Studying Institutional Engagement: Utilizing Social Psychology Research Methodologies to Study Law Student Engagement

In The Architecture of Inclusion, Susan Sturm outlines a framework for developing inclusive institutions and for building the structural supports necessary to sustain inclusiveness.1 She develops three ideas key to the task of creating and facilitating institutional inclusiveness: 1) the development of a norm of institutional citizenship as a justification and goal for diversity initiatives, 2) the development of new institutional roles among those she calls “organizational catalysts,” who are charged with energizing the pursuit of full institutional participation, and 3) attention to the role of institutional intermediaries in providing and sustaining accountability for the change process.2 The broader underlying theoretical question of Sturm’s analysis is: How do institutional environments impact the experience of all institutional members, and particularly those who are typically on the margin of inclusion? In order to address this broad question, we must engage in a systematic process of exploring and identifying those institutional factors that impact inclusiveness, and subsequently developing evidence-based practices for creating environments that aim to promote inclusiveness at all levels. Drawing on the theories of and literature on social psychology,3 we suggest that social factors or situational cues of inclusion versus marginalization are powerful forces that affect the engagement of traditionally marginalized individuals within legal education institutions. In this Article we outline a methodology for the study of institutional engagement among law school students during a critical transition period. We draw on research and theory in the field of social and developmental psychology to provide insight into the types of experiences and factors that may compromise en-