the particular case study was chosen by the authors because of the following reason: the authors managed to access on time, early, the particular site – University - and gather the necessary material; such potential could not exist, at least not easily, in regard to a different study. Moreover, the case study chosen highlights an important aspect of the study’s subject: gun violence in University campuses can have severe psychological effects for the students who experience relevant incidents – even if death does not occur. Challenges that the researchers had to face The development of the study under examination has been proved a challenging task. This fact can be revealed primarily by the duration of the study; despite the fact that initially the authors had submitted to the University’s Committee a research plan of a 3-moths duration, soon they understood that the completion of the study within such period would not be possible (p.346 of the case study). However, finally, the study took 8 months to be completed, i.e. more than double of the time initially estimated, a fact that proves the level of its difficulty. In accordance with the authors, they failed in estimating the exact – or even the average – time required for the completion of the study because the initial indications regarding the importance of the incident were wrongly interpreted. Retriggering, one of the most common consequences of violent events, has also influenced the researchers – along with the persons who were present when the incident took place – the above fact has been highlighted to the researchers by one of the counselors participating in the students’ support team – referring to the team of counselors who were asked to provide to the students of the particular University psychological support, as explained above. In other words, one of the key problems that the authors had to face in regard to the particular study has been the changes in the context/ importance of the effects of the incident under observation; even if initially this incident was considered to be of low importance, gradually it was related to a series of significant consequences on the persons who were either directly or indirectly involved with the above incident. In fact, after the completion of the study the authors realized that its actual complexity and importance is higher than initially estimated; it is for this reason that the authors themselves have admitted that their research had not managed to attract the attention of the administrators of the particular University – at least not at the level expected, as no particular differentiations could be identified in the University’s safety policies regarding such incidents – referring to the post-incident era. The view of the authors that the potential responses of the University’s administrators would be different if deaths occurred in that particular incident – see the Epilogue of the study under examination – reveals the level of difficulty of the study but also the disappointment of the authors from the response of the University to the particular incident. It should be noted however that the authors did not face difficulties in order to get the approval for the development of the research required for their study – in fact, the University’s Committee gave them the necessary approval within 2 days after the incident – so their research started with no delay. Moreover, the expansion of the time of the research conducted for the particular study was achieved rather easy – as noted by the authors, the initial time limit of 3-months for the completion of the study had to be expanded to 8 months – as a result of the retriggering effect of the incident, as explained above. However, there were other problems appeared during the development of the study: a) the non-availability of resources; the researchers had to avoid using local newspapers and other external resources for supporting their study – probably in the context of a relevant agreement with the University, but this issue is not made clear in the study, b) the restriction of the research in regard to the communication with the key actor of the incident, i.e. the offender; again, this restriction can be considered as part of a relevant agreement with the University’s administrators in order for the order of the University not to be further challenged, c) the delay in the retrieval of necessary material; as revealed in the study under examination, most of the students who experienced the incident delayed in stating their feelings and thoughts on the incident; in fact, it was after the counseling programs developed because of the incident that the students who experienced the specific incident decided to state their views and express their feelings in regard to the incident – even this process took quite a long, as highlighted by the authors, a fact that also caused delays in the completion of the project; it was probably because of this reason that the authors decided to apply for an extension of the time limit of the research, aiming to gather the necessary material for all the issues under examination. Strengths and weaknesses of the article In accordance with the issues discussed above, the development of the study under examination has been related to a series of challenges; however, many of them have been appropriately addressed by the researchers, as described in the previous section. In any case, these challenges have not resulted to the limitation of the study’s effectiveness and the decrease of its value; on the contrary, the study under examination is characterized by a series of strengths, which could be summarized as follows: a) the main topic of the study – as of its sub-topics – are not adequately discussed in the literature; this means that the findings of the research conducted for the specific study could be used for identifying appropriate measures in regard to the problems under discussion; i.e. the study under examination could be used for covering the gap of the literature in regard to the specific field, b) another strength of the study is its proximity, in terms of the time of incident; indeed, as noted by the authors, their study ‘started two days after the incident’ (page 340 of the case study); this means that the material necessary for the support of the study could be available – under the terms, of course, that a relevant permission could be allocated; moreover, the proximity of the study with the incident in terms of incident has led to the increase of the credibility of the resources used; by having access to the initial testimonies of the persons who experienced the incident, the authors have achieved to offer an accurate description of the conditions of the incident; if the beginning of the study would take place later, the authors would have more difficulties in allocating the material necessary for the support of the study – one of the reasons could be, for instance, that certain of those who experienced the incident would have graduated, c) one of the most important strengths of the study under examination is the material used for its support; as noted by the authors, the existing literature in regard to the issues under discussion is quite limited – reference is made to the ‘postsecondary literature’ (page 338 of the case study) which is characterized by lack of studies in regard to student gun violence – despite the increase of these incidents across USA, as relevant examples are provided by the authors in page 338 of the case study. Because of the above gap in postsecondary literature, the authors have used the public school literature in order to support their study; moreover, they use the ‘qualitative case study analysis’ (page 338 of the case study) as a research method for examining the issues under discussion. In this way, the following targets are achieved: c1) the existing literature on the issues under discussion is expanded and enriched, c2) the issues discussed in the study under examination are adequately supported – since both the literature – as available – and the qualitative research are employed in the development of the specific study, d) also, an important strength of the study is its structure; the sub-sections of the paper make the content easy to read – and the views/ suggestions of the authors easy to be understood; moreover, the narrative form used for presenting the findings of the qualitative study gives to the study a sense of proximity – referring to the incident, not just in terms of time but also in terms of place; it is made clear that the authors monitor closely all the activities developed by the University in the 8 months that followed the incident – period during which the study under examination was completed; another important advantage of the narrative form as a method for presenting the findings of the research is the following one: in the context of the specific method of presentation of results, the researchers are able to present the events in chronological order – a fact that increases the credibility and the readability of the study; another advantage of the narrative form when presenting the findings of qualitative research is the potential use of exact phrases of the participants; indeed, the authors use the exact phrases of participants in order to highlight certain aspects of the issues under examination – for instance, the phrase ‘I’m not surprised you were involved in this’ (page 343 of the case study); e) all aspects of the study have been carefully designed in advance; moreover, the relevant plan has been submitted to the University’s administrators for approval; during the development of the research no particular change was made on the initial plan of research – apart the following two changes: the increase of the time for the completion of the study and the increase of the participants approached for participating in the research conducted for the study. Authors have tried to keep their schedule of research standardized and this fact has been particularly helpful for the completion of the research within the time framework in its proposal and the avoidance of failures. On the other hand, the study under examination has certain weaknesses; one of its key weaknesses is the lack of adequate literature for supporting the authors’ arguments; however, this problem has been highlighted by the authors’ themselves; in fact, the authors argued that the lack of adequate literature on the issues under discussion is one of the key advantages of their study; in other words, the lack of literature for analyzing the study’s issues can be considered as both an advantage and a weakness of the particular study – it should be noted that the above assumption is difficult to be made when academic studies are to be evaluated; in most cases, the lack of literature is considered as a severe weakness of an academic study, but not when relevant literature is not available because of the issues under discussion – like in the study under examination. The limitations of the study in regard to the sample/ participants, the resources employed and the time limit are also further disadvantages of the study under examination. At this point, the following issues should be made clear: the authors did know from the beginning that their study has to be conducted in accordance with the terms accepted by the University’s administrators. As for the time of the study, the extension that the authors asked for has been granted; however, again, the existence of a specific deadline has to be considered as a limitation – it would be possible that if such limitation would not exist that the authors would continue the research for a bit more time and they would probably retrieve additional material on the issues under discussion. As for the resources used for the development of the study, this issue has been appropriately arranged, as the time issue, with the University’s administrators; the lack of permission in regard to the use of external sources has been also part of the arrangement made between the authors and the University’s authorities; on the basis of this arrangement – also on the term that the authors would not communicate with the offender – the permission for the research was given. In accordance with the above, the framework of the research can be characterized as narrow – being restricted in accordance with the interests of the specific educational unit. However, such restrictions can be considered as negatively affected the credibility of the study – especially since the literature available for the support of the study has been quite limited. Because of the issues discussed above, it could be argued that the limitations set by the University regarding the research developed by Asmussen and Creswell can be considered as potential reasons for doubting the credibility of the study under examination. More specifically, the following two facts could be taken into consideration: a) the literature published in the particular field is limited; in fact, only public school studies exist on the issues under discussion; b) at the next level, the above fact leads to the assumption that particular emphasis need to be given on the qualitative case study – as this is the main tool for examining the issues discussed in this paper; however, at this level also, the quality of research is not exceptional – as it would be required in order to cover the gap of the lack of literature; instead, the views of participants/ staff and students who work on the University’s newspapers cover just certain aspects of the study’s subject; in this way, the following problem emerge: the support of the study’s issues is made problematic – relying only on qualitative case study has set the study under risk regarding its credibility – a problem which is probably controlled by the authors by referring extensively to the findings of their field visits and their discussions with the professionals who were asked to support the students who experienced the particular incident. Contribution in the particular field Despite the challenges related to the particular study, as explained above, its value for the specific filed of academic research can be considered as significant, taking into consideration the following facts: a) there are no studies in the postsecondary literature regarding the issues discussed in the study under examination; this means that the specific study is expected to be used as a source of valuable information in regard to the expansion of student gun violence in Universities campuses across USA, b) apart from its contribution in terms of the literature, the study under examination has helped to understand the following fact: negative experiences in regard to a person’s family or social environment can affect the behavior of the particular person at such level that his perceptions on various social issues to be changed – reference is made to the following fact: the incident in the particular University revealed not just the lack of effective mechanisms for the management of the crisis but also the lack of communication between the students and their family; there have been cases where the parents of students responded negatively to the particular incident; in accordance with the relevant testimonies of the students, there were parents who did not realized the level of danger that their children have experienced; therefore, the support provided to them, after the incident, has been inadequate – in many cases, c) another important issue revealed through the specific study is that students tend to ignore the signs of a potential threat; in accordance with the police officers and the counselors involved in the management of the particular incident – either regarding the incident itself (the case of the police officers) or just the post-effects of incidents (as in the case of counselors) – this is a common phenomenon among people who are found – unexpectedly – in risk; in the incident under examination, this inability to realize the danger was expressed as follows: during the incident but also immediately after it, the students who were in the scene of the action or near it, just run out of the building and stayed there without trying to cover themselves – there were even cases of students who considered the whole incident as a fun event. In accordance with the above, the study under examination could be used in order to understand the effects of lack of communication within families, as the relevant experience may lead to anti-social behavior – reference is made especially to the educational sites of various levels. At the next level, the study under examination could help the administrators of Universities to understand the risks of the development of conflicts within the educational sites; such conflicts would be avoided since the response of each individual to such events cannot be precisely estimated in advance. Conclusion The approach and the methodologies used by researchers when having to develop an academic study cannot be standardized; in the case under examination, the authors had to resolve an important problem: the literature available for supporting their study has been quite limited. Therefore, they had to identify a method for ensuring the credibility of the study – without changing its scope; in order to overcome this barrier, the authors decided to employ an appropriately customized research method: a qualitative case study has been used by the authors for exploring the issues under discussion and cover the relevant gaps of the literature. Moreover, the examination of the study’s structure and content, has led to the assumption that the authors have managed to support their arguments – in regard to the issues under discussion – avoiding subjectivity. In addition, the study under examination has an important benefit: it is based on a proposal reviewed and approved by the University’s Committee – a fact that guarantee the alignment of the study with the ethics of academic research. At the next level, the authors have followed, as strictly as possible, the schedule of the research – as this schedule was approved by the University’s administrators; even when changes were required, these were primarily approved by the University administrators, a practice which has secured credibility of the study. In the field of academic research, the study under examination has contributed as follows: a) offering valuable material in regard to a critical social phenomenon: the student gun violence, b) promoting the use of ethics in research and c) suggest methods through which the response of Universities towards violence would become more effective. Works Cited Kelly J. Asmussen , John W. Creswell ‘Campus Response to a Student Gunman’ Read More