Part 1: Introduction, Informal & Formal Research
Hi everyone! My name is Lara and I’m the very proud mom of two kids, ages 17 and 20. Professionally, I’m an educator in the lower mainland and love what I get to do for a living. You might assume based upon my profession that I am very familiar with formal research. However, I actually don’t know a lot about it and don’t really know how to read/interpret/write a research article other than what I learned a looooong time ago. I’m excited to dust off the learning cobwebs and get started!
Informal & Formal Research
Informal research is what we do everyday without even thinking about it. As a teacher, I take daily polls of my students by asking them questions which aids in formative learning assessments. I watch my students conduct informal research while they experiment with challenges in class, as they try out various possibilities until they find a solution that works for them. We constantly gather data in our everyday lives, we just don’t necessarily analyze it or question it further or report out on it.
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Formal scholarly inquiry research according to Clark and Creswell (2015), involves asking a question, collecting data and analyzing the data in order to answer the question that was posed. Formal scholarly inquiry findings can be found shared in books, journal articles that have been peer reviewed for authenticity and in early stage materials such as conference papers, theses and papers posted on websites (Clark & Creswell, 2015).
Part 2: Leadership Factors, Decisions & Scholarly Inquiry
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As the Department Head within my school community, one of my responsibilities is to help prepare the roll-out of Career Education for all Grade 9 students. It is a difficult and challenging task as the curriculum is to be embedded within regular classrooms without a set assigned teacher. My position was built to coincide with the implementation of brand new curriculum. In order to help assist with this transition period, a decision I made was to prepare a 3 year Career Education Action Plan for our school by enlisting help and input from members of our team.
Some of the factors that shape my decision making process as the Career Education Department Head at my school are:
- First and foremost, asking the question “Is this what’s best for kids or a particular student?”
- What curricular goals are we trying to meet and implement?
- Will this decision enable us to continue to build and grow a sustainable culture within the school?
- Will this be engaging and inspiring for our students and staff?
- Would I want to do this? If not, how can I expect someone else to?
- How will this be authentically assessed?
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Scholarly inquiry applies to everyday decision making, especially in the field of education. We live in an age where students (and most adults) just automatically turn to google to look for answers to what they want to know. Unfortunately, in the midst of this process, they sometimes take at face value the first thing that pops up believing it to be factual without questioning the source’s authenticity or the possible bias of data presented. I try to teach my students the importance of asking essential questions and of digging deep to get the answers that they seek. As an educator, I continually seek ways that will aid me in improving my teaching methods and practices by reading books, watching TED talks and attending professional development workshops. I especially love to listen to people’s stories and learn from their shared experiences. A story teller in particular that I love to learn from is Brene Brown. Any information gathered that has proven to be successful in my classroom, I continually share through school district workshops, in department and whole school meetings and via my professional development network on social media like Twitter as well as through peer mentoring of new teachers.
Part 3: Evidence Based Decisions
I was initially shocked to discover that according to Pfeffer and Sutton (2006) only about 15% of doctors base their decisions on evidence, relying instead on “obsolete knowledge gained in school, long standing but never proven traditions, patterns gleaned from experience, the methods they believe in and are most skilled at applying, and information from hordes of vendors with products and services to sell” (Pfeffer & Sutton, 2006, p.1). Upon further reflection, I realized that many educators (myself included) are at times guilty of the exact same decision making practices. It isn’t that there isn’t enough information out there, it’s that there is so much of it, it’s hard to wade through what is reliable and specifically applicable to any particular situation. Pfeffer and Sutton (2006) make an excellent point when they refer to decisions being driven by “dogma and belief” and as “people are overly influenced by ideology, they often fail to question whether a practice will work because it fits so well with what they know” (Pfeffer & Sutton, 2006, p.3). According to Trybus (2007), “a balance needs to be struck between professional wisdom and empirical evidence” and that it is “only through application and utilization of research balanced with professional wisdom that sound decision making can occur” (Trybus, 2007, p. 8). In order to make evidence based decisions, it is important to ask the questions “Why does a given practice enhance performance?” and “What is the logic that links it to bottom-line results (Pfeffer and Sutton, 2006, p.6)?”
As leaders, evidence based decision making is important because it
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enables you to evolve as a team and sustain growth as an organization. By demonstrating and committing to a growth mindset you build confidence and gain trust amongst the team players. Pfeffer and Sutton (2006) state that as leaders the most important thing is to be willing to admit what you don’t know. By involving the team in the decision making process, you create a new cultural norm, as most sustainable decisions require everyone’s commitment and ownership buy in to be successful. As an educational leader and a classroom teacher, I concur with Trybus (2007) when she states “decision makers cannot assume that teachers will be committed to a decision regardless of how it came about unless they are part of the process associated with reaching that decision (Trybus, 2007, p.8)”. Evidence based decision making is essential in schools so that educators will continually be challenged to do what is best for kids.
A parting question for you…
As a leader within your organization, do you find it difficult to challenge past practices that team members continue to use that are no longer justifiable? How do you initiate integrating evidence based changes? What research sources do you use most frequently to build your knowledge base?
Resources
Pfeffer, J. & Sutton R. I. (2006). Evidence-based management. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2006/01/evidence-based-management.
Plano-Clark, V. & Creswell, J. (2015). Understanding research: A consumer’s guide. (2nd Ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Trybus, M. (2007). Understanding scientifically based research: A mandate or decision making tool? Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, 73(4), 5-8.
Hi Lara,
Thank you for the information shared.
To the first part of your question, I would say yes it is challenging to challenge the status quo; especially when it becomes a part of the culture of the organization. I believe that approach sometimes is the issue in bringing change. When we used terms like evidence-based, or study to justify change more often we found resistance. However, when we tackle it from a “there is something that can make you better” perspective, it evoke curiosity and people are most often to the suggestion. I will past the third part of your question.
PS: Please let me know if you are able to see my page and blog
First, I agree with the questions you ask when looking at new curricula. One very important thing is to have the objectives mapped out and very clear. If you know what the objectives or goals are you can move forward and know what success looks like.
Second, your question brings me back to the quote from Trybus “decision makers cannot assume that teachers will be committed to a decision regardless of how it came about unless they are part of the process associated with reaching that decision (Trybus, 2007, p.8)”. Change the word ‘teachers’ and replace it with ‘anyone’ and that leads to a great principle of adult learning or coaching. People are much more inclined to accept change and implement it if they have had some say, tapping into their expertise in coming up with great solutions. Objectives have to be considered, but great leaders open up problem solving to others. It must be very different when the decisions effect children who don’t necessarily have the skills at young ages to problem solve for curriculum decisions.
Thank you for your introductory post Lara. It is nice to get to know you a little and read about your experience with research and leadership decisions. Thank you also for your reflection on the articles for this week. I will post a summary shortly for the entire class.
Have a great week.
Dr. Strong
Hi Lara,
Great question. This is indeed a challenge within many organizations and depends on the end users, who’s instituting the change, what preconceived notations people bring and what evidence is available. Change is hard for many people and I find in a group some are resistant, some have jealousy issues and don’t want to support the person implementing the change and others just simply don’t want to commit the time. For any major organizational change I find following project management best practices work best. Starting with a Project Charter signed by leadership. It sets the tone for the employees and lets them know it is a strategic mandate of the organization. Having a project timetable, budget and task list also helps employees to focus on small tasks and so the changes seems to take place gradually instead of all at once. All that said I understand that not all changes allow for time in which case having a good relationship with staff will go a long ways in them trusting the leaderships decision making abilities. Best of luck to you Lara!