Beyond Anecdotal Evidence of Problems of Practice: A Document Analysis

• In Event: 79.051 - MTCC Roundtable Session 37
  In Roundtable Session: 79.051-9 - Research and Problems in Practice

Abstract

Educational leaders often implement improvement initiatives based on the notion that if an intervention worked in one environment, it should work in another. Such one-size-fits-all interventions often lack complete understanding of the problems of practice (PoPs) the initiatives are designed to solve and often fail to produce impactful, sustainable improvement as a result. In this study, we used document analysis to investigate the process and types of evidence (e.g., literature, anecdotal, secondary data) that students used to frame PoPs in EdD dissertations within CPED consortium member institutions (N=51). Initial results suggest that students predominantly cite literature as evidence of their PoPs and rarely use primary empirical data as evidence. Practical suggestions are offered to substantiate PoPs with methodologically sound evidence.

Authors

• Lesley F. Leach, Tarleton State University

• Credence Baker, Tarleton State University

• Catherine Genice Leamons, Tarleton State University