2.1 The doctoral dissertation of educational administration: a  (Page 9/11)

NCPEA’s current theme of “Knowledge Based Leadership” warrants the need to examine the knowledge based implications of the doctoral dissertation of educational administration. As an advocate of students and social justice, I respond to this call by introducing the dissertation’s inherent integration of knowledge and morality. What follows is a subjective and sequential outline for developing the dissertation process in accordance to the two themes.

Proposed Stages of Moral Dissertation Development

Stage One—Logic Based Reflections. Pre Dissertation Stage (Dewey,1912) indicated that the classroom is the place that provides students with the knowledge to cure the ills of society. As such, doctoral classes of educational administration should consist of discussions and debates on how coursework activities relate to professions and society. These socially just experiences should also inspire students’ selection of their topics for the dissertation.

Stage Two—Reflective Awareness. Dissertation Stage. During this stage, students must gain a clear understanding of the ethical and moral significance of their dissertations. Sternberg (1981) explained that students should be guided on conducting research in a manner that connects them to the sociopolitical status of people. As such, the doctoral dissertation of educational administration should empower students to conduct research that connects them to their subjects.

I believe that the dissertation committee must facilitate these efforts. Isaac, Quinlan, and Walker (1992) indicated that doctoral committees play a significant role in determining the quality of the dissertation experience. They indicated that the committee determines the organization of the content and influences students’ feelings about the topic of interests. Their research on dissertations showed a correlation between students’ feelings about the dissertation experience and interactions with committee members. This finding reinforces the teacher’s role in shaping the cognitive and affect domain of graduate students’ beliefs (Giroux&McLaren, 1994). This finding also supports the notion of doctoral programs’ considerable influence on students’ views about school leadership (Harris, 2005).

Thus, doctoral committees of doctoral dissertations of educational administration should actively help students to realize the moral and socially just aspects of their work. They should begin this process during the proposal defense stage with the following questions:

• “How does your dissertation topic reflect the overall theme of coursework?”
• “Explain your dissertation topic’s relevancy to your current professional place of employment?”
• “What are the just and democratic themes of your proposed topic of study?”
• “How do you plan to engage in postdoctoral use of your dissertation to improve your profession and community?”

The dissertation committee should also require and assist students with reflecting on the socially just implications of every chapter. In conducting the literature review, students should reflect on the socially just implications of previous scholars’ reasons for connecting theories to society. Additionally, they should develop the methodology by connecting with their human subjects. They should also use the same approach to complete the remaining chapters and then prepare for using the study to educate other people. The committee should also sustain their efforts by modeling appropriate research techniques and investigations for students.