EDU626 : Developing Teacher Leadership through Research / Implementation of Capstone Research Project

This course introduces action research as a powerful agent of educational change. The class will enhance candidates’ existing abilities to use action research principles in their roles as teacher leaders not only as critical consumers of research but as researchers themselves. Candidates will explore quantitative and qualitative research methodologies and understand the roles of various methodologies and data in action research that addresses issues of candidate achievement. Candidates will develop skills to be critical consumers of information and research in the field of education, exploring issues such as research design, population sampling, data collection instruments and methods, and data analysis in contemporary research. Working toward the implementation of their Capstone Research Project, candidates will refine their review of literature, design the study, develop research questions, and operationalize key terms and processes in an action research project to test their hypotheses. Candidates will explore research ethics and related regulations. Candidates will complete the Institutional Review Board application and submit their Capstone Research Project Research Proposal to the IRB for review. Candidates will implement the Capstone Research Project in their professional practice. They will collect, analyze, and report data; draw conclusions; prepare a written analysis of the conclusions in light of existing research; and make suggestions for future research. This course is designed to provide opportunities for candidates to demonstrate scholarship and teacher leader skills by reporting their findings in an educational setting such as a presentation at the school level and an educational conference proposal.