Dr. Melissa Whatley authors textbook on quantitative analysis

Announcement Date: May 10, 2022

Dr. Melissa Whatley is assistant professor of international and global education at SIT Graduate Institute

Dr. Melissa Whatley, assistant professor of international and global education at SIT Graduate Institute, has written a new textbook aimed at helping scholar-practioners improve their quantitative research skills.

Published by Springer Texts in Education, Introduction to Quantitative Analysis for International Educators provides scholars, professionals, and graduate students with the foundational and useful concepts in quantitative analysis, using international education themes for all examples and practice problems. The book assumes no prior knowledge of quantitative analysis and is written for individuals who are new to statistics.

"I wrote this book because the increased prominence of scholar-practitioners – individuals who do not work in traditional research-focused roles but who, nevertheless, find themselves in need of research skills to effectively perform their jobs – signaled to me a need for materials that make quantitative analysis accessible," says Dr. Whatley.

In a recent article, Dr. Whatley makes the case for more research on the outcomes of virtual exchange programs, which have proliferated during the Covid pandemic: "While virtual exchange programs provide many opportunities, they are only a worthwhile investment for participants, educators and facilitators, and other stakeholders if their impact is positive for everyone involved. Ensuring positive outcomes falls squarely on program implementers, and research is one way to explore whether these outcomes are achieved."

The new textbook gives readers a foundation to pursue more advanced methods and analyses, whether through formal training or individual study. There are practice problems at the end of all substantive chapters, and datasets are provided so that readers can practice the analyses that are presented.

Each chapter uses real examples from international education research to illustrate different statistical approaches. These examples provide context for each statistical method and represent a wide variety of contexts in research, covering a variety of international education topics and a variety of regions of the world. From the instructor perspective, these example studies could be used as additional course reading. Supplemental material includes slides that instructors can modify and use in conjunction with the text.

"Accurate and appropriate data analysis is increasingly important in the field of international education today, as leaders increasingly expect international educators to make decisions based on evidence rather than intuition," says Dr. Whatley. "Without sound data analysis, international educators risk making decisions based on inaccurate results, which in turn impacts the experiences of the students they serve."

Dr. Whatley earned her PhD in higher education from the University of Georgia’s Institute of Higher Education. Her research examines issues of access and equity in international education, especially for community colleges and study abroad.

She recently received the 2022 Article of the Year award from Comparative and International Exchange Society (CIES) for an article she co-authored, "Balancing Finances, Politics, and Public Health: International student enrollment and reopening plans at U.S. higher education institutions amid the COVID-19 pandemic."

Dr. Whatley is also a recipient of the Josephson Award for Professional Promise in International Education from the Association of International Education Administrators. Her work has appeared in journals such as Research in Higher Education, the Journal of Higher Education, and the Journal of Studies in International Education.