Research, interrupted

Addressing practical and methodological challenges under turbulent conditions

Bibliographic Data

ID21639563
AuthorsSusan Bush-Mecenas (0009-0002-3705-7652, RAND Corporation), Jonathan Schweig (0000-0003-1950-0358, RAND Corporation), Megan Kuhfeld (0000-0002-2231-5228, RAND Corporation), Lou Mariano (RAND Corporation), Melissa Kay Diliberti (0009-0002-6035-3097, RAND Corporation)
Year2024
Volume32
Publication date2024-04-09
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEducation Policy Analysis Archives (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1068-2341 • E-ISSN: 1068-2341
PublisherMary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.14507/epaa.32.8436
OpenAlexW4394623346
LanguageEN
References cited6

The COVID-19 pandemic caused tremendous upheaval in schooling. In addition to devasting effects on students, these disruptions had consequences for researchers conducting studies on education programs and policies. Given the likelihood of future large-scale disruptions, it is important for researchers to plan resilient studies and think critically about adaptations when such turbulence arises. In this article, we utilize qualitative analysis of interviews with research study leaders to illuminate practical and methodological challenges, as well as promising practices that arose during the pandemic period. We find that researchers made pivots to address practical challenges and protect the feasibility of their studies. We also find that researchers took precautions, where possible, to understand and bolster internal validity. However, these pivots frequently surfaced additional threats to construct and external validity. We conclude with recommendations for future studies conducted in times of prolonged unplanned school closures or other large-scale disruptions

Engineering ethics · Pedagogy · Sociology · COVID-19 and Mental Health · Digital Education and Society · Educational Assessment and Improvement · Engineering · Psychology

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