Story 45 - Dr. John W. Creswell Rejuvenates Research Agenda

Dr. Creswell, a renowned scholar known for his work within mixed methods research, was a faculty member at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) where he held the Clifton Endowed Professor Chair for four years. The professorship enabled him to bring together his lifelong study of successful people, his own work as a mentor, and his belief in rigorous qualitative and quantitative research. During this time, he also founded and served as the Director of the Office of Qualitative and Mixed Methods Research (OQMMR). 

“This is the culminating experience of my career. I have been preparing for this professorship for the past 30 years.”
— Dr. John Creswell

Dr. Susan Bath worked closely with Dr. Creswell to conduct Clifton project-specific research while she served as Associate Director of NHRI. When asked about working with Dr. Creswell, Dr. Bath shared:

“What I noticed immediately was his calm yet warm demeanor. His active listening was keen to gather and quickly analyze information, but then he would smile brightly with a discovery or a probing question. I loved that he dug deeper into topics to uncover numerous data pieces than many researchers I had worked with. However, he was always a master at deciphering what it all meant - boiling it down to the real discoveries/issues and what clear recommendations there were to move forward. Dr. Creswell seemed always to be ahead of his time. He suggested trying methods that were innovative. He encouraged others to do the same. He was a natural teacher, mentor, and inspirer. He was a fire starter! I noticed that he got excited when there was someone new that we needed to light on fire (get excited about) about the Clifton research we were doing. Such a hot button for him and then he wanted to make it their hot button as well!”

In early 2007, Dr. Creswell prepared and presented research, along with Amanda Garrett, to NHRI’s Board of Directors highlighting his observations around the Clifton Project. The goal of this research was to add to the knowledge around mentoring, leadership, and relationship development. After three years of data collection and review, Dr. Creswell shared the following conclusions: 

  • The first six months of the mentor/mentee relationship is critical. This time is where mentors and mentees can find initial common ground and establish a commitment to their relationship. 

  • From initial positive energy expressed by the mentors, relationship skills will grow and develop over time. Specifically, “strength awareness, self-disclosure, flexibility, listening, friendship-building (not mentoring), learning to invest in others, a sense of community, a commitment to building relationships, an ability to get people talking…, and trust.” (Creswell, 2007).

  • The trajectory of growth within these relationships can vary as time goes on depending on the pairs’ schedules or additional commitments, but can also strengthen with comfortability over time. 

  • Mentors within Clifton Project will utilize and incorporate NHRI concepts and learnings for the rest of their lives, far beyond their time in NHRI, and in doing so, “will promote a culture of positivity and investing in others, reflect on their own personal strengths and those of others they come in contact with, and continue to reinvest what they experienced during the Clifton Project.” (Creswell, 2007). 

The Fall 2017 NHRI Ripples newsletter shares: From its inception, the Clifton Project distinguished its uniqueness with the presence of a research component as envisioned by Don Clifton. Dr. Clifton believed this project for future teachers was a "project for the 21st century" and outlined in the project's terms a century-long longitudinal research component on its participants.

Dr. John Creswell was the first scholar endowed to conduct research on the Clifton Project. Throughout his five-year term, Dr. Creswell established a sound mixed methodological foundation, drawing from both quantitative and qualitative inquiry. He also advised two Doctoral dissertations and one Master's thesis that examined the Clifton Project as well as NHRI as an institution. At the conclusion of his term, Dr.Creswell approached a distinguished scholar of teacher education, Margaret Macintyre Latta, to consider continuing this research legacy. In the fall of 2007, NHRI had the privilege to name Margaret Macintyre Latta the Clifton Institute Professorship in Mentoring Research. 

In the Fall of 2013, the Clifton Professorship in Mentoring Research Fund was transferred to support the purposes of researching the effect of NHRI on all of its participants. Dr. Lindsay Hastings currently serves as the Clifton Professor in Mentoring Research.

NHRI continues to see the ripple effect this research has had on our program. Studying and learning from the work our mentors and mentees are doing has and continues to be at the forefront of our efforts.