Ernest Boyer created a model of scholarship that has become the foundation that all Adult and Vocational Education and Training (VET) professionals and yet most modern-day VET professionals are still unfamiliar with his work and the impact it has on the work they do. This article will delve into Boyer’s model of scholarship and why conducting proper research is imperative to VET professionals.
With there being so many different topics researched it is understandable that the importance and need for some of this research has been questioned and been subjected to scrutiny within the public eye.
The validity of modern-day research often falls short when examined, leading to research that could be considered an ineffective use of resources and manpower.
Looking into why some research is criticised, common themes begin to arise, whilst it seems the issue is how much research costs this isn’t actually the root cause, rather the research tends to not improve the situation that it’s addressing.
When examining these types of research, the question of: how does that make the situation better? arises. Often no logical answer will suffice and this is where doubt forms and the existence of these research projects doesn’t seem justified.
So, the question: how does this relate to VET professionals within Australia? Still remains.
The answer lies in the type of research conducted.
Since research projects can be publicly funded, often the aim can seem rather simple which has to lead to heavy criticism from the public towards research projects as a whole.
However, not all research should be considered the same and it is unjust to judge all research as such.
For example, applied research not only provides more clarity on existing situations but also aims to better the overall situation as a result of newfound information.
Enter Boyer
Ernest boyer was an early advocate for the need to expand research activity in 1990. Boyer wasn’t a new figure in the research field and offered his insight and opinions about education. His work dates back to 1981 and introduced ideas that would be further expanded upon in works such as The Hope for Education, 1984:
Boyer believed that the importance placed on institutionalising traditional research did not support modern organisations to remain contemporary and adapt to the modernised world. This idea is what Boyer was referring to when he questioned the morality of research and how it is applied to the real world. Boyer conducted his own research on this matter and found that academics and teachers within educational institutions strongly believe that there is a need for change to achieve better teaching, research, and service balance.
Boyer suggested that scholarship was formed by the combination of four categories, as shown in the model below:
This belief led Boyer to further question what good research was and eventually he proposed that in order for a work of scholarship to be meaningful it must satisfy the following six standards:
What’s this got to do with Adult and VET in Australia?
Now: Apply Boyers standards to your experiences.
There seems to be a common issue among VET students, that the research conducted often doesn’t end in a full solution. Even with a surplus of knowledge and experience to conduct research there still remains doubt in the way things are and if they could be improved.
this relates directly to Boyer’s model of applied research.
Humans are instinctively curious, resulting from this curiosity questions of doubt begin to form. How many times have to been told something and still been left wondering: Why is that the case?
Following this curiosity may lead to the discovery of an answer, and with this answer then may come to a better solution to the initial question. Whilst entertaining this curiosity another conclusion encountered could in fact support the initial research but also lead to another issue causing the question: Why?
And by examining Boyer’s impact on VET students, we have concluded that applied research begins with two steps:
- Considering what is occurring
- questioning: Why this is?
Only once both these steps are complete can we find what the root issue is, and only after the issue is isolated can a plan be formed to discover the answer and direct research in the right direction.