Dr. Katherine (Kathy) Denker
Dr. Katherine (Kathy) Denker
<b>Department:</b> Communication Studies<br><b>Research Area:</b> College Students and Work-Life Balance issues<br>

Department: Communication Studies

Research Focus: College Students and Work-Life Balance issues

Potential Student Project: The purpose of this research is to explore how non-traditional college students perceive work-life concerns and uncover examples of the interpersonal, organizational, and cultural messages that they receive regarding this topic. To do this, we will conduct semi-structured interviews with current non-traditional college students in order to solicit first-person accounts of the non-traditional student's “college experience.” The two research questions I intend to answer include, "What do non-traditional college students discuss when talking about issues of work-life?" and "What memorable messages do non- traditional college students receive regarding balancing work-life demands?"

Attributes/skills/background sought in undergraduate:

Required:

  • Self-motivated
  • Time management

Desired:

  • Interest in Communication Studies
  • Interest in qualitative research and critical research

Mentoring Plan: We will work together to collect interviews and analyze data. We will also work together to write research reports, learn more about the research process, discuss conference possibilities, and graduate school.

We will have weekly check in meetings and both of us will work independently to meet our weekly goals.

Contact: 765-285-1965, LB 306