Teaching Critical Inquiry and Applied Research

“Benedetti and Covarrubias have superbly and thoroughly tackled the issue of doctoral-level critical thinking and the teaching of applied research by assembling an impressive list of contributing faculty authors. Applied research in scholar-practitioner doctoral programs need not (and should not) rely on a single approach to designing and conducting research; this book and the authors have given readers—both doctoral faculty and students—abundant and significant alternatives for mastering applied research in EdD programs as a crucial step to becoming truly empowered as scholar-practitioners and leaders.”

Craig A. Mertler, PhD, Associate Professor of Action Research & Quantitative Methods, Barry University

“This is a text faculty can immediately use to take their methods instruction to another level. The authors speak directly to the unique challenges and opportunities of Ed.D. programs in supporting their students to use applied research to transform educational practice. The chapters showcase a diverse range of perspectives and methodological approaches that constructively disrupt the rigid dogma often associated with research methods instruction. Themes of equity, empowerment, and leadership flow throughout the text, providing a vision of the potential impact this learning can have on students and the field.”

Sheldon Watson, PhD, Associate Professor and Ed.D. Director, Central Connecticut State University

“This book offers a much-needed toolkit for faculty teaching critical inquiry and applied research in EdD programs. For faculty seeking to teach and learn alongside their students, these chapters offer a plethora of resources for ensuring courses are rigorous, relevant, and accessible. If you are looking for innovative ways to equip scholar-practitioners with the research skills they need to lead meaningful change, this book is a must-read!”

Noelle A. Paufler, PhD, Associate Professor and Ed.D. Program Coordinator, Clemson University

“This edited volume is a must-read for anyone interested in designing, redesigning, or improving an EdD program. A true page-turner, this book will keep you engaged from the inspirational forward by Johnny Saldaña to the diverse biographies of its student and faculty contributors. Each chapter explores the unique design of a CPED-affiliated EdD program. Individually, the chapters detail the innovative ways these programs are preparing and supporting EdD students to engage in critical inquiry and applied research to impact a problem of practice. Collectively, the chapters demonstrate the power of the CPED Framework to inspire us all.”

Deanna Hill, PhD, JD, EdD Program Director, Drexel University

“Teaching Critical Inquiry and Applied Research is a must read for those of us connected to EdD programs and education transformation. The stories and writing speak authentically to the experiences of EdD programs and learners centering criticality, practice, scholarship, and justice and this is a thoughtfully constructed read for anyone in and considering an EdD program and its possibilities for disruption and change. This text is especially important for those of us creating and re-imagining why EdD programs exist and how they can serve as spaces of community, scholarship, and practice.”

Samantha Cohen, Ed.D., Senior Professorial Lecturer, American University

Acknowledgments

Dedication

Foreword by Johnny Saldaña

Introduction by Christopher Benedetti and Amanda Covarrubias 

Chapter 1. Developing EdD Students’ Critical Inquiry Abilities Using Action Research by Ray R. Buss

Chapter 2. Scaffolding the Research Process: Mitigating Imposter Syndrome Before the Dissertation by Ryann N. Shelton, Nicholas R. Werse, and Brenda K. Davis

Chapter 3. Demystifying Research Methods for EdD Students: A Practical Inquiry Approach by Eric Ludwig

Chapter 4. Empowering Leadership Through an Engaged Pedagogy to a Leadership Theory Classroom by Kevin J. Bazner and J. Suzy Ponton

Chapter 5. “I Am Not Wrong:” Eliminating the Traditional Gaze From Black Feminist Practitioner-Oriented Dissertation Research by Marquita D. Foster, Danelle Adeniji, Lovis M. Nelson-Williams, Rashonda D. Harris, and Ashley Gibson

Chapter 6. Roads Toward Scholarly Practice: Applied Research in the Educational Leadership EdD by Vincent Cho, Martin Scanlan, and Julia Carlson

Chapter 7. Applied Research Methods for Continuous Improvement Inquiry Practices in an EdD Program by Margaret Terry Orr

Chapter 8. The Practitioner Inquiry Course Sequence: Centering Improvement Science in the Design of an EdD Program by Sarah A. Capello, Edwin Nii Bonney, and Maxwell Yurkofsky

Chapter 9.  Intentionality and Application of Andragogy to Reduce Anxiety and Increase Relevancy by Corina R. Kaul

Chapter 10. Designing Research Curriculum to Connect Theory, Research, and Practice in an Online Professional Doctorate by Swapna Kumar, Kara Dawson, Albert D. Ritzhaupt, Maya Israel, and Pasha Antonenko

Chapter 11. The Realistic Heuristic by Brian Robert Taberski

Chapter 12. Designing Dissertation Courses for the Dissertation in Practice: Both Dissertation and Practice by Nicholas R. Werse, Sandi Cooper, Jessica Padrón Meehan, and Laila Y. Sanguras

Chapter 13. The Dissertation in Practice and the Responsible Conduct of Research by Carla Thompson and Joan Nkansah  

About the Authors

Index

Christopher Benedetti

Christopher Benedetti, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, where he teaches research methods and dissertation writing courses in the Doctor of Education program. His research interests include K-12 school leader behaviors and dispositions, equitable K-12 school leader preparation and development, and innovative research methodologies. Dr. Benedetti has presented, both nationally and internationally, and published on a variety of topics, including leader preparation and succession, teacher burnout and satisfaction, college student ethics, research methods, and adult learning in online and virtually simulated settings. He also co-edited the book, Sports and K-12 Education. He is a former middle school language arts teacher, basketball coach, and elementary school principal.

Amanda Covarrubias

Amanda Covarrubias was born and raised in Weslaco, Texas. Growing up, her mother emphasized the importance of education. It was this core value that motivated Amanda’s educational career. She moved to Kingsville, Texas to attend college, obtaining both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree. Amanda currently resides in South Texas with her husband, Jeremy, and two children Hurley and Priscilla, with another on the way. She works as an elementary teacher and is pursuing her doctorate in Educational Leadership. Amanda is interested in continuing her research by focusing on K-12 education topics and how to better serve students.