The Importance of the Dissertation in Practice (DiP)

“As we consider the future and relevance of our education organizations, our leaders must be prepared to understand systems, identify problems of practice, work to remove barriers, and create solutions that are equitable and look to the future. The process and approach of the dissertation in practice sets this course. The chapters in this book are informative and essential for any practitioner-scholar doctoral program that truly wants to build organizational human capital and activate principled change.”

Carole G. Basile, Dean, Arizona State University, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College

“The Dissertation in Practice (DiP) is a vital bridge between research and praxis in academia, demanding nuanced insights to effectively navigate it. This book, The Importance of the Dissertation in Practice (DiP): A Resource Guide for EdD Students, Their Committee Members and Advisors, and Departmental and University Leaders Involved with EdD Programs, provides an indispensable set of perspectives, strategies, and foundational knowledge that are essential for understanding DiP's methods, context, and structures. Offering expert insights and covering diverse themes, questions, and information, this book serves as an invaluable resource for EdD programs, faculty, scholarly-practitioners, and anyone keen on exploring, understanding, and supporting the dissertation in practice with thoughtful rigor and innovation.”

Danah Henriksen, PhD (she/her), Associate Professor of Leadership & Innovation, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Affiliate Faculty; Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts Arizona State University

“Dr. Everson and her colleagues offer a book that helps address a compelling problem of practice for education doctoral programs: how do we provide faculty and students with the foundational knowledge to understand the origins, purpose, and structure of an applied, contextualized research capstone for aspiring scholar practitioners? The authors of The Importance of the Dissertation in Practice offer a multitude of valuable perspectives that help Ed.D. program directors, faculty, and students effectively transition to more powerful and relevant capstone experiences.”

Gary Houchens, PhD, Director, Educational Leadership Doctoral Program, Western Kentucky University

“My DiP was a reflective study that brought theory and practice together to better serve my students, college, and community. I used my voice to bring about change in my classroom and encouraged my students to use their agency as they grow and develop while maintaining an awareness of the world around them. The Importance of the Dissertation in Practice (DiP): A Resource Guide for EdD Students, Their Committee Members and Advisors, and Departmental and University Leaders Involved with EdD Programs encompasses the plans and process developed in EdD programs that made my experience possible. I encourage reading this book for all to see the planning and devotion by those involved in creating an enlightened experience for all EdD students.”

Sherisse G. Jackson, EdD Graduate, University of South Carolina and DiP of the Year Award Winner

Chapter 1 – Introduction
Kimberlee K. C. Everson

Section 1: Background to Understanding the DiP

Chapter 2 – The History of the DiP: Dissertation in What??
Jill Alexa Perry

Chapter 3 – The Practitioner-Scholar and the DiP, A Matched Pair to Redress Professional Marginalizations and Inequities
Lester A. C. Archer and Wes Cottongim

Section 2: Evaluation and Important Traits of the DiP

Chapter 4 – Evaluating the DiP: The Development of a Rubric
Lynn Hemmer, Suha R. Tamim, and Kelly M. Torres

Chapter 5 – The Problem of Practice: The Core of the Practitioner-Oriented EdD Dissertation in Practice
Kofi Lomotey

Chapter 6 – Context and Conditions of the DiP
Suha R. Tamim, Chris Summers, Leslee Schauer, Veronica Ramon, and Lynn Hemmer

Chapter 7 – Knowledge that Frames the DiP: Traditional Indigenous Knowledges—A Foundation of the Dissertation in Practice
Walter Kahumoku III and Lori Ideta

Chapter 8 – Focal Patterns of Action
Stacy Leggett

Chapter 9 – Dissertation in Practice Methodologies
Sarah A. Capello, Edwin Nii Bonney, and Maxwell M. Yurkofsky

Chapter 10 – The Impact of the DiP: Intentionality and Application of Andragogy to Reduce Anxiety and Increase Relevancy
Kelly M. Torres, Katherine Green, and Jessica Downie-Siepsiak

Section 3: Some DiP Approaches and Formats

Chapter 11 – Improvement Science: The Disquisition—A Dissertation in Practice Capstone for Developing Equity-Oriented Scholar-Practitioners
Robert Crow

Chapter 12 – Action Research and the Dissertation in Practice
Suha R. Tamim

Chapter 13 – The Group Dissertation: Re-thinking the Dissertation in Practice, Utilizing Collaborative Research Teams for Innovation
Rebecca G. Harper

Chapter 14 – Alternative Formats: Thinking Differently about Dissertations in Practice and Faculty Dissertation Mentoring
Vachel Miller and Star Brown

Section 4: Concerns and Issues

Chapter 15 – Mentoring Students
Kandy Smith

Chapter 16 – Process Issues
Maida A. Finch, Christina G. Camillo, Judith K. Franzak, Melissa M. Reid, Christine Craddock, and Rebecca L. Wivell

Chapter 17 – Generative Artificial Intelligence and the Dissertation in Practice
Kimberlee K. C. Everson

Chapter 18 – The Future of the DiP
Lynn Hemmer, Suha R. Tamim, Kelly Torres, and Kimberlee K. C. Everson

About the Authors

Index

Kimberlee Everson

Dr. Kimberlee K. C. Everson is an associate professor of research methods at Western Kentucky University where she teaches graduate-level research and statistics courses. Her methodological specialties are in improvement science, Q sorting methodology, scale development, propensity score matching, and latent variable models. She conducts research in the areas of teacher evaluation and accountability, faculty professional development, dissertation design, artificial intelligence in education, and religious belief change processes. Her work has been featured in journals such as Review of Educational Research, Harvard Educational Review, and Pastoral Psychology. Dr. Everson is the mother of 3 biological children, 5 adopted children, 7 stepchildren, and she has eleven grandchildren and counting. When she is not teaching, advising, or doing research she enjoys hiking and creating art.

Lynn Hemmer

Lynn Hemmer, educator, researcher, and practitioner of educational administration and leadership is a Professor in the department of Educational Leadership at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. She has an B.S. in Geology from California Lutheran University, and a M.A. and Ph.D. in Educational Administration from Texas A&M University. Her professional background includes over fifteen years of experience in the K12 public school setting as a teacher, school administrator and district coordinator. Her work entails supporting aspiring and current administrators and leaders in the Pk-20 setting as they generate and disseminate new knowledge in the field of critical/social justice perspective in problem/solution formation and research refinement. Her research explores the intersections of alternative education, policy implementation, and educational equity for special populations.

Kelly M. Torres

Kelly Torres, PhD is Department Chair of the Educational Psychology and Technology Program at The Chicago School. Her research interests are focused on international education, preservice teachers, innovative technologies, and online learning.

Suha Tamim

Suha R. Tamim EdD, MPH is a Clinical Associate Professor in the University of South Carolina Curriculum Studies Program. Her publications are focused on systems thinking and the design of learning environments. She is an active member of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology and the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate. She currently serves as co-editor in chief for Impacting Education: Journal of Transforming Professional Practice.