Problems of Practice and Practicing Problems
Examining Problem Work in Educational Improvement
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15845456 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Carlos Sandoval (0000-0003-1468-2949, Clemson University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-04-15 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Educational Research Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0002-8312 • E-ISSN: 1935-1011 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.3102/00028312261435184 |
| OpenAlex | W7154511691 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 34 |
Educational improvement approaches prioritize solving problems to improve educational systems. However, scholarship often constrains problems to the initiation of improvement efforts. This study examined problem work to understand how ongoing production of and engagement with problems enables problem solving in educational improvement. Drawing on process views of problems and temporality, I analyzed 94 stories from 13 data conversations in a teacher-preparation networked improvement community. I found that problem work that enabled robust problem solving often required orientations to future possibilities that reframe past actions and evaluate present conditions. However, future-oriented problem work was rare, emerging when educators experienced significant dissatisfaction and had historical familiarity with data. This study offers practical insights for generating productive problem solving in educational improvement
Cognitive reframing · Problem-based learning · Process (computing · Production (economics · Scholarship · Work (physics · Complex Systems and Decision Making · Innovative Education and Learning Practices · Teacher Education and Leadership Studies
Temporal Work in Strategy Making
Process Studies of Change in Organization and Management
On Organizational Becoming
Tinkering toward Utopia
Toward a continuous improvement for justice
Overcoming or overstepping? Boundary infrastructure for learning in the context of continuous improvement research-practice partnership
Developing mindsets for equity-focused continuous improvement
Practical measurement for equity and justice
Whose Agenda is It? Navigating the Politics of Setting the Research Agenda in Education Research-Practice Partnerships
Examining the Practices of Generating an Aim Statement in a Teacher Preparation Networked Improvement Community
Research on Continuous Improvement
Principles of Collaborative Education Research With Stakeholders
Solving Real-Life Problems of Practice and Education Leaders’ School Improvement Mind-Set
Organizing Research and Development at the Intersection of Learning, Implementation, and Design
Small wins
Making Sense of Stories
Undoing Appropriateness
Determining Validity in Qualitative Inquiry
Theory Construction in Qualitative Research
What Is Agency
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |