Orienting for DS1 – 07.04.2018
This is a Reading and Writing response for 07.04.2018 with a focus on the topic of Orienting ourselves to the Discipline of Educational Research.
Orienting myself to the discipline of educational research is a necessary task at the beginning of a PhD experience. By completing an orientation, which is defined as “a usually general or lasting direction of thought, inclination, or interest” (Oxford Online Dictionary), I can begin orienteering into the research landscape by establishing some foundational directions. Within today’s readings, there are several navigational and orienting strategies. Meier (1999) and Biesta (2007) provide context to establish historical perspectives outlining where educational research has come from, thus orienting me to some essential directions. Pallas (2001) and Richardson (2001) offer some tips on how to navigate into the educational research space by detailing tips on epistemology, research, writing, and conversation within a scholarly community of learning. When orienting, it’s important to know both the ‘where’ and the ‘how’ before moving forward.
Meier (1999) and Biesta (2007) provide historical frameworks for educational research that are evidence based and norm referenced. Both authors determine that assumptions of causality and the veracity of hard data should be publicly scrutinized and debated. The need for a broader range of research techniques and a shift away from the global predominance of data driven methodologies are explored by both authors. Biesta (2007) orients towards Dewey’s “transactional theories of knowing” (p. 13) while Meier (1999) questions the hard science found within a positivist approach for ranking students. The perspective gained from these articles includes the perceived need for public, performance, portfolios of work with reviews from experts (Meier, 1999) and the position that “research cannot supply us with rules for action but only with hypotheses for intelligent problem solving” (Biesta, p. 20). These directions help me orient to some directions within the field of educational research.
Pallas (2001) and Richardson (2001) inspire directions on how to orient into the field of scholarly research. Pallas (2001) brings epistemological diversity from the perspective of a consumer and producer of educational research. Pallas (2001) suggests that a community of practice within a PhD program, that extends outward to “constellations” (p. 8), provides a safe, diversified, practice focused, and discursive space for students to examine epistemologies. Richardson (2001) encourages PhD writers to get personal, use writing as a method of discovery, to write stories that shape your life, and build academic writing within socio-historical-local contexts. By orienting me into how to proceed into the field of educational research, using writing and community conversations to find my way, these two authors provide essential navigational tools, with which to traverse the landscape.
With these historical and navigational orientations, it is important to notice that the land upon which educational research is based can be rocky, challenging to navigate, and be ‘contested terrain’ (Lagemann, 1997). As I orient toward a PhD research endeavour, I need to examine the paths others have taken, to recognize the experts as trail blazers, to consider those directions that were, and continue to be, fraught with controversy, as well as geo-locating the communities where scholarly identity can be safely explored.
References
Biesta, G. (2007). Why “what works” won’t work: Evidence- based practice and the democratic deficit in educational research. Educational theory, 57(1), 1-22.
Lagemann, E. C. (1997). Contested Terrain: A History of education research in the United States, 1890-1990. Educational Researcher, 26(9), 5-17.
Meier, D. (1999). Needed: Thoughtful Research for Thoughtful Schools, In Lagemann, C., & Shulman, L. S. (Eds.). Issues in Education Research: Problems and Possibilities, pp. 63-82. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Inc.
Oxford Online Dictionary, Retrieved from https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/
Pallas, A. (2001). Preparing Education Doctoral Students for Epistemological Diversity. Educational Researcher, 30 (5), 6-11.
Richardson, L. (2001). Getting Personal: Writing stories. Qualitative Studies in Education, 14 (1), 33–38.
