Transcript CPED Influence on the Redesign of the Education Doctorate

WEBINAR
REDESIGN OF THE
EDUCATION DOCTORATE –
INQUIRY AND RESEARCH
Stephanie J. Jones, Ed.D.
Texas Tech University
Ed Bengston, Ph.D.
Kara Lasater, Ed.D.
Maureen Murphy-Lee
University of Arkansas
C o p yri g h t 2 0 1 4 b y t h e C a rn e g i e P ro j e c t o n t h e E d u c a t i o n D o c t o ra t e , In c . (C P E D ). T h e f o re g o i n g m a t e ri a l m a y b e
u s e d f o r n o n c o m m e r c i a l e d u c a t i o n a l p u rp o s e s , p ro v i d e d t h a t C P E D i s a c k n o wl e d g e d a s t h e a u t h o r a n d c o p yri g h t
holder. Any other use requires the prior written consent of CPED.
OVERVIEW
 CPED Principles and Design Concepts
 Background to Study
 Process of Redesign
 Unique Pedagogies
 Learning Environments
 Inquiry and Research Course - Content
 Inquiry and Research Course – Sequencing
 Inquiry and Research – Differences Between EdD &
PhD
 Faculty & Student Perceptions Inquiry and
Research Courses
 Challenges with Inquiry and Research Courses
CPED PRINCIPLES
 CPED has two (2) working principles (4 and 5) that guide
inquiry and research in the professional doctorate (EdD) in
education:
4. Provides field-based opportunities to analyze problems of
practice and use multiple frames to develop meaningful
solutions.
5. Is grounded in and develops a professional knowledge base
that integrates both practical and research knowledge, that
links theory with systemic and systematic inquiry.
(“Definition of and Working Principles,” n.d., para. 6)
CPED DESIGN CONCEPTS
 CPED has two (2) design concepts that define program
components that support the development of the Scholar
Practitioner related to inquiry and research:
 Scholarly Practitioner blends0 practical wisdom with
professional skills and knowledge to name, frame, and solve
problems of practice; and
 Inquiry as Practice is the process of posing significant
questions that focus on complex problems of practice. By
using various research, theories, and professional wisdom,
scholarly practitioners design innovative solutions to address
the problems of practice. (“Design Concept Definitions,” n.d.,
para. 2-6)
BACKGROUND TO STUDY
 In order to explore how the first phase of Consortium
members of CPED have addressed these working principles
and design concepts in their redesigned education
doctorates, a research study was conducted in 2012 by
faculty and Fellows from the Consortium member institutions
 A mixed-methods, multi-case study was conducted of the
redesign processes of the education doctorate at 21 of the
25 original CPED member institutions
 A subsequent web-based survey was administered in 2014,
to the 21 study institutions that addressed their experiences
in the redesign process specific to inquiry and research
 10 responded
 Of the 21 study institutions, 11 are designated as very high
research activity, 5 as high research activity, and the
remainder as some research activity
PROCESS OF REDESIGN
 Many of the study institutions used the CPED
working principles and design concepts to guide
their redesign process
 These helped to frame the discussion around the
distinction between the Ph.D. and Ed.D.
 They provided guidance for redesigning failing EdD
programs
 The provided guidance for redesigning programs
that were not conducive to student completion
UNIQUE PEDAGOGIES
 Signature pedagogy is defined as “a set of practices used to
prepare scholarly practitioners for all aspects of their
professional work ( http://cpedinitiative.org/design -conceptdefinitions, para. 3)
 Interest in if signature pedagogy is tied to inquiry and
research and what pedagogies are used to teach inquiry and
research skills
 Inquiry is the process of asking questions that focus on
complex problems of practice and using “various research,
theories, and professional wisdom to design innovative
solutions” (http://cpedinitiative.org/design-conceptdefinitions, para. 4)
UNIQUE PEDAGOGIES
 Majority of study institutions did not identify an inquiry or
research focus in the description of unique pedagogies
utilized in instruction
 Pedagogies used were implicitly connected to the skill set
needed for inquiry and research analysis such as “emphasis
on knowledge/theory connections” and “real -world problems,
data-driven decisions”
 Action research was identified by multiple institutions as the
method used for improving practice and the ability to
conduct action research is a skill needed by change agents
in the field of education
UNIQUE PEDAGOGIES
 Comparison of the curriculum between existing EdD and the
redesigned CPED-influenced program identifies a more
“problem-centric” focus in the redesigned EdD
 Allows students to utilize inquiry in practice to identify the
problem, as well as determine what analysis tools and
theories can be used to develop solutions for the identified
problem
 Many institutions utilize laboratories of practices within a
course or through internship projects that allow students to
engage as scholarly practitioners throughout the program
UNIQUE PEDAGOGIES
 Some institutions took a direct approach in addressing inquiry and
research skill accumulation and demonstration
 Established three phases of coursework in their redesigned
program
 Phase 1 - focused on research design, quantitative analysis, and
qualitative analysis
 Phase 2 - explores theories and frameworks related to the field
of education leadership
 Phase 3 - apply these skills to complete a capstone project that
applies field-based inquiry, using professional and theoretical
knowledge, to understand a problem in practice
 Some institutions identified problem-solving and gap analysis as
pedagogies they emphasized
 At some institutions, students learn basic statistical concepts and
techniques that constitute the foundation of quantitative research,
and learn to utilize research and evaluation in practical situations
UNIQUE PEDAGOGIES
 Through the redesign process, some institutions have added
new courses that address research design and development
and program evaluation, with specific course content related
to application of critical frameworks and theoretical
constructs
LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS
 Learning environments were described as emphasizing
application of inquiry and research skills in the local context,
with students’ jobs (their laboratories of practice) embedded
into course assignments
 Allows students to apply theory to practice in authentic settings
 Inquiry and a focus on research-practice connections
appears to be more central and stronger in the redesigned
program curriculum based on the discussion of the redesign
efforts of the EdD at the study institutions
INQUIRY AND RESEARCH COURSE
CONTENT
 Foci of courses include epistemological perspectives and
approaches to systematic inquiry, applied research and
measurement, as well as program evaluation, assessment,
and planning
 Students begin framing their problem in practice, reviewing
relevant literature, and drafting synthesis of that literature in
their first courses
 In second strand of courses, students are exposed to key
frameworks and theories that have bearing on educational
leadership and their problems in practice
 Utilizing field-based experiences, students are able to make
meaning of lenses to form new meaning, which can be
applied immediately to leadership practice
INQUIRY AND RESEARCH COURSE
CONTENT
 An analysis of the data collected through the web-based
survey indicates that colleges and programs have taken
different approaches for developing student inquiry and
research skills
 These approaches include:
 Four research-focused courses -- qualitative methods,
quantitative methods, and two general courses on inquiry
 Courses that are a hybrid blend somewhere between a
traditional approach and action research
 Mostly mixed-methods approaches -- research is embedded
into four courses and students learn the appropriate designs
and methods needed to collect and analyze data in these
courses
INQUIRY AND RESEARCH COURSE
CONTENT
 Incorporate a generalist approach in student research
training
 15 hours of research coursework in program of study
 Students' programs include field studies in educational
settings (qualitative), quantitative courses covering basic
concepts up through regression models, evaluation using
mixed methods, survey research design, and sometimes
historical research techniques
 A new inquiry sequence that is styled after the CPED themes
and principles: data-based decision making, program
evaluation, and action research
INQUIRY AND RESEARCH COURSE
CONTENT
 Courses in qualitative and quantitative methods, both of
which are specifically designed for educational leaders
 Courses in research design as well as program evaluation
 There are also a series of inquiry courses that are related, which
include Leaders and Data, Research Ethics and IRB, and Data
Reporting
 The development of an introductory course on reading
research that will better prepare students to think
conceptually about research design as they move into their
methods courses
 More institutional research examples and discussions have
been incorporated into survey research and evaluation
courses
INQUIRY AND RESEARCH COURSE
CONTENT
 More intentionality about understanding what skills
practicing educational leaders really need in order to
effectively conduct authentic inquiry in their professional
practice
 Focus is on using the statistical analyses and software most
often used by practicing educators
 Focus is on preparing students to read, understand, and
critically analyze scholarship
INQUIRY AND RESEARCH COURSE
SEQUENCING
 Research courses are taken towards the beginning of the
program
 At some institutions, research courses are taken throughout
the program
 Some require one after the other -- beginning with databased decision making as one of the first courses
 Some begin in the second semester and proceed throughout
the rest of the three-year program
 Some programs purposefully delay qualitative courses until
students have more conceptual and topical knowledge as
this is necessary for the development of analysis
INQUIRY AND RESEARCH COURSE
SEQUENCING
 Some programs require students to take a year-long
research design course during their second and third
semesters in the program
 Take qualitative methods the third semester and quantitative
methods the fourth semester
 Program evaluation is taken during the fifth semester
 Inquiry series courses are taken during the second, third, and
fifth semesters respectively
 Many courses intersect with the other courses being taught
in a semester
 Example is when students take the Program Evaluation
course, they are also taking a course on Data Reporting,
which includes content/skill development in surveys and
effective presentation of data
INQUIRY AND RESEARCH
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN EDD & PHD
 Research courses are offered to both EdD and PhD students
 Some programs continue to allow students to self-select (with
guidance from their advisory committees) their program of
study
 An EdD student is more likely to take at least one course in
all areas of research methods (quantitative, qualitative, and
evaluation), and think about mixed methods to serve multiple
audiences
 A PhD student may follow one track to a more sophisticated
level of research design suitable for scholarly publication to a
discipline based audience but with less potential to share
that research with a practitioner audience
INQUIRY AND RESEARCH
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN EDD & PHD
 Two major differences in research courses are in terms of
the content and the delivery
 Example is that the content is focused on what skills these
individuals need in order to be effective, and those skills differ for
EdD and PhD students
 Some programs do not distinguish between EdD and PhD
research courses
 The faculty have had more conversations about what students will
use research methodologies for and this may affect the examples
provided in class
 All inquiry and research courses are embedded within the
program of study for the EdD but may function as
standalone for the PhD
FACULT Y & STUDENT PERCEPTIONS
INQUIRY AND RESEARCH COURSES
 Some faculty would like EdD research courses to be more
rigorous
 Faculty perceive that college/program is moving in a positive
direction relative to the intensity of research blocks
 Before CPED-influenced redesign, the general feeling was much
less positive
 In many programs, students and faculty seem satisfied with
the approach that is being taken with inquiry and research
courses
 Faculty at some institutions noted that students have a
difficult time aligning research questions with methods of
study and analyses, and understanding the impact of
literature reviews on all of that
FACULT Y & STUDENT PERCEPTIONS
INQUIRY AND RESEARCH COURSES
 Prior to the redesign process, perceptions were that the
courses were not as thoughtful regarding the needs of
practitioners, but changes have been implemented over the
past year
CHALLENGES WITH INQUIRY AND
RESEARCH COURSES
 Challenges with delivery of inquiry and research courses:
 The bureaucracy of the university (e.g., silos, protecting turf)
has been the biggest challenge to effective delivery and
scheduling of research courses -- particularly the research
blocks
 Faculty who are not well versed in a particular method is
problematic
 Getting a breadth of knowledge while still having enough
confidence in the research skills to design a specific study
for a specific question continues to be a challenge for
students
CHALLENGES WITH INQUIRY AND
RESEARCH COURSES
 Students are told that they will be expected to use the skills
they are learning to design their own studies, but in early
coursework they treat it more like a cookbook and have
trouble "cooking without a recipe" later
 There have been challenges in terms of delivery of inquiry
and research courses due to the structure of the program
requires certain courses to be taught at each site and
certain courses to be taught across the cohort
 The Capstone experience is still a traditional five chapter
dissertation
 Action research is not a good fit for the five chapter
dissertation and we continue to grapple with redesign and
development of a Capstone project
 The five chapter product remains an expectation of the
college – this remains a hard sell
CONCLUSION
 Evidence is showing that redesigned EdDs are:
 Preparing leaders who can combine research skills with practicebased expertise, who have the skills and knowledge to analyze
problems of practice using multiple frames
 The redesigned EdDs have an applied focus – and focus on
problems in practice
 Some of the study institutions have preliminary results that suggest
both the time to completion and rate of completion will increase
under the revised program.
 Capstones are client-based and very positive feedback has been
received that the discoveries and recommendations are extremely
helpful
 Students indicate that they learn a lot through the process
REFERENCES
 Definition of and Working Principles for EdD Program Design.
(n.d.). The Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate.
Retrieved from http ://cpedinitiative.org/working -principlesprofessional-practice-doctorate-education
 Design Concept Definitions. (n.d.). The Carnegie Project on the
Education Doctorate. Retrieved from
http://cpedinitiative.org/design -concept-definitions