The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 42, No. 2 - 14

Rachael H. Stark * Sharon K. Anderson

The sample included eight females and four
males. Their ages ranged from 20 to 23, and
their years of RA experience ranged from one
to four.
Before presenting the data collection and
analysis section, it is important to clarify researcher perspective. This study was the ﬁrst
author's dissertation research, and she had
seven years of experience working in residential life before she began her doctoral studies.
Her own experience as an administrator provides information about the lure of wanting to
be "liked by residents" as a new RA and the
realization that more experience as an RA can
translate into being less concerned about what
residents think when it comes to enforcement
of policies and holding residents responsible
for their behaviors.

Data Collection and Analysis
The interview process was face to face with all
12 participants, and the protocol included 10
questions. Each interview was audio-recorded.
Analysis of the interviews followed Willig's
(2001) proposed process. First, we read and
reread the interview transcripts and created
notes that reﬂected the ﬁrst author's initial
thoughts and observations from the interview.
Second, we identiﬁed themes that characterized different sections of the text. Next, we
organized the themes into clusters. Finally,
we created a summary table to bring together
themes and quotations that illustrated those
themes under each cluster. To analyze the data
across interviews, we reviewed the clusters and
themes to obtain an understanding of the phenomenon of the moral behavior of RAs.
To ensure trustworthiness of the data,
the ﬁrst author employed three strategies

in her research (Creswell, 2009). First, she
used triangulation of data through examination of interview transcripts, observational
notes, and introspective notes. Second, she
applied member checking, such as taking speciﬁc descriptions and themes back to participants during a second interview to determine
whether participants believed that the themes
accurately captured their voice. Finally, in her
reporting of the ﬁndings for her dissertation,
the ﬁrst author provided a rich, thick description of the setting, along with perspectives
about the themes (Stark, 2013). This level
of detail and description helps the reader
understand the shared experiences of the
participants.

FINDINGS
Cluster One: RAs' Relationships with
Residents
Two main clusters and multiple subclusters
addressed the research question, "What is the
lived experience of RAs who administer disciplinary policies at a residential college in a
large urban area?" The ﬁrst cluster contained
themes about the RAs' relationships with residents. This dynamic played a central role in the
lived experience of the RAs. Two subclusters
developed the overall cluster: residents' perception of RAs and the RAs' differing treatment of their own residents as compared to
other residents in the building.

Residents' perceptions of RAs. The participants discussed three perceptions residents
have of resident assistants: RAs as stereotypes,
RAs high on authority, and cool RAs. According to participants, residents tend to stereotype
RAs because of preconceived notions of what

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The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 42, No. 2

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