Three Graduate Students, Becoming Methodologists

• In Event: Methodologists, Who Needs 'Em?

Abstract

Overview, Significance, and Perspectives

Educational research is a complex, diverse, and yet, fragmented field (Moss et al, 2009) with a history of epistemological, theoretical, and methodological unrests and paradigm shifts that continue to challenge conventions of social science (Paul & Marfo, 2001). The unique texture and epistemological fluidity of educational research apply no small pressure on professors concerned with raising a generation of scholars who will “drive paradigms” (Wolgemuth, 2015, p.1); champion social justice and view research as a “public good” (Schoorman, 2017, p.116); meet the challenges of unintended simplification and generalization of research in policy-making and classrooms (Moss et al, 2009); be respectful of disciplinary traditions, and yet, capable of crossing disciplinary boundaries (Paul & Marfo, 2001); divorce “methods-driven” social science in favor of fresh, meaningful approaches to research (St. Pierre, 2016).

The latter is a topic of special interest to us three educational research, evaluation, and measurement (REM) students from two large universities. We were introduced to each other by our professors who challenged us to examine “being/becoming methodologists.” (J. Wolgemuth & C. Manley, personal communication, May 30, 2019). As an academic minority in the much larger group of doctoral students from “content-area subfields” (Paul & Marfo, 2001, p.35), we have a unique perspective on learning interdisciplinarity and on the role of methodologists in educational research. The purpose of this study is to provide a voice for doctoral students to acknowledge our agency in our development as methodologists and perhaps, to better understand why a student may choose this career path.

Methods

In order to examine both our personal experiences, as well as understand the broader experience of being a graduate student preparing to become a methodologist, we chose to conduct an autoethnographic study (Ellis, Adams, & Bochner, 2011). We began by centering our data collection around several unstructured group discussions. In these discussions, we arrived at a few working definitions of methodologists, as well as tensions related to becoming methodologists. At each meeting, our conversation turned to personal narratives of our academic journeys--how we each made the decision to apply to the REM program, how our personal understandings of expertise, credibility of research, and perceived expectations of others continue to shape our academic identities. To further explore these narratives, we examined our personal statements of purpose we wrote to accompany our applications to the REM program, engaged in reflexive writing about becoming researchers and methodologists, and studied REM program descriptions from several universities to learn how colleges of education conceptualize the term methodologist.

Results

During our examination we concluded that at this point in our training, we have no clear definition of a “methodologist” because multiple contexts of research, the mentorship of our professors, and our own histories and perceptions continue to add new facets to our understanding of the term. We also found this lack of certainty pushes us to master skills beyond our comfort zones, to critically evaluate methodological conventions and educational policies, and to explore new ways to think and do research.

Authors

• Anna V. Gonzalez-Pliss, University of South Florida - Tampa

• Julie Stewart Thomas, University of Florida

• Stephanie Green, University of South Florida - Tampa