Rigor and Relevance in Research Methods

Reflections from a Professor and Alumni of an Online EdD Program

Authors

Keywords:

research methods, application-based methods, practitioner-scholar

Abstract

EdD students represent diverse individuals with established professional identities who enroll in doctoral programs seeking relevant, useable content. Instructors and program directors must find ways to incorporate rigor and relevance into the readings, assessments, and training for EdD students. This essay explores the evolution of research methods courses in an online education doctoral program. Hochbein and Perry (2013) noted that “research training need not be diluted, but rather tailored to the specific needs of scholarly practitioners” (p.182). Our narrative integrates the unique perspectives of a former EdD research methods faculty member and two recent alumni to describe one program’s efforts to maintain the rigor of doctoral research methods courses and better align student experiences to their needs and professional context. Relying on research literature and experiential evidence, we offer a rich recounting of a rationale for change and how these adjustments contributed to scholarly practitioner training and research journeys. The essay identifies requisite knowledge of scholarly practitioners and describes the integration of learning opportunities across the courses.

References

Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 191–215. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.84.2.191

Borup, J., Graham, C. R., West, R. E., Archambault, L., & Spring, K. J. (2020). Academic communities of engagement: An expansive lens for examining support structures in blended and online learning. Educational Technology Research and Development, 68(2), 807–832. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-020-09744-x

Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate. (n.d.). The CPED framework https://www.cpedinitiative.org/the-framework

Garrison, D. R. (2011). E-learning in the 21st century: A framework for research and practice. Taylor & Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203838761

Hochbein, C., & Perry, J. A. (2013). The role of research in the professional doctorate. Planning and Changing, 44(3/4), 181–195.

Karpicke, J. D., & Roediger III, H. L. (2007). Repeated retrieval during learning is the key to long-term retention. Journal of Memory and Language, 57(2), 151–162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jml.2006.09.004

Knowles, M. S. (1978). Andragogy: Adult learning theory in perspective. Community College Review, 5(3), 9–20.

Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Prentice Hall.

Lochmiller, C. R., & Lester, J. N. (2017). Conceptualizing practitioner-scholarship for educational leadership research and practice. Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 12(1), 3–25. https://doi.org/10.1177/1942775116668525

Libman, Z. (2010). Integrating real-life data analysis in teaching descriptive statistics: A constructivist approach. Journal of Statistics Education, 18(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/10691898.2010.11889477

Mezirow, J. (2003). Transformative learning as discourse. Journal of Transformative Education, 1(1), 58–63. https://doi.org/10.1177/1541344603252172

Shea, P., Richardson, J., & Swan, K. (2022). Building bridges to advance the community of inquiry framework for online learning. Educational Psychologist, 57(3), 148–161. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2022.2089989

Zimmerman, W. A., & Kulikowich, J. M. (2016). Online learning self-efficacy in students with and without online learning experience. American Journal of Distance Education, 30(3), 180–191. https://doi.org/10.1080/08923647.2016.1193801

Downloads

Published

2023-04-24

How to Cite

Borkoski, C., Chipps, J., & Roos, B. (2023). Rigor and Relevance in Research Methods: Reflections from a Professor and Alumni of an Online EdD Program. Impacting Education: Journal on Transforming Professional Practice, 8(2), 47–51. Retrieved from http://impactinged.pitt.edu/ojs/ImpactingEd/article/view/326

Issue

Vol. 8 No. 2 (2023): Themed - Reimagining Research Methods Coursework for the Preparation of Scholar-Practitioners

Section

Themed-Reimagining Research Methods Coursework for the Preparation of Scholar-Practitioners

License

Copyright (c) 2023 Carey Borkoski, Jeannie Chipps, Brianne Roos

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. The Author retains copyright in the Work, where the term “Work” shall include all digital objects that may result in subsequent electronic publication or distribution.
  2. Upon acceptance of the Work, the author shall grant to the Publisher the right of first publication of the Work.
  3. The Author shall grant to the Publisher and its agents the nonexclusive perpetual right and license to publish, archive, and make accessible the Work in whole or in part in all forms of media now or hereafter known under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License or its equivalent, which, for the avoidance of doubt, allows others to copy, distribute, and transmit the Work under the following conditions:
    1. Attribution—other users must attribute the Work in the manner specified by the author as indicated on the journal Web site;
    with the understanding that the above condition can be waived with permission from the Author and that where the Work or any of its elements is in the public domain under applicable law, that status is in no way affected by the license.
  4. The Author is able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the nonexclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the Work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), as long as there is provided in the document an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  5. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post online a prepublication manuscript (but not the Publisher’s final formatted PDF version of the Work) in institutional repositories or on their Websites prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work. Any such posting made before acceptance and publication of the Work shall be updated upon publication to include a reference to the Publisher-assigned DOI (Digital Object Identifier) and a link to the online abstract for the final published Work in the Journal.
  6. Upon Publisher’s request, the Author agrees to furnish promptly to Publisher, at the Author’s own expense, written evidence of the permissions, licenses, and consents for use of third-party material included within the Work, except as determined by Publisher to be covered by the principles of Fair Use.
  7. The Author represents and warrants that:
    1. the Work is the Author’s original work;
    2. the Author has not transferred, and will not transfer, exclusive rights in the Work to any third party;
    3. the Work is not pending review or under consideration by another publisher;
    4. the Work has not previously been published;
    5. the Work contains no misrepresentation or infringement of the Work or property of other authors or third parties; and
    6. the Work contains no libel, invasion of privacy, or other unlawful matter.
  8. The Author agrees to indemnify and hold Publisher harmless from Author’s breach of the representations and warranties contained in Paragraph 6 above, as well as any claim or proceeding relating to Publisher’s use and publication of any content contained in the Work, including third-party content.

Revised 7/16/2018. Revision Description: Removed outdated link.