Teaching Research Evidence Use through the Education Doctorate

Y

16

Doctoral Programs; Evidence; Research Utilization; Education Courses; Doctoral Students; College Faculty; Administrators; Capacity Building; Research Skills; Communication Skills; Research Training

Arizona; Massachusetts (Boston); Oregon (Portland); Michigan

0032-0684

The education doctorate provides advanced leadership preparation to educators in several English-speaking countries. We explore how four American education doctorate programs teach evidence use. Educational leaders are key brokers of research evidence but usually lack the necessary skills. We employed a multiple case study design. Data were collected by document review; interviews with faculty, students, and university administrators; and direct observations of learning situations. We explored how the programs developed students' skills at assessing, conducting, and communicating research. The programs' strength is in developing students' capacity to assess research and conduct applied studies. They were developing ways to enhance students' ability to communicate research studies and understand the political, culture-building aspects of communicating evidence. Individual dissertation programs taught graduates to design research fitting the local contexts. Group dissertation programs taught graduates to build teams and address conflict. Findings offer suggestions for teaching capacity to generate, communicate, and use evidence for all EdD programs. By pointing out gaps in preparation, we suggest that EdD programs should attend more to preparing graduates to communicate findings and understand the communication challenges they face. This is one of the few studies to explore how EdD programs promote capacity to conduct and use research.

As Provided

2021

EJ1284305