Research Design

Catalog description

Focus will be on the development of a theme for the student's transformative leadership project. The Transformative Leadership Project provides opportunities for doctoral candidates to engage in leadership-related, authentic, action-research experiences in approved settings. Balancing theory with practice, working under the mentorship of an Ed Leadership Professor in collaboration with a superintendent or assistant superintendent, candidates will be immersed in the realities of practice and hone their research skills while solving relevant, school-based challenges. After a detailed needs assessment, the students will be required to decide on one program in their school district that needs to be improved. Doctoral candidates will utilize the design process in order to identify an organizational challenge, create a solution, implement, measure, and redesign as appropriate. Sessions will encompass a blended learning model where candidates will have the opportunity for face to face experiences with peers as well as virtual sessions and ongoing support. Learning activities are experiential and research driven, reflect the School of Education's Conceptual Framework, and are linked to the leadership paradigm advocated by the 2015 Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (Standards 1-10) and 2011 ELCC Standards (1-7). In addition to guiding students through an action research project, this course will address theoretical, philosophical, and epistemological questions around action research. We will discuss the tradeoff's that come with action research compared to more traditional research-how can insider status better inform research, and what might we lose compared to traditional research methods? How can the actions research framework better solve organizational problems, and on the other hand what insights may be lost by focusing on a single organization's questions or problems? This seminar will meet once a month for the fall and spring semesters. In addition to being a research design class, the class will also guide students through the actions research process that they can employ in other research, as well.