| ID | post_title | author | post_excerpt | layout | permalink | published | post_date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1363 |
Unit 1 Learning Activities |
Colin Madland |
page |
true |
2017-11-24 06:49:51 -0800 |
By now you are well aware of the applied nature of the MA in Leadership program. This feature may be an important part of what attracted you to the program! Why then study research methods? Why worry about scholarly inquiry? This course in scholarly inquiry will help you to develop systematic thinking skills applicable in all realms of leadership and everyday life. As Plano-Clark & Creswell (2015) note, research adds to your professional knowledge, informs your position in policy debates, and contributes to the improvement in your practice (pp. 4-5). Moreover, our leadership practice is ideally evidence-based; that is, based on evidence derived from systematic scholarly inquiry.
According to Plano-Clark and Creswell (2015), "research is a process of steps used to collect and analyze information in order to increase our knowledge about a topic or an issue" (p.4) and it is different then informal research.
- Read Chapters 1 and 2 of the Plano-Clark and Creswell (2015) text.
- Start a Reflective Learning Journal and answer the questions below. This journal is not submitted or graded, but is an opportunity for you to reflect on, and engage with, the course content. The questions posed will often help you prepare for your assignments and are designed to help you successfully achieve the learning outcomes for each unit.
- In your reflective learning journal, explain how you would define research.
- Describe what your experience is with "research". Have you taken an undergraduate statistics course? Is this your first time learning about research? Have you published your own scientific paper?
- Discuss the differences between informal research (everyday problem solving) and scholarly inquiry (formal research).
- Note that some of these questions will be addressed in your Blog assignment for this unit. See Unit 1 Assessment for more details.
A worldview is "an interpretive framework through which one makes sense of themselves, other people, and the world around them" (Geisler & Watkins, 2003). It is like a pair of glasses that you wear when you are observing things about yourself, other people and the world in which you live. Here is a short video by the Impact 360 Institute (2014) that explains "What's your worldview?"
It is important to be aware of your worldview before you enter into the research journey because it will inform the types of questions that you ask as well as the processes that you use to find the answers to your questions. As an example, let me explain a Christian worldview and explore how this worldview can be applied to the research journey.
A Christian worldview asserts that God has created the world and everything in it, and that truth is arrived at through a study of God's specific revelation (the Bible) and general revelation (creation). Christians believe not only in studying and understanding truth, but they also believe in a personal God that has revealed Himself through this created world.
The Christian worldview can be summarized in three words: Creation, Fall and Redemption. Let me unpack these terms. Initially, when God created the world, it was all good and whole and harmonious. God created man in His own image. Originally man was created healthy in body, soul and spirit (Genesis 1:26-27, 31). As people rebelled against God, causing the Fall, the presence of sin corrupted all aspects of God's good creation, and brought about much suffering. Where there was formerly harmony and wholeness, we now experience ourselves, our relationships and the world around us as fractured, broken and full of dis-ease (a literal discomfort with who we are) (Genesis 3).
Despite the brokenness, Christians believe that God is actively working to bring about restoration and wholeness to His entire creation. Through Christ’s redemptive work on the cross, people are reconciled to God and are challenged to make all things as they were created and meant to be – very good. Redemption means that all things are made new in Christ (Colossians 1:19-20).
The framework of Creation, Fall and Redemption is important because it allows us to enter into a discussion about research with confidence knowing that God’s redemptive work touches this area. Christians believe that we are called to study creation with the desire to take the knowledge we gain and use it to help and bless others; to work toward the restoration and healing of God’s creation. Christians are called to inquire, to investigate, to ask questions, always with a view to serve others.
It is beyond the purpose of this course to go deeper into this topic other than to make the point that our way of knowing and understanding the world around us (i.e., our worldview) influences how we approach all of life, including how we approach research and how we use research to inform our decision-making process.
In your reflective learning journal, answer the following question:
- Do you agree or disagree with the proposition made above that one’s worldview influences the types of questions that you ask, and the processes that you use to find the answers to your questions?
On what basis are sound decisions made? What evidence do leaders rely upon for best outcomes? The need to evaluate evidence for best practices in leadership decision-making is widely acknowledged. Patton (2001) observes that “the emphasis on knowledge generation disseminated in the form of best practices has swept like wildfire through all sectors of society” (p. 329).
We often refer to the vision of best practices in leadership within the MA in Leadership program (see Kirkham 2004). What do we mean by this? Put simply, “best practices” refers to those practices and initiatives that result in the best possible outcomes. How do we know what best practice is? The process of identifying best practices begins with an understanding of common sources of evidence available to leaders.
Take a moment to think about a recent decision you made as a leader. On what did you base this decision? Previous experience? Values? Company policy? Empirical evidence (e.g., data derived from research)? Expert opinion?
Systematic inquiry (as represented by research) is one tool that leaders can use to inform best practices and their decision making process. Systematic inquiry is hardly new – in first century writings we see in the Bible evidence of systematic, logical, and empirical inquiry. Consider the following passage from Luke, a physician trained in empirical methods of his day:
Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. (Luke 1:1-4, NIV)How does the research process differ from managerial activities such as decision-making and problem solving? Research shares with decision-making and problem-solving the systematic and disciplined procedure of identifying an issue/problem, deciding on an approach, formulating a plan, collecting and analyzing data, drawing conclusions and implementing decisions based on this rigorous process. What distinguishes research from generic or everyday problem solving is its commitment to advance or generate knowledge that typically will be communicated to the larger academic or scientific community. The past two decades have produced remarkable growth in the area of foundations of research and research methodologies within natural, applied, and social sciences and humanities.
In your reflective learning journal, answer the following questions:
- Describe at least one example of a decision you have made as a leader.
- Consider the factors that went into that decision making process (e.g., values, research, policy, past experience, expert opinion).
- Discuss how scholarly inquiry applies to everyday decision making.
The Scholarship of Discovery (traditional research) falls into two distinct genres: quantitative research and qualitative research. Each of these genres manifest in numerous variations, including hybrid models involving both quantitative and qualitative elements designed to address different research questions.
Boyer’s Scholarship of Integration is “the attempt to arrange relevant bits of knowledge and insight from different disciplines into broader patterns that reflect the actual interconnectedness of the world” (Boyer as cited in Jacobsen & Jacobsen 2004, p. 51). Scholarship of Integration often demands interdisciplinary collaboration and requires that the critical analysis and review of knowledge be followed by the creative synthesis of views and insights.
Boyer's Scholarship of Application is “the scholarship of engagement; seeking to close the gap between values in the academy and the needs of the larger world” (Boyer cited in Jacobsen & Jacobsen 2004, p. 51). In the Scholarship of Application, knowledge is applied to the solution of societal needs and practice. In most cases, knowledge stemming from the Scholarship of Discovery and the Scholarship of Integration informs the solutions to particular problems. The Scholarships of Discovery and Integration are often associated with the context of formal education (Bosher 2009, p. 6).
Finally, Boyer's Scholarship of Teaching is “the scholarship of sharing knowledge” (Boyer cited in Jacobsen & Jacobsen 2004, p. 51). The Scholarship of Teaching involves the reflective analysis of the knowledge about teaching and learning. This knowledge base itself is the product of the Scholarships of Discovery, Integration and Application combining as “active ingredients of a dynamic and iterative teaching process” (Bosher, 2009, p. 5).
Boyer’s typology originally identified as the Scholarship of Teaching has been expanded somewhat and is widely known today in the literature as the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (Bosher, 2009). You have undoubtedly already noticed an ambiguity: If the entire model is called the Scholarship of Teaching, how is it that the last element is also called the Scholarship of Teaching? This ambiguity is evidence, Bosher contends, that Boyer’s four domains were conceived holistically as elements that overlap and interact, not as discrete elements, appearing in any predictable order, and are better viewed as an operating system than a list of elements (2009, pp. 4-5).
This course will provide the background necessary to critique empirical research studies, rather than to guide you in carrying out your own research (scholarship of discovery). Put another way, you will be learning about various research methods (e.g., quantitative research, qualitative research, and mixed methods) so that you can gain proficiency in becoming a critical consumer of research.
- Read the following articles that speak to the importance of evidence-based practices in leadership. The articles below can be found through the TWU library or through the hyperlink provided.
- Trybus, M. (2007). Understanding scientifically based research: A mandate or decision making tool? Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, 73(4), 5-8.
- Pfeffer, J. & Sutton, R. I. (2006). Evidence-based management. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2006/01/evidence-based-management
- In your reflective learning journal, discuss the following questions:
- How did the authors of the articles conceptualize evidence-based decisions?
- What is considered as "evidence"?
- In your own words, why is evidence-based decision-making important in leadership?
- Note that some of these questions will be part of your Blog assignment for this unit. See Unit 1 Assessment for more details.
Boyer, E. (1997). Scholarship reconsidered: Priorities for the professoriate. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Bosher, R. (2009). Why is the scholarship of teaching and learning such a hard sell? Higher Education Research and Development, 28(1), 1-15.
Covey, S. (2004). The seven habits of highly effective people: Powerful lessons in personal change. New York, NY: Free Press.
Geisler, N., & Watkins, W. D. (2003). Worlds apart: A handbook on world views (2nd ed.). Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock.
Gill, J., & Johnson, P. (2002). Research methods for managers (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Greenleaf, R. K. (1977). Servant leadership: A journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness. New York, NY: Paulist Press.
Jit, R., Sharma, C. S., & Kawatra, M. (2016). Servant leadership and conflict resolution: a qualitative study. International Journal of Conflict Management, 27(4), 591-612.
Jacobsen, D., & Jacobsen, R. (2004). Scholarship and christian faith: Enlarging the conversation. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Leedy, P., & Ormrod, J. (2010). Practical research: Planning and design (9th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Patton, M. (2001). Qualitative research and evaluation methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Penner, D. (2017). INQUIRY 1SS3: Inquiry in the social sciences [Syllabus]. Hamilton, ON: McMaster University. Retrieved from https://socialsciences.mcmaster.ca/courses/inquiry-in-the-social-sciences/david-penner-c08-winter-2017
Plano-Clark, V., & Creswell, J. (2015). Understanding research: A consumer’s guide (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Sire, J. (2014, February 14). Eight questions every worldview must answer. Retrieved from https://www.christianity.com/theology/other-religions-beliefs/8-questions-every-worldview-must-answer.html
Spears, L. C. (1995). Reflections on leadership: How Robert K. Greenleaf's theory of servant leadership influenced today's top management thinkers. New York, NY: John Wiley.
Zigarelli, M. (2003). Worldview at work: Understanding how your co-workers think, what persuades them, and what does not. Retrieved from http://www.christianity9to5.org/worldview-at-work/