Teaching
Comparative and International Development Education (M.Ed.)
This course explores the history, theories, methodologies, and major debates in the field of comparative and international education (CIE) – a field united by the belief that one’s own educational system and practice can be improved by examining other ways of teaching and learning. It is also a field enlivened by differences of approach and scope, and by divergent views on what it means to ‘compare’ two or more schools, education systems, or societies. Theories and research in CIE, while all rooted in comparison, span historical periods, geographical regions, and scholarly disciplines (e.g., sociology, economics, international relations, demography). This course seeks to introduce graduate students to CIE and its constantly shifting boundaries. It explores the actors, organizations, institutions, research topics and policy issues, which provide the dynamics for the field’s vitality. Given CIE’s diverse theoretical and empirical roots, the course draws upon different literatures and sources to examine the field’s history and current status. The course is organized around lectures, assigned readings, and – most significantly – class discussions. We will approach comparative education by looking at changes in the dominant approaches to the field.
Education Policy and Research in Developing Countries (Undergraduate)
This course seeks to increase students’ knowledge of current issues and institutions influencing education policy in developing countries. We will explore topics, issues, and debates related to education research, policy, and planning globally. The course is designed to engage students in theoretical, but more so empirical and practical applications of current research and knowledge in international education. Through investigation and engagement with scientific research and case studies on these issues, students will consider, compare, and critique a range of analytic perspectives on global education policy and policy making. Through class discussion, interactive activities, group projects, data analysis and a number of written exercises, students will develop informed perspectives on important issues related to educational planning in a global context.
Education Policy Analysis and Evaluation (Ed.D.)
This course will outline fundamental issues in the analysis and evaluation of education-related policies, examine prominent evaluations that have been conducted on a local, national, or international scale, and engage students in learning how to approach policy evaluation. The aim is to equip students with an understanding of what it takes to design an effective educational policy analysis. Students will learn to situate policies within their relevant historical and social context, use existing literature to guide the development of research hypotheses, and select analytical methods to answer relevant research questions to assess the impact and effectiveness of existing education policies. The methodological approaches covered include experimental and quasi-experimental designs, secondary analysis of large-scale data, and cost-benefit/cost-effectiveness analysis. Additional topics include forming research questions and hypotheses, visually displaying data, and creating valid conclusions while accounting for potential biases in sampling design, measurement, and data structure. Addressing statistical skills such as creation of rating scales and factor measures, weighted regression, hierarchical models, and multivariate techniques for conducting policy analysis and evaluation.
Research Methods(M.Ed.)
This course familiarizes students with the concepts and tools involved in research design for the social sciences, with a special emphasis on the field of education. The main purpose is to introduce students to quantitative and qualitative methods for conducting meaningful inquiry and research, with quantitative research being the area of primary focus. The methodological approaches covered include observational, experimental and quasi-experimental design. Students will learn the basics of education research design, the predominant methodological approaches, and will gain the skills to become critical consumers of research related to education policy. The course does not provide detailed training on the application of specific methods (these are covered in EDLF 640, 641, 646, and 665), but rather focuses on overall design, including the strengths, limitations, and constraints of various methodologies. After completing this course, students should be able to read, identify underlying assumptions about, and critique social research, as well as identify a variety of research methods and determine which methods might be best for answering certain research questions.
Quantitative Inquiry II (Ed.D.)
This course will cover the process of quantitative data inquiry, including quantitative research and evaluation within education. Students will learn to use conceptual frameworks to form research questions and hypotheses, generate or access relevant data, create graphical displays of survey data, and create valid conclusions. Students will learn to account for potential biases in sampling design, measurement, and data structure. Application of statistical skills for analyzing survey data such as creation of rating scales and factor measures, testing for reliability, and techniques for analyzing continuous, ordinal, and nominal data. The course will also cover principles and procedures for conducting program evaluations.
Doctoral Seminar (Ed.D.)
This doctoral seminar offers new EdD students with an introduction to doctoral studies, and provides them with some of the essential skills they will need to be successful in their studies and research. We will address what it means to be a doctoral student and a scholar-practitioner in general terms, as well as discuss more specifically what it means to be a doctoral student at BYU and within the EDLF program.