EDUS 702, Spring 2020

Have you ever thought about the potential for unintended consequences in acquiring disciplinary expertise?     While one might assume that you see the rewards as worth the risks, this might not be the case, as some of you might be in the program more for the post-credential opportunities than for a genuine desire to become an “expert.” How does all of this relate to your situation and also to the current state of   Doctoral Education in Education Golde  and  Walker (in "Extras" folder) ?             

     Note something from this article with which you disagree (note: I assume that reading this paper was a different experience for those with P-12 experience and those without.     That said, he made a sufficient number of bold claims so I’m sure everyone can disagree with something he said). Why do you disagree with it?     Did Labaree give words to any tensions that you feel as you head down the road of the educational researcher?     If so, explain. 

How did Pring’s Ch. 1-2  and Labaree leave you feeling about the possibility of educational research to be scientific? What obstacles do you see to realizing the vision of a scientifically-based ed. research and are they insurmountable?

Do you see any overlaps between Becker’s talk about writing and what we’ve discussed so far in this class? If so, discuss. If not, feel free to weigh in on any aspect of Becker.

Comment on Pring’s take on the quant./qual. tension. Do his ideas conflict with most of what you’ve heard about the two approaches to research? Does he say anything surprising? Disturbing? 

At the end of Chapter 6, Pring warns us to “beware of the -isms…”. That said, try to make sense of where you see Pring fitting in, “-ism-wise.” Alternative prompt: link something that you read in your Ed Researcher article to Pring or something else we have discussed in class.

Ask a question in light of your reading of Chapter 7. Here’s your chance to ask about positivism, postmodernity, etc. 

Consider Biesta’s vision of democratic research. What, if anything, about it seems novel or unusual?  From what you’ve learned thus far, what sort of place do you see for this kind of work in the world of educational research?  

M Pring raises a lot of interesting questions about just how objective we can hope to be with social science/educational research and, consequently, about the potential worth or these sorts of inquiry. He also sees action research as a potential way to do work that matters…discuss.

Chapters 6 and 7 really dig in about some of the emotional/psychological aspects of writing difficulties. What I am looking for in your posts are some reactions to the chapters. Some possibilities include discussion fo whether you could related to what Richards was discussing about risk in Chapter 6 or where you see yourself tending to fit into Becker's Chapter 7 tension between "making it better" vs. "getting it out the door." 

Humility is a word that has been thrown around a lot during our time together. What does it mean to you in the context of educational research and, more specifically how might it relate to your field of study/discipline.

At some point this semester, please post a link to an article, video, website, etc. that made you think about something we’ve done in class. Also, please provide a brief discussion about whatever you submitted. This has no due date, but my hope is that you will check it periodically and read what your classmates are posting (feel free to comment, too).