Rutgers University

Graduate School of Education

Excerpted from EdD Student Handbook

Part IV: Dissertation

The EdD culminates with an approximately 15 month dissertation experience. The dissertation requires students to identify and investigate a problem of practice using current literature and inquiry methodology. Students are encouraged from the beginning of the program to identify a problem of practice that will be the focus of their dissertations. As they progress through the EdD, they work with their advisors in a group setting to develop their research and refine their writing skills.

The Problem of Practice Dissertation Definition

A problem of practice dissertation describes a challenge in educational practice, seeks empirically to investigate the challenge and/or test solution(s) to address the challenge, generates actionable implications, and appropriately communicates these implications to relevant stakeholders.

Dissertations that investigate or test solutions to a challenge in educational practice typically formulate research questions that in some way ask “What’s going on here?” or “What happens when I, we, or they” do….?”

“Appropriately communicates” could mean policy briefs, journal articles, curriculum designs, evaluation reports, etc. Communication should be matched to audience.

“Stakeholders” (in addition to the dissertation committee) could include colleagues, supervisors, administrators, parents, community members, policy makers, etc.

The EdD dissertation should:

•focus on a problem of practice that is relevant to the student and his/her professional context (when possible)

•have direct implications for policy and practice

•uphold common standards of high quality (well written, rigorous and coherent approach to methodology, thorough grounding and bounding, etc.)

•have a final chapter that outlines how this study helps/informs everyday work of practitioners and a section that makes specific suggestions for improved practices based on the findings of the study

Dissertation Description

The following description provides a set of options regarding dissertation types, audiences and formats. While it is not all inclusive, it is designed to provide a broad range of options for developing and carrying out dissertation research that is of use in addressing educational challenges identified by our students.

The purpose or goal of the dissertation will drive its focus. Examples of a range of purposes/goals include:

1. Problem identification and implications for intervention dissertation (asks “What’s going on here” and “what should we do about it?”)

or

2. Design of instructional, organizational, or systemic initiative or intervention dissertation (Proposes specific and detailed solution to problem of practice. The emphasis is on design based on problem identification and review of relevant research, but would include an evaluation design and some evaluation data and implications)

or

3. Evaluation of intervention or initiative dissertation (comparison study of two or more interventions or control compared to intervention(s) that asks “What happens when we…?”)

or

4. History/Phenomenology of an educational problem or issue dissertation (Uses historical or phenomenological data to inform thinking about problems of practice)

Each type of dissertation will involve the systematic collection and analysis of data or primary source material.

Dissertations may be written for a variety of audiences (single or multiple) from those most directly involved at a local level to a more public group of interested users/readers who could be described as:

1. Proximal (self, teachers of same grade level or department, school leaders, other colleagues, and GSE faculty)

and/or

2. Semi Proximal/Semi Distal (School district, school board, practitioners in outside of building but in same district, colleagues working in other close by or similar sites, parents, community members, and GSE faculty)

and/or

3. Distal (field, client, policy makers, GSE faculty)

The dissertation format can be adjusted to best suit its purpose and audience. Suggested formats include:

1. Traditional five part/chapter format, includes problem statement, literature review, research design, findings, discussion, and implications

or

2. Traditional format plus change theory includes traditional chapters plus a chapter on change theory that informs decisions regarding intervention/initiative selection and process used to implement

or

3. Multiple products for multiple audiences (e.g. policy white paper, executive summary, literature review, detailed description of research methodology including analysis strategies that could of use to other practitioners/researchers investigating similar issues)

or

4. Design Description and evaluation includes detailed design description of intervention or initiative, rationale, evaluation plan, and findings of evaluation.