Running head: MODULE 1 WRITING TASK 1

Module 1 Writing Task

Heather Cantu

EHRD 627-700 Research and Development in Human Resource Development

Dr. Khalil Dirani

Texas A&M University

June 7, 2019
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Is knowledge produced by educational researchers better than the knowledge that working

educators acquire by experience? Why or why not?

Researchers and workers must collaborate in order to expand the knowledge that exists in

any field of study. Education, in particular, is challenged in this respect due to the fact that there

are so many niche categories of study within the field itself. This makes it even more important

for these two types of professionals to work in tandem in order to progress the field of education

as a whole. However, I believe that working educators provide a driving force behind

educational researchers and that it would be difficult to create and implement studies without the

assistance of working educators. In other words, I do not believe that the knowledge produced by

educational researchers is better than the knowledge that working educators acquire through

experience. The reasoning behind this opinion is discussed in this paper.

The first reason regarding why I do not believe that educational research-acquired

knowledge is superior to experience-based knowledge is because of the fact that researchers

must take the workers’ knowledge into account when designing research. For example, if

researchers want to study a better way to teach autistic students mathematics in an elementary

school classroom, they must first look to the teachers’ experiences. By initially studying the

methods in which teachers have been both successful and unsuccessful at instructing such

students, the researchers can begin to narrow their scope and zero in on any patterns that emerge.

Without such knowledge, the researchers would be starting from scratch. It is a give-and-take

type of relationship between the two professions, but both share the same goal. One cannot

function without the other, and it is a symbiotic relationship in which neither type of knowledge

is superior.
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Next, the knowledge that educational researchers gain via studies must be tested in the

‘real-world’. The knowledge that is gained by ‘real-world’ experience must in turn be shared

with the researchers in order to reap the most benefits from a study. For example, if the study

regarding improving autistic students’ mathematical skills produces an algorithm for which to do

so but it is only tested in rural areas, it may not be as successful in urban neighborhoods. This

could be due to the students’ home lives, socioeconomic statuses, etc. Only by implementing this

program in the ‘real-world’ and throughout varying conditions will it be fully tested. Any flaws

in such a program can be addressed by allowing researchers insight into how their program is

functioning amongst working educators. Again, this is a mutually beneficial relationship in

which neither type of professionals’ knowledge-base should be regarded more highly than the

other.

Working educators can also give researchers ideas for further study in a subject based on

their experiences on the job. It is clear that situations arise throughout everyone’s work day that

are unforeseen. Going back to the previous example of teaching autistic students mathematics,

certain behaviors or challenges may emerge that are unexpected when teaching students such a

subject. Without having this first-hand knowledge from working professionals, it would be

unlikely that a researcher could forecast such circumstances on their own. The researchers can

use this knowledge gained by working educators in order to design any further studies on a

subject to better fit what is actually occurring in educational settings. Both types of professionals

must use each other’s knowledge in order to bring about the most growth to the field.

Finally, researchers can obtain ideas regarding current challenges in the field from

working educators and design studies to assist with these challenges. Without first-hand accounts

of what is happening in the field of education, I believe that researchers’ ideas for studies might
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be hindered. By networking and listening to their colleagues’ experiences, researchers can gain

valuable insight into what issues are currently taking place in the field of education. After all,

these working educators are on the ‘front lines’, so to speak. They are going to be the ones with

the most practical knowledge on the subject, which could in turn spark ideas for the creative

minds of researchers. Again, it is evident that both researchers and working educators have skills

that the other may not possess due to their backgrounds and training, so collaboration is key in

escalating the technology and practices in the field of education.

Ultimately, I believe that neither professionals’ set of knowledge is superior to the other.

It is a mutually beneficial relationship and both types of professionals must work together in

order to further the field of education. With education being a social science and thus having s

limited range of quantifiable data, it is important for everyone involved to share their experiences

and knowledge so that students of all types across the world can begin learning better together. If

this sharing does not occur, researchers and working educators alike are setting themselves up

for stagnation in the field of education.