Practical Considerations for Researchers at Teaching-Focused Colleges
You can run studies while teaching full-time by merging coursework with small grants and local partners.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Morris et al. (2022) wrote a how-to guide for new BCBAs who teach full-time at small colleges.
They explain how to keep doing research when your job is mostly classes, not labs.
The paper gives real-life tips: team up with local schools, fold studies into homework, and chase tiny grants.
What they found
The authors show you can stay research-active without big labs or R1 budgets.
Key moves: use your students as helpers, piggy-back data collection on class projects, and share costs with nearby clinics.
How this fits with other research
Kocher et al. (2015) said "publish more" by tracking data and picking high-yield journals. Morris adds "how to do it" when you have four classes a semester and no lab.
Tager-Flusberg et al. (2016) also wrote a methods paper, but for tricky participants; Morris targets tricky workloads. Both give step-by-step fixes.
Sidman (2002) recalls the old days of loose, friendly mentorship. Morris keeps the friendly vibe but adds grant deadlines and IRB timelines.
Why it matters
If you teach four courses and still want to publish, this paper is your playbook. Start Monday: turn next week’s homework into a baseline data sheet and ask two students to help score videos. You’ll collect data without extra hours.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Abstract Growth in the discipline of behavior analysis depends on research production in basic, translational, and applied areas from a variety of perspectives and research groups. Although doctoral programs in behavior analysis prepare students to become productive researchers, leading behavior-analytic journals tend to publish articles from a more circumscribed set of researchers than might be expected given the recent growth in the field. One reason may be that as new researchers graduate from their training programs, they take positions in very different environments from those of their training, such as teaching-focused colleges or clinical settings. Establishing and maintaining research production in these settings may be challenging due to practical concerns that could be alleviated by recommendations from researchers with experience in those settings. In this article, we identify some of the research challenges faced by early-career behavior analysts working at small teaching-focused colleges and offer practical advice for new researchers in those settings based on our experience. Additionally, we hope this article serves as a catalyst for established researchers working in a variety of settings to share their experiences and wisdom with new researchers in the field.
Behavior Analysis in Practice, 2022 · doi:10.1007/s40617-020-00536-6