Appropriate Research Directions in Curriculum and Instruction

Abstract

Most doctoral candidates in curriculum and instruction are convinced that they are dealing with the heart of the educational enterprise, but sooner or later they recognize that their field is characterized by a paucity of well-established knowledge, a meager, inconsistent theoretical base, an unclear structure, and a lack of any widely accepted, standard mode of inquiry. Hence, when the time comes for them to select a problem for a dissertation, they often experience great difficulty in finding one of any significance that is feasible to carry out. One may surmise that many professors face a similar difficulty; otherwise their examples would provide clear directions for students to follow.