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Developing my own definition of good research has been a difficult process. My inability
to define a succinct definition I can defend has caused me to contemplate my progress as a
doctoral student as I struggle to make the shift from practitioner to researcher. This critical
transition that Lovetts (2005, p.138) spoke about has now begun. However, I did not truly
realize how critical or difficult this transition would be. Making the transition from teacher to
researcher, therefore, calls for a potentially drastic change in the way students look at education
and their work as educationists (Labaree 2003, p.16). As a consumer of research, I realize now
that I never truly knew the definition of good research. I viewed research as a practitioner,
reading to glean information for best practices that I could apply to my teaching. Now however, I
know that there is so much more to good research. As one of the students that Labaree (2003)
spoke about, I now take my next step towards my transition to become one of the educational
scholars (p.14). I begin with my definition of good research.
Good research is ethical, valid, trustworthy, and reflexive. It must address the biases of
the author and encompass multiple perspectives with a sound epistemological stance. Good
research must have strong principles that are focused on the good of society. Clear boundaries
must be set and relationships defined and discussed in the context of conscious knowledge of
exploitation, power balance or imbalance, beneficence and respect (Hostetler, 2005). The voice
and style should be unique and explicit in intent and purpose. Good research can utilize
quantitative or qualitative methodologies, or a combination of both. Good research should be
conducted based upon questions, holes and gaps and identify and pose questions for further study
while being generalizable and transferrable.
In this next section, I will begin to discuss the articles that I chose to emulate and display
as examples of good research. I favored one article that was not part of required readings for this
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References
Ball, K., & Green, R. L. (2014). An investigation of the attitudes of school leaders toward the
inclusion of students with disabilities in the general education setting. National Forum of
Applied Educational Research Journal, 27(1), 57-76.
Hostetler, K. (2005). What is "good" education research. Educational Researcher, 34(16), 16-21.
doi:10.3102/0013189X034
Labaree, D., F. (2003). The peculiar problems of preparing educational researchers. Educational
Researcher, 32(13), 13-22.
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