Building Research Capacity in Educational Leadership: A Curricular Model for Intentional Qualitative Inquiry

Introduction:
As educational systems face increasing complexity, the need for school leaders to engage in rigorous, reflective research has never been greater. This study explores how a doctoral program in Educational-Leadership intentionally builds research capacity through a scaffolded curriculum that integrates qualitative inquiry and problems of practice Pre-K-20. Drawing from the School Leaders PhD curriculum and two core qualitative research courses, this paper examines how instructional design fosters the development of practitioner-researchers.

Purpose and Methods:
Using a qualitative case study approach, this research analyzes course syllabi, student artifacts, and professors’ sense-making dialogue from two foundational courses: Introduction to Qualitative Inquiry and Advanced Qualitative Inquiry. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify instructional strategies that support research skill development, including iterative fieldwork, collaborative analysis, peer-to-peer critique and reflective writing. The study also examines how exploring relevant, local problems of practice as identified by students in conjunction with experiential learning and curated/customized readings are embedded to deepen research engagement.

Findings:
Preliminary findings indicate that intentional curricular sequencing, experiential learning, and embedded peer and professor mentorship significantly enhance students’ ability to conceptualize, design, revise and conduct qualitative research. Students reported increased confidence in navigating the research process, from framing questions to collecting and analyzing data. The integration of ethical reflection and situating self in the research endeavor further enriched their understanding of research as a transformative tool for sense-making and context-specific understanding in support of their work as scholar-practitioners.

Conclusions:
This study offers a model for building research capacity in doctoral education through intentional curriculum and pedagogy. It highlights the importance of aligning instructional design with program goals to cultivate leaders who are not only consumers of research but also capable contributors to the field. Findings have implications for program development, faculty preparation, and the broader discourse on qualitative research in Educational-Leadership.