Slow and Steady: Shifting Organizational Dynamics Through Research-Practice Partnerships One Practitioner-Scholar at a Time (Poster 1)

• In Event: What Is the Value-Add of Research-Practice Partnerships?

Abstract

Objectives:
Transformational research-practice partnerships (RPPs); those that provide long-term, mutual benefits for both the district and the university, have recently gained momentum as a mechanism of meeting the research needs of districts (Coburn et al., 2013), with research finding promising impacts on K-12 student learning (Coburn & Penuel, 2016). Little research appears to focus on the gains on the researchers’ side, however, particularly when the RPP seeks to also build the capacity of Ed.D. students, often called practitioner-scholars, who typically consist of practicing teachers, principals, and district administrators. This study sought to investigate whether involving practitioner-scholars in the work of the RPP provides a sustained, capacity-building experience. Does this engagement with the RPP produce individuals who continue to conduct and disseminate research over time within these same partner districts?

Perspective(s) or theoretical framework:
This study utilized the lens provided by Henrick et al.’s (2017) five-dimensional framework of RPP effectiveness, with focus particularly on dimension five: building the capacity of participants.

Methods, techniques, or modes of inquiry:
Case study methodology was utilized for this study due to the choice of the study within the bounded system, the RPP itself (Yin, 2014), in addition to the triangulated approach across multiple sources of information, including surveys, interviews, and artifacts (Creswell & Poth, 2018).

Participants in this study included 67 graduates from 8 cohorts of one Ed.D program, all of whom completed a research project for a partner school district as part of the RPP. The majority of the students were experienced education professionals (i.e., the mean was 17 years of experience in education), and held teaching or administrator positions of varying levels and positions.

Data analysis. The data were analyzed to collectively create a case description (i.e., within-case analysis) and find case themes (Creswell & Poth, 2018). Rating-scale data from the surveys were analyzed using medians and frequency counts, while open-ended data were analyzed qualitatively using both inductive and deductive coding (Miles et al., 2014).

Results and/or substantiated conclusions or warrants for arguments/point of view:
These practitioner-scholars described positive impacts of participating in the RPP, both in terms of building capacity, serving the local community, and enhancing their identity as a researcher. Practitioner-scholars described how participation in RPP work “gave me a lot of confidence,” “is a great tool to get EdD students ready for the dissertation process,” “lets us apply our new skills,” “provides something useful to school districts,” and “fulfills the mission of the university.”

Scholarly significance of the study:
This research has the potential to fill research gaps on the impact and design of partnerships, specifically on potentially influencing organizational change. One participant summed it all up well: “I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of writing a report for a district. I also very much appreciated the skills I developed while doing the report. I felt like I was doing something important and at the same time gaining such great research experience.” Change takes time. Slow and steady – one practitioner-scholar in an organization at a time.

Authors

• Nicole Ralston, University of Portland
  Presenting Author

• Jacqueline C. Waggoner, University of Portland
  Presenting Author