The Educational Researcher Defined: What Will Future Researchers Be Trained to Do?

Abstract

Researchers have conducted studies of curriculum for doctoral students in various disciplines and subdisciplines. In this study, the authors examined methods (e.g., quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods) requirements for doctoral programs in education. Such requirements operationalize visions about the meaning of educational research and the functions that educational researchers should be able to perform. Findings also provide implications about (a) the history of educational research and (b) in which direction it seems to be moving. Approximately 72% of doctoral programs that the authors observed required at least 1 quantitative course, 42% required at least 1 qualitative course, and the mean number of required research methods courses was 2.6 (Mdn = 2.0, SD = 2.2).