Harriet Schwartz | Antioch University (original) (raw)

Books by Harriet Schwartz

Essentials of Constructivist Critical Incident Technique, 2025

This book is a step-by-step guide to designing and realizing a constructivist critical incident (... more This book is a step-by-step guide to designing and realizing a constructivist critical incident (Constructivist CIT) study. This qualitative methodology explores critical moments in people's lived experiences.

The authors offer the first comprehensive overview of Constructivist CIT, a structured, yet flexible methodology used to explore lived experience and improve practice and process by studying critical or meaningful moments and experiences.

The authors introduce Constructivist CIT in relation to its well-established parent method Critical Incident Technique, which has been used widely in the social sciences, health care, and business. Readers will learn how to ensure the trustworthiness of their study’s design, collect and analyze the data, and write up and submit their study for publication.

An intuitive method, Constructivist CIT is an accessible method for novice researchers as well as seasoned scholars expanding their qualitative repertoire.

Handbook of Research Methods in Diversity Management, Equality and Inclusion at Work, 2018

Grounded theory as a study of social processes is well-suited for scholarpractitioners who seek t... more Grounded theory as a study of social processes is well-suited for scholarpractitioners who seek to understand the everyday exclusion that occurs in organizations. In this chapter, we examine research studies that have aptly applied grounded theory methods for studying the workplace experiences of marginalized individuals as well as effective inclusive and diversity practices in organizations. We follow this discussion with a closer look at particular aspects of the grounded theory method that enhance the opportunity to uncover the overt discrimination and subtle interactions that serve to reinforce cultures and climates of privilege and marginalization in organizations. The chapter concludes with the limitations of grounded theory method and recommendations for applying grounded theory methods and research to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) practice.

Harriet L. Schwartz, PhD Chair, MA Student Affairs Professor, Psychology and Counseling Carlow University Lead Scholar for Education as Relational Practice, Jean Baker Miller Training Institute, 2019

This book explores teaching as a relational practice – a practice wherein connection and disconne... more This book explores teaching as a relational practice – a practice wherein connection and disconnection with students, power, identity, and emotion shape the teaching and learning endeavor. Author, Harriet L. Schwartz describes moments of energetic deep learning and approaches that encourage these moments. She calls on readers to be open to and seek relationship, understand their own socio-cultural identity (and how this shapes internal experience and the ways in which they are met in the world), and vigilantly explore and recognize emotion in the teaching endeavor.

Connected Teaching is informed and inspired by Relational Cultural Theory (RCT). The premise of RCT is that the experience of engaging in growth-fostering interactions and relationships is essential to human development. RCT’s founding scholars believed the theory would be relevant in many different settings, but this is the first book to apply it to teaching and learning in higher education.

New Directions for Teaching & Learning, 2018

This sourcebook explores emotion in teaching and learning in higher education.

“Time, space, availability, self-disclosure, and the nature of relationships – college and univer... more “Time, space, availability, self-disclosure, and the nature of relationships – college and university educators frequently face dilemmas and decisions regarding interpersonal boundaries with students. Long-standing questions, such has how much to self-disclose in the classroom and whether to set flexible boundaries with adult students, have been part of the teaching experience for decades. More recent influences such as evolving technology and current generational differences have created a new set of dilemmas. How do we set appropriate expectations regarding email response time in a 24 hour/7 day a week Internet-connected culture? How do we maintain our authority with a generation that views the syllabus as negotiable? Complex questions about power, positionality, connection, distance, and privacy underlie these decision points. This sourcebook provides an in-depth look at interpersonal boundaries between faculty and students, giving consideration to the deeper contextual factors and power dynamics that inform how we set, adjust, and maintain boundaries as educators.”

Papers by Harriet Schwartz

Journal of College Student Development, 1991

Abstract: Examined six former student leaders' perceptions of a campus controversy surroundi... more Abstract: Examined six former student leaders' perceptions of a campus controversy surrounding the ethical conduct of their college or university president. During interviews, subjects discussed ethics, the college president, and on-campus ethical controversies. Short-and long-term effects of the controversies were also examined.(Author/NB)

Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, 2012

Teaching and Emotion, 2018

Interactions with students are a significant part of teachers’ lives. Dr. Jordan and Dr. Schwart... more Interactions with students are a significant part of teachers’ lives. Dr. Jordan and Dr. Schwartz propose the concept of radical empathy to encourage optimal learning and growth on the part of students and teachers. They call on faculty to be more intentional in their interactions with students and open to how they may be affected by students. They argue that radical empathy exposes teachers to vulnerability and allows them to reach their greatest potential.

Teaching and Emotion: New Directions for Teaching & Learning, 2018

Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 2017

How do teachers situate themselves in their roles as assessors of student work? How do they maint... more How do teachers situate themselves in their roles as assessors of student work? How do they maintain high standards and provide critical feedback while also doing their best not to shame students who fail to meet those standards? The purpose of this article is to propose a relational approach to assessment. This approach calls on faculty to consider the relational context and their relational presence when assessing student work. The author proposes that assessment is not simply a one-way act in which teachers deliver feedback to students, but rather an exchange between educators and learners involving relational dynamics, emotion, and degrees of receptivity.

The Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 2017

Assessment is a critical activity in the life of a professor. The authors’ interest in professors... more Assessment is a critical activity in the life of a professor. The authors’ interest in professors’ internal experiences of assessment led them to conduct a grounded theory study in which they interviewed 16 faculty teaching in social science and pre-professional programs, asking them to reflect on assessing master’s thesis and capstone projects. They identified two primary domains of assessment activity—Visible and Unseen. Within these domains, they recognized Understanding Self as the assessor and Being in Relationship with students as the core dimensions that professors described as central to assessing student work. The authors propose a model of professors’ internal experiences of assessment and suggest that a deeper understanding of the relational and emotional dynamics of teaching situates faculty to be more intentional and effective in responding to students and student work.

Relational practice is the currency of student affairs. While student affairs practitioners are e... more Relational practice is the currency of student affairs. While student affairs practitioners are educators and teach everything from conflict resolution to resume writing, the essence of student affairs work is far more than practical content and that its real power resides in meaningful interactions and longer-term developmental relationships. More than ever, students access information 24/7 online and yet they still choose to connect with student affairs practitioners. I believe this desire for connection indicates that students get more from these interactions and relationships than information. Something vital happens in this relational space and Relational Cultural Theory (RCT) helps us understand this phenomenon.

SAGE Research Methods Cases, 2014

In the course of a typical week of graduate study, which interactions with faculty are meaningfu... more In the course of a typical week of graduate study, which interactions with faculty are
meaningful to students? Having previously studied meaningful academic relationships,
we wanted to focus specifically on the incident level of interactions between students
and faculty. We wanted to record not only the obviously significant conversations but
also the routine interactions that were important at the time but might not be memorable
years later. We determined that critical incident technique would allow us to isolate
specific faculty and student interactions and to understand what led up to those
interactions and the outcomes or impacts of those interactions. Additionally, we wanted
to explore why students considered these particular interactions to be meaningful. In
this Methods in Action case, we provide a detailed description of how we applied critical
incident technique to answer our research questions—from conception of our research
question to gathering, analyzing, and reporting our data.

Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, Feb 17, 2014

Meaningful interactions with faculty can help graduate students’ progress successfully through th... more Meaningful interactions with faculty can help graduate students’ progress successfully through their academic work, develop scholar-practitioner identity, and begin to cultivate academic relationships and relational skills that will help them succeed. These outcomes emerged from a critical incident technique study in which we interviewed 21 master’s students. Based on the findings, we propose individualized attention as an organizing theme to help us consider how to intentionally engage with our students from a relational perspective. The concept of individualized attention, as developed in this inquiry, suggests: invitation, engaged presence, care, and enthusiasm as elements of the relational practice of teaching and learning.

Intellectual mattering, the experience that our thinking matters to another person, is an intent... more Intellectual mattering, the experience that our thinking matters to another person, is an
intention we can bring to our work with students and also an outcome of that work. The idea of
intellectual mattering emerged from qualitative research on teaching and learning interactions
and relationships and is further explicated by extant mattering literature and relational cultural
theory as well as possible selves, authentic teaching, and interpersonal boundaries in teaching
and learning constructs. I propose that experiences of intellectual mattering can increase student
confidence and motivation and can also fuel the transition in which students move from seeing
themselves as receivers of knowledge to seeing themselves as co-creators of knowledge. While
based primarily on research in the higher education domain, intellectual mattering shows
promise for application in youth and workplace mentoring contexts as well.

International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

Determining and maintaining interpersonal boundaries with students is an ever-present yet rarelyd... more Determining and maintaining interpersonal boundaries with students is an ever-present yet rarelydiscussed element of teaching graduate students. Where to meet students for advising appointments, how much to self-disclose in the classroom, and whether to collaborate with students on community projects -these are typical of the challenges that graduate school faculty encounter regularly as classroom teachers, and program, thesis, and practicum advisors. This article is based on a grounded theory study of relational practice between master's students and professors; while the study was not designed to explore interpersonal boundaries per se, participants discussed power, position, and boundaries, thus providing significant data to explore this topic. With positive relationship scholarship and relational cultural theory as sensitizing concepts, this study included in-depth interviews of 10 matched pairs of master's alumni and professors wherein each member of the dyad considered the relationship to be meaningful. Grounded theory dimensional analysis methods were used to analyze the data and identified categories including the following: professors' awareness of positionality, professors establishing boundaries, students' awareness of positionality, and students and professors working close to the boundaries. These categories were used to examine extant literature and propose an expanded understanding of interpersonal boundaries between students and teachers.

Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, Feb 9, 2012

Meaningful academic relationships between adult master's students and their professors can both d... more Meaningful academic relationships between adult master's students and their professors can both deepen students' learning and serve as a regenerating force for professors. This study employed grounded theory methods to explore the question, "What goes on in relational practice between master's students and professors?" I interviewed ten matched pairs of recent alumni and professors who identified as having "a meaningful academic relationship." Dimensional analysis surfaced two core dimensions: reconstructing and regenerating. In reconstructing, the students' core dimension reveals the student experience of reconstructing, or understanding more deeply, theory or one's self. In the case of regenerating, the professor's core dimension identifies the professors' experience of "giving back" through their teaching and extending their professional reach by training others. These experiences serve to reinvigorate professors over the course of their careers. In addition, findings in this study resonate with sensitizing concepts including relational cultural theory and relational practice. Finally, the analysis surfaced evidence supporting authentic teaching concepts and connected these concepts to faculty and student learning partnerships.

Abstract Working with adult learners presents a unique set of interpersonal boundary questions. T... more Abstract Working with adult learners presents a unique set of interpersonal boundary questions. This chapter considers characteristics of adult learners, relevant frameworks for considering boundaries, and four specific strategies to help instructors increase clarity and intention regarding boundaries with adult students.

Essentials of Constructivist Critical Incident Technique, 2025

This book is a step-by-step guide to designing and realizing a constructivist critical incident (... more This book is a step-by-step guide to designing and realizing a constructivist critical incident (Constructivist CIT) study. This qualitative methodology explores critical moments in people's lived experiences.

The authors offer the first comprehensive overview of Constructivist CIT, a structured, yet flexible methodology used to explore lived experience and improve practice and process by studying critical or meaningful moments and experiences.

The authors introduce Constructivist CIT in relation to its well-established parent method Critical Incident Technique, which has been used widely in the social sciences, health care, and business. Readers will learn how to ensure the trustworthiness of their study’s design, collect and analyze the data, and write up and submit their study for publication.

An intuitive method, Constructivist CIT is an accessible method for novice researchers as well as seasoned scholars expanding their qualitative repertoire.

Handbook of Research Methods in Diversity Management, Equality and Inclusion at Work, 2018

Grounded theory as a study of social processes is well-suited for scholarpractitioners who seek t... more Grounded theory as a study of social processes is well-suited for scholarpractitioners who seek to understand the everyday exclusion that occurs in organizations. In this chapter, we examine research studies that have aptly applied grounded theory methods for studying the workplace experiences of marginalized individuals as well as effective inclusive and diversity practices in organizations. We follow this discussion with a closer look at particular aspects of the grounded theory method that enhance the opportunity to uncover the overt discrimination and subtle interactions that serve to reinforce cultures and climates of privilege and marginalization in organizations. The chapter concludes with the limitations of grounded theory method and recommendations for applying grounded theory methods and research to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) practice.

Harriet L. Schwartz, PhD Chair, MA Student Affairs Professor, Psychology and Counseling Carlow University Lead Scholar for Education as Relational Practice, Jean Baker Miller Training Institute, 2019

This book explores teaching as a relational practice – a practice wherein connection and disconne... more This book explores teaching as a relational practice – a practice wherein connection and disconnection with students, power, identity, and emotion shape the teaching and learning endeavor. Author, Harriet L. Schwartz describes moments of energetic deep learning and approaches that encourage these moments. She calls on readers to be open to and seek relationship, understand their own socio-cultural identity (and how this shapes internal experience and the ways in which they are met in the world), and vigilantly explore and recognize emotion in the teaching endeavor.

Connected Teaching is informed and inspired by Relational Cultural Theory (RCT). The premise of RCT is that the experience of engaging in growth-fostering interactions and relationships is essential to human development. RCT’s founding scholars believed the theory would be relevant in many different settings, but this is the first book to apply it to teaching and learning in higher education.

New Directions for Teaching & Learning, 2018

This sourcebook explores emotion in teaching and learning in higher education.

“Time, space, availability, self-disclosure, and the nature of relationships – college and univer... more “Time, space, availability, self-disclosure, and the nature of relationships – college and university educators frequently face dilemmas and decisions regarding interpersonal boundaries with students. Long-standing questions, such has how much to self-disclose in the classroom and whether to set flexible boundaries with adult students, have been part of the teaching experience for decades. More recent influences such as evolving technology and current generational differences have created a new set of dilemmas. How do we set appropriate expectations regarding email response time in a 24 hour/7 day a week Internet-connected culture? How do we maintain our authority with a generation that views the syllabus as negotiable? Complex questions about power, positionality, connection, distance, and privacy underlie these decision points. This sourcebook provides an in-depth look at interpersonal boundaries between faculty and students, giving consideration to the deeper contextual factors and power dynamics that inform how we set, adjust, and maintain boundaries as educators.”

Journal of College Student Development, 1991

Abstract: Examined six former student leaders' perceptions of a campus controversy surroundi... more Abstract: Examined six former student leaders' perceptions of a campus controversy surrounding the ethical conduct of their college or university president. During interviews, subjects discussed ethics, the college president, and on-campus ethical controversies. Short-and long-term effects of the controversies were also examined.(Author/NB)

Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, 2012

Teaching and Emotion, 2018

Interactions with students are a significant part of teachers’ lives. Dr. Jordan and Dr. Schwart... more Interactions with students are a significant part of teachers’ lives. Dr. Jordan and Dr. Schwartz propose the concept of radical empathy to encourage optimal learning and growth on the part of students and teachers. They call on faculty to be more intentional in their interactions with students and open to how they may be affected by students. They argue that radical empathy exposes teachers to vulnerability and allows them to reach their greatest potential.

Teaching and Emotion: New Directions for Teaching & Learning, 2018

Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 2017

How do teachers situate themselves in their roles as assessors of student work? How do they maint... more How do teachers situate themselves in their roles as assessors of student work? How do they maintain high standards and provide critical feedback while also doing their best not to shame students who fail to meet those standards? The purpose of this article is to propose a relational approach to assessment. This approach calls on faculty to consider the relational context and their relational presence when assessing student work. The author proposes that assessment is not simply a one-way act in which teachers deliver feedback to students, but rather an exchange between educators and learners involving relational dynamics, emotion, and degrees of receptivity.

The Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 2017

Assessment is a critical activity in the life of a professor. The authors’ interest in professors... more Assessment is a critical activity in the life of a professor. The authors’ interest in professors’ internal experiences of assessment led them to conduct a grounded theory study in which they interviewed 16 faculty teaching in social science and pre-professional programs, asking them to reflect on assessing master’s thesis and capstone projects. They identified two primary domains of assessment activity—Visible and Unseen. Within these domains, they recognized Understanding Self as the assessor and Being in Relationship with students as the core dimensions that professors described as central to assessing student work. The authors propose a model of professors’ internal experiences of assessment and suggest that a deeper understanding of the relational and emotional dynamics of teaching situates faculty to be more intentional and effective in responding to students and student work.

Relational practice is the currency of student affairs. While student affairs practitioners are e... more Relational practice is the currency of student affairs. While student affairs practitioners are educators and teach everything from conflict resolution to resume writing, the essence of student affairs work is far more than practical content and that its real power resides in meaningful interactions and longer-term developmental relationships. More than ever, students access information 24/7 online and yet they still choose to connect with student affairs practitioners. I believe this desire for connection indicates that students get more from these interactions and relationships than information. Something vital happens in this relational space and Relational Cultural Theory (RCT) helps us understand this phenomenon.

SAGE Research Methods Cases, 2014

In the course of a typical week of graduate study, which interactions with faculty are meaningfu... more In the course of a typical week of graduate study, which interactions with faculty are
meaningful to students? Having previously studied meaningful academic relationships,
we wanted to focus specifically on the incident level of interactions between students
and faculty. We wanted to record not only the obviously significant conversations but
also the routine interactions that were important at the time but might not be memorable
years later. We determined that critical incident technique would allow us to isolate
specific faculty and student interactions and to understand what led up to those
interactions and the outcomes or impacts of those interactions. Additionally, we wanted
to explore why students considered these particular interactions to be meaningful. In
this Methods in Action case, we provide a detailed description of how we applied critical
incident technique to answer our research questions—from conception of our research
question to gathering, analyzing, and reporting our data.

Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, Feb 17, 2014

Meaningful interactions with faculty can help graduate students’ progress successfully through th... more Meaningful interactions with faculty can help graduate students’ progress successfully through their academic work, develop scholar-practitioner identity, and begin to cultivate academic relationships and relational skills that will help them succeed. These outcomes emerged from a critical incident technique study in which we interviewed 21 master’s students. Based on the findings, we propose individualized attention as an organizing theme to help us consider how to intentionally engage with our students from a relational perspective. The concept of individualized attention, as developed in this inquiry, suggests: invitation, engaged presence, care, and enthusiasm as elements of the relational practice of teaching and learning.

Intellectual mattering, the experience that our thinking matters to another person, is an intent... more Intellectual mattering, the experience that our thinking matters to another person, is an
intention we can bring to our work with students and also an outcome of that work. The idea of
intellectual mattering emerged from qualitative research on teaching and learning interactions
and relationships and is further explicated by extant mattering literature and relational cultural
theory as well as possible selves, authentic teaching, and interpersonal boundaries in teaching
and learning constructs. I propose that experiences of intellectual mattering can increase student
confidence and motivation and can also fuel the transition in which students move from seeing
themselves as receivers of knowledge to seeing themselves as co-creators of knowledge. While
based primarily on research in the higher education domain, intellectual mattering shows
promise for application in youth and workplace mentoring contexts as well.

International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

Determining and maintaining interpersonal boundaries with students is an ever-present yet rarelyd... more Determining and maintaining interpersonal boundaries with students is an ever-present yet rarelydiscussed element of teaching graduate students. Where to meet students for advising appointments, how much to self-disclose in the classroom, and whether to collaborate with students on community projects -these are typical of the challenges that graduate school faculty encounter regularly as classroom teachers, and program, thesis, and practicum advisors. This article is based on a grounded theory study of relational practice between master's students and professors; while the study was not designed to explore interpersonal boundaries per se, participants discussed power, position, and boundaries, thus providing significant data to explore this topic. With positive relationship scholarship and relational cultural theory as sensitizing concepts, this study included in-depth interviews of 10 matched pairs of master's alumni and professors wherein each member of the dyad considered the relationship to be meaningful. Grounded theory dimensional analysis methods were used to analyze the data and identified categories including the following: professors' awareness of positionality, professors establishing boundaries, students' awareness of positionality, and students and professors working close to the boundaries. These categories were used to examine extant literature and propose an expanded understanding of interpersonal boundaries between students and teachers.

Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, Feb 9, 2012

Meaningful academic relationships between adult master's students and their professors can both d... more Meaningful academic relationships between adult master's students and their professors can both deepen students' learning and serve as a regenerating force for professors. This study employed grounded theory methods to explore the question, "What goes on in relational practice between master's students and professors?" I interviewed ten matched pairs of recent alumni and professors who identified as having "a meaningful academic relationship." Dimensional analysis surfaced two core dimensions: reconstructing and regenerating. In reconstructing, the students' core dimension reveals the student experience of reconstructing, or understanding more deeply, theory or one's self. In the case of regenerating, the professor's core dimension identifies the professors' experience of "giving back" through their teaching and extending their professional reach by training others. These experiences serve to reinvigorate professors over the course of their careers. In addition, findings in this study resonate with sensitizing concepts including relational cultural theory and relational practice. Finally, the analysis surfaced evidence supporting authentic teaching concepts and connected these concepts to faculty and student learning partnerships.

Abstract Working with adult learners presents a unique set of interpersonal boundary questions. T... more Abstract Working with adult learners presents a unique set of interpersonal boundary questions. This chapter considers characteristics of adult learners, relevant frameworks for considering boundaries, and four specific strategies to help instructors increase clarity and intention regarding boundaries with adult students.

International students come to the United States not only to attain their educational degrees but... more International students come to the United States not only to attain their educational degrees but also to develop their careers. Faculty members can provide social and emotional support that will help students overcome culture shock and adjust to graduate student life, thus increasing students' potential to succeed academically and to develop as emerging professionals. International students, especially at the graduate level, are adult learners.

Chronicle of Higher Education, Sep 28, 2009

A neighbor is busy, a colleague is tired, a long-lost friend wants to know which 80s band best de... more A neighbor is busy, a colleague is tired, a long-lost friend wants to know which 80s band best describes me. A few of my students are

Journal of College Student Development, 1991

EJ435448 - An Interview Study of Former Student Leaders.

New Directions for Student Services, Jan 1, 1994

The senior student affairs officer who is invested in encouraging and maintaining an involved cam... more The senior student affairs officer who is invested in encouraging and maintaining an involved campus community must support a strong student government.

This handout provides recommended readings and links to videos and other resources and is intende... more This handout provides recommended readings and links to videos and other resources and is intended for those who are new to a Relational Cultural Theory perspective on teaching.

This is an example of a one-page weekly overview that I use for classes that combine synchronous ... more This is an example of a one-page weekly overview that I use for classes that combine synchronous and asynchronous work. I developed it on canva, adapting one of their templates.

University of New Mexico - Sixth Annual Mentoring Conference Proceedings, 2013

Intellectual mattering, the experience that our thinking matters to another person, is an in... more Intellectual mattering, the experience that our thinking matters to another person, is an intention we can bring to our work with students and also an outcome of that work. The idea of intellectual mattering emerged from qualitative research on teaching and learning interactions and relationships and is further explicated by extant mattering literature and relational cultural theory as well as possible selves, authentic teaching, and interpersonal boundaries in teaching and learning constructs. I propose that experiences of intellectual mattering can increase student confidence and motivation and can also fuel the transition in which students move from seeing themselves as receivers of knowledge to seeing themselves as co-creators of knowledge. While based primarily on research in the higher education domain, intellectual mattering shows promise for application in youth and workplace mentoring contexts as well.