Mythology

In this Assignment, you develop the research methodology and design section following the annotated outline in the Guide.

found in the guide

The EdD program supports two types of capstones. The prospectus serves as the guide for all capstone types. The dissertation capstone follows a more traditional research capstone format to address a gap in practice supported by research literature, and does not require a local setting. The project study capstone contains two components: (a) research and (b) a practical project or deliverable to address a local problem. For the project study, the research component must be completed first and must be used to inform the project component. The four genres of the most successfully developed projects are (a) program evaluation, (b) curriculum development, (c) professional development, and (d) policy development.

Understanding the nature of the problem leads to the most appropriate research methods to acquire the information to guide development of either capstone approach. For example, policy development is often the result of a qualitative policy analysis that is indicated by the lack of a tenable policy in the local setting. This type of alignment is one of the quality indicators.

For all EdD capstone types, provide a concise paragraph that discusses the approach that will be used to address the research question(s) and how this approach aligns with the problem statement. The subheadings and examples of study design are as follows:

• Quantitative—such as quasi-experimental (e.g., repeated measures or causal-comparative studies) or nonexperimental (e.g., correlational or predictive studies) designs.

• Qualitative—such as case study, narrative analysis, historical or document analysis, phenomenological study, ethnography, and grounded theory.

• Mixed methods, primarily quantitative—for sequential, concurrent, or transformative studies, with the main focus on quantitative methods.

• Mixed methods, primarily qualitative—for sequential, concurrent, or transformative studies, with the main focus on qualitative methods.

Example found in the guide

Research Methodology and Design

The nature of this study will be mixed method with a qualitative focus. Qualitative research is consistent with understanding how students approach the work of creating a successful doctoral study problem statement, which is the primary focus of this doctoral study.

Keeping the focus on how students make sense of their doctoral study research should be consistent with Perry’s (1970) epistemological expectations at this point in their development (Gardner, 2009). To elucidate how a viable research problem emerges, objective ratings of student work products will be examined across time. This quantitative analysis should help pinpoint the amount of growth from beginning to end of the project, and it may possibly support the development of a research course curriculum related to defining research problems.