Foundations of Educational Research

Catalog description

Students read the philosophical foundations of education research, study how philosophies influence methodologies, and analyze current educational problems. This course is designed for students entering doctoral programs in the College of Education. Our students are studying to become education researchers within a highly politicized environment. For example, particular definitions of education research and government policies that favor some types of research practices over others provide opportunities for and set limits upon the work of education researchers. Public controversies likewise contribute to challenges faced by education researchers who find their work affirmed or discounted by particular definitions and policies. In order to explore these controversies and to allow students to begin identifying their own "positionality" with regard to research, this course begins with a reading of the history and philosophies of education research (primarily focusing on the United States). The course goals are: - to identify underlying assumptions of competing forms of social inquiry, each determined to uncover new knowledge; - to bring those assumptions to bear on education research in chosen fields of study; and - to begin to develop one's own positions in order to direct further study and research. Specifically, through instructor facilitation and group discussions, students will come to understand major philosophical perspectives that permeate and drive research methodologies in education: positivism, postpositivism, interpretivism, critical theory, poststructuralism, and pragmatism. These understandings allow students to recognize the methodological assumptions that inform published research studies and to discover how methodologies might inform the research they wish to conduct as students and practitioners. Although the course is not required by any particular doctoral program in the College of Education, it is suggested for students who consider research important to their future careers and who see benefits in exploring the methodological options available.