Exploring Diary Method in Higher Education Research: Opportunities, Choices and Challenges

This methodologically oriented collection brings together higher education diary research studies from international contexts to showcase the versatility of the method and its adaptability to higher education research.

While keeping a diary is a familiar personal practice, diary method is a neglected form of research in higher education studies as well as the social sciences more broadly. This book showcases the range of options within diary method, as well as the benefits and challenges that this fascinating but mysterious method may bring to students and academic researchers alike. The benefits and the risks and challenges of diary research are discussed across the empirical studies included in the volume. Using a variety of solicited diary techniques, including audio, written and photo diaries, and focusing on different aspects of higher education including undergraduate and postgraduate students and academics, these studies include salient topics such as:

• LGBTQ identities,
• faith,
• caring responsibilities,
• international students,
• socioeconomically disadvantaged students and
• employability.

This important contribution to methodological innovation in the higher education research field promotes diary method as a viable option in social sciences and beyond. Whether new to the method or a seasoned diary researcher, this book is ideal reading for anyone who would like to learn the fundamentals of diary research and explore its feasibility in empirical contexts.

Xuemeng Cao is an Early Career Fellow in the Institute of Advanced Study and the Department of Education Studies, at the University of Warwick, UK.

Emily F. Henderson is Associate Professor in the Department of Education Studies, at the University of Warwick, UK.