The New NSF CAMP Feedback Method for Research Mentorship

Abstract

The National Science Foundation’s Cultural Anthropology Methods Program (CAMP) aims to cultivate students’ ability to craft competitive research proposals. Over three years of CAMP, we tested and iterated different feedback models: the Socratic method, the Value Proposition approach, and the Critical Response Process (CRP). We ultimately designed the NSF CAMP Feedback Method that integrates successful elements from these three models for the presentation of research proposals, feedback mechanisms, and refinement. The proposed method consists of five steps: (1) Proposal Presentation Following a Revised Value Proposition Approach, (2) Statements of Meaning, (3) Presenter as Questioner, (4) Permissioned Opinions, and (5) Reframing. Feedback from faculty and students regarding the NSF CAMP Feedback Method was positive, highlighting its effectiveness in guiding proposal development and fostering a supportive environment. However, challenges were noted, including the reluctance of students to refuse feedback (step 4) due to power imbalances and the potential unpreparedness for receiving and responding to critical questioning encountered in typical academic settings outside the CAMP environment. Despite these challenges, the method offers a valuable framework for enhancing proposal development processes in academic settings, with opportunities for adaptation to suit diverse student needs.

Plain Language Summary

The National Science Foundation’s Cultural Anthropology Methods Program (CAMP) helps students create strong research proposals. Over three years, we tested three feedback models: the Socratic method, the Value Proposition approach, and the Critical Response Process (CRP). We combined the best parts of these models into the NSF CAMP Feedback Method, which has five steps: 1. Presenting proposals using a revised Value Proposition approach. 2. Sharing statements about what was meaningful in the proposal. 3. Allowing the presenter to ask questions. 4. Giving feedback only with the presenter's permission. 5. Reframing feedback for better understanding. Students and faculty liked this method, saying it was effective in improving proposals and creating a supportive environment. However, some challenges included students feeling unable to refuse feedback due to power dynamics and being unprepared for critical questioning in typical academic settings. Despite these issues, the method is useful for improving proposal development and can be adapted to meet different students’ needs.

Keywords:

• proposal development
• feedback methods
• academic mentoring
• research skills

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was funded under the US National Science Foundation Cultural Anthropology Program grant (Award SBE-2017491) to the NSF Cultural Anthropology Methods Program.

Notes on contributors

Alissa Ruth

Alissa Ruth is an educational anthropologist in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University in Tempe. She serves as the director of education for the NSF CAMP and is a co-editor of The Handbook for Teaching Qualitative and Mixed Research Methods: A Step-by-Step Guide for Instructors (Routledge 2023).

Margaret V. du Bray

Margaret V. du Bray is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography, GIS, and Sustainability at University of Northern Colorado, where she teaches students the fundamentals of environmental studies and researches the impacts of climate change. She has a PhD in sociocultural anthropology from Arizona State University.

Liam Gleason

Liam Gleason was an NSF Cultural Anthropology Methods Program (CAMP) fellow and recently received their PhD in Anthropology from Arizona State University.

Melissa Beresford

Melissa Beresford is an assistant professor of anthropology at San Jose State University and a faculty affiliate in the Center for Global Health at Arizona State University. Her research examines how humans use social and institutional arrangements adapt to water insecurity. She is also a methodologist and conducts research to advance social science research methods and research methods training. She is the Director of the Community of Practice for the NSF Cultural Anthropology Methods Program (CAMP).

Cindi SturtzSreetharan

Cindi SturtzSreetharan is a Professor at Arizona State University, where she teaches linguistic anthropology and global health.

Rosalyn Negrón

Rosalyn Negrón is Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Massachusetts Boston, where she is also Research Director for the Sustainable Solutions Lab. Rosalyn's research is primarily driven by issues of health and well-being, with particular attention to the role of decision-making, social connections, social environments, and migration. A past Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow, Rosalyn's research has been funded by numerous agencies including the National Science Foundation and the Environmental Protection Agency. She is co-founder and director of UMass Boston's Transdisciplinary Dissertation Proposal Development Program.

Anaís Roque

Anaís Roque (she/her/ella) is an environmental social scientist and anthropologist. As an interdisciplinary scholar, her research interests include water insecurity, community resilience, disaster recovery, environmental justice, energy governance, and social networks.

Robin G. Nelson

Robin G. Nelson is an Associate Professor at Arizona State University, where she teaches global health and serves as the Director of Strategic Engagement for the NSF Cultural Anthropology Methods Program (CAMP).

Amber Wutich

Amber Wutich is an ASU President's Professor, Director of the Center for Global Health, and 2023 MacArthur Fellow. An expert on water insecurity, Wutich directs the Global Ethnohydrology Study, a cross-cultural study of water knowledge and management in 20+ countries. Her two decades of community-based fieldwork explore how people respond, individually and collectively, to extremely water scarce conditions. An ethnographer and methodologist, Wutich has authored 200+ papers and chapters, co-authored 6 books, edits the journal Field Methods, and directs the NSF Cultural Anthropology Methods Program.