Browsing by Author "Wetzel, Keith A."
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Item Conceptualizing the innovation: Factors influencing doctoral candidates’ interventions in the action research dissertation(2013-09) Wetzel, Keith A.; Ewbank, Ann D.In this action research study, we describe how doctoral candidates conceptualize innovations for their dissertations and outline how we are using the results to improve the doctoral dissertation experience for our new cohort. Over the course of one academic year (2010/11) we documented our students’ process of conceptualizing their innovations as they moved from general ideas to concrete plans, which they would carry out the following year during their dissertation research. We found four major factors influencing the conceptualization of the innovation: the leader–scholar community, prior cycles of action research, interactions with stakeholders, and the student’s work context. As the next cycle in this action research study, we shared the results with our local community and are currently implementing recommended changes based on the study for the next cohort of students.Item Novice Researchers Find their Power: Using Technology to Support the Development of Doctoral Students(2012) Ewbank, Ann D.; Foulger, Teresa S.; Wetzel, Keith A.This study examines innovative technology uses of proficient doctoral students in action research and uses the findings for doctoral program planning and revision. The authors conducted an environmental scan of students’ uses of technology to support their work throughout the dissertation process. They identified one to three students in each phase of the action research cycle, called “power users,” who innovatively used technology. Rogers’ (2003) theory of diffusion suggests that, as a result of the understandings from this study, the faculty-researchers are gatekeepers, responsible for systematically addressing the diffusion of technology. Recommendations include the adoption of a shared technology vision and leveraging the power users’ skills through the doctoral program.