Stephanie J. Jones, Ed.D. Texas Tech University Ed Bengston, Ph.D. Kara Lasater, Ed.D. Maureen Murphy-Lee University of Arkansas Copyright 2014 by the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate, Inc. (CPED). The foregoing material may be used for noncommercial educational purposes, provided that CPED is acknowledged as the author and copyright holder. Any other use requires the prior written consent of CPED. WEBINAR REDESIGN OF THE EDUCATION DOCTORATE – INQUIRY AND RESEARCH

 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 OVERVIEW

 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 PRINCIPLES

 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) CPED DESIGN CONCEPTS

 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 BACKGROUND TO STUDY

 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 PROCESS OF REDESIGN

 Signature pedagogy is defined as “a set of practices used to prepare scholarly practitioners for all aspects of their professional work ( definitions, 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” ( definitions, 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 UNIQUE PEDAGOGIES

 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 LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

 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 CONTENT

 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 data- based 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 COURSE SEQUENCING

 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 INQUIRY AND RESEARCH DIFFERENCES BETWEEN EDD & PHD

 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 FACULTY & 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 FACULTY & STUDENT PERCEPTIONS 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 CHALLENGES WITH INQUIRY AND RESEARCH COURSES

 Evidence is showing that redesigned EdDs are:  Preparing leaders who can combine research skills with practice- based 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 CONCLUSION

 Definition of and Working Principles for EdD Program Design. (n.d.). The Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate. Retrieved from professional-practice-doctorate-education  Design Concept Definitions. (n.d.). The Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate. Retrieved from REFERENCES