Dissertations of Practice vs.Capstones – this is not an either/or distinction – Bothare focused on significant educational issues and the primary audience is a specific educational setting or settings Both can be distinguished from PhD dissertations (which focus primarily on creating new generalizable knowledge and theory development) Regarding inquiry coursework and experience – if you want to train practicing physicians, don’t train them to be medical researchers – The Inquiry skills should match the goal

The Dissertation in Practice at the USC Rossier School of Education Robert Rueda & Rudy Castruita University of Southern California

What are the key components of the EdD that we expect students to be proficient in?

Problem solving – framing problems of practice that are concrete, significant, and solvable, and tied to the mission and priorities of the organization Diagnosing and verifying underlying causes Leveraging research-based solutions

Inquiry Understanding and critically evaluating research Ability to investigate problems of practice, their causes, and solutions, with a variety of methods and approaches as appropriate

The General Model

•  In the USC program, we employ a thematic group option

•  While a small number of students do independent work with a chair, the majority of students participate in a thematic group

•  This format was created both for reasons of efficiency but to build on the social nature of learning and collaboration skills which will be needed in future career work

•  All new dissertation chairs are paired with an experienced chair the first time

The Dissertation of Practice or Capstone May Include: •  Consultancy model – gap analysis or other problem-

solving approach •  Thematic groups in a range of approaches •  Traditional 5-chapter study •  Three article design •  Policy brief/analysis •  Evaluation •  Other approved projects or products

Some of the Common Problem Solving Models

The following are non-negotiable elements for any dissertation of practice or capstone: • The work includes a problem statement and framing of the approach, which establishes the rationale and significance of the work

• The current literature is used as a foundation for the work and approach at key points: framing the problem, synthesizing what is known about the problem, and informing the solutions and implications of the work

• The work is systematic and represents sufficient effort to serve as a capstone

• The product represents a contribution to urban educational practice

• The product and process serve as an opportunity to demonstrate the ability to apply theory and research to solving or informing an educational problem

• The work demonstrates the ability to present ideas and arguments and evidence in a logical, systematic, and coherent fashion in both written and oral formats

SOME CURRENT MODELS SOME OF THE BASICS KEY COMPONENTS

A RANGE OF INQUIRY TYPES

NON-NEGOTIABLE ELEMENTS

CONCLUSIONS

How Are These Competencies Expressed?

In the USC Program, we expect dissertations of practice and capstones to exhibit the following characteristics

Addresses an educational issue Focused on some aspect of urban education Focuses on a significant problem of practice Demonstrates proficiency in Inquiry skills and methods as appropriate to the problem  

What is the Dissertation of Practice or Capstone? “Expectation is that students will prepare a scholarly project that demonstrates a synthesis of the student’s abilities, lay the groundwork for future practice scholarship, and demonstrate mastery of ability to frame and critically inquire in to a significant educational problem of practice.” (CPED website)

Characteristics Enduring and important problems of practice (and not theory expansion as the primary goal) Collaboration with others, and Field-relevant data collection and analysis strategies.

DISSERTATIONS OF PRACTICE

•  In the USC program, we employ a thematic group option

•  While a small number of students do independent work with a chair, the majority of students participate in a thematic group

•  This format was created both for reasons of efficiency but to build on the social nature of learning and collaboration skills which will be needed in future career work

The Most Common Configuration Consists of A Thematic Group: •  The thematic group consists of 8-10 students with a

dissertation chair; •  The thematic group meets as a class for two semesters

during the dissertation process (faculty get the course credit)

•  Students work on a common problem or around a common theme;

•  Each student has a different research questions or focus within the theme or problem area

•  Students produce an individual dissertation

Some Common Variations: •  Faculty may pair up and serve as co-chairs for a group

(this is a requirement for new chairs who have not led a thematic group before)

•  Thematic groups may use common research questions and/or common methodologies

•  Alternatively, some groups may pursue a common theme but students pursue their own questions and use their own methodology

•  Students may work individually or in teams

•  Dissertations often follow a standard five chapter format, but there are variations depending on the thematic group – Gap Analysis projects often have a literature review chapter on the background of the problem and a separate literature review chapter leter which is solely focused on solutions

•  Students may produce individually authored dissertations (the most common approach) or they may collaborate and co-author some of the chapters while still producing their own final product (care is taken to credit authorship)

•  A small number of students elect not to join a thematic group and complete a dissertation indivdually

•  Note that in any of the preceding configurations, the actual focus of the work may range from a problem-solving project for a local end user as the audience to a more traditional study which may contribute to more generalizable knowledge and a larger external audience of researchers

WHAT ABOUT INQUIRY COURSES?

It is an oversimplification to say that the PhD is a research degree and the EdD is a practice degree – Inquiry skills are important important in both In general, inquiry in the service of generating new generalizable knowledge and theory development characterizes the PhD In general, inquiry in the service of addressing or solving a significant problem of practice characterizes the EdD It is a mistake to think that Dissertations of Practice do not use theory, just as it is to think that Ph.D. dissertations never have practical application or address important social and/or educational issues

For further information contact Robert Rueda (rueda@usc.edu) Rudy Castruita (rcastrui@usc.edu)