The Challenges of Conducting Research in Higher Education

Preparing educational researchers is hard work, not only for those providing the instruction, but also for those receiving it. For example, after years of emphasis on solving problems, the researcher is faced with the task of not solving but finding a problem or topic to study. But even a cursory search will reveal that limited literature is available on how to prepare educational researchers. The literature also reveals that an institution's research reputation affects the success of virtually every aspect of the institution, including its ability to recruit high quality students, faculty, and financial support. This book reveals findings of a study which investigated the challenges that graduate students encountered during their research experience. The findings should be instructive to researchers in developing strategies to facilitate increased graduate research activities and make the research process more palatable for graduate students. This book should also help researchers in higher education to identify key research challenges that, if addressed, may improve the quality of the research conducted and ultimately the ranking of a university.