The dark horse of public administration: The challenge of pedagogical research
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/01447394231159983 |
| Published date | 01 March 2023 |
| Date | 01 March 2023 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
Article
Teaching Public Administration
2023, Vol. 41(1) 3–10
© The Author(s) 2023
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DOI: 10.1177/01447394231159983
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The dark horse of public
administration: The challenge
of pedagogical research
Bruce D McDonald III
Department of Public Administration, NC State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
Abstract
Research on the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) has tended to have a bad
reputation within the field of public administration. In this manuscript, I discuss the issue
of impactful research within the field and provide an argument for why we should be
focusing more on pedagogical research than more traditional avenues. Not only does
pedagogical research directly impact what and how we teach in the classroom, but it is
tends to be read and cited at higher rates than some of the subfields within the discipline.
Keywords
Research, Research on the scholarship of teaching and learning, pedagogical, value, impact
Research on the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) has tended to have a bad
reputation within the field of public administration.
1
There is no denying that. As a PhD
student, SoTL was rarely mentioned during my studies and training. During the few times
it was, the reference came with the caveat that the research was worthless and only being
conducted by those whose work could not cut it in better journals. When several faculty
members learned that a fellow PhD student and I were working on a pedagogical paper
about comparative administration in the MPA classroom, we were strongly encouraged to
put the project aside to focus on important work. At a time in my career when I was most
susceptible, the lesson that I learned was to stay away from work in the area.
I wish that I could say that my experience was rare. When Will Hatcher and I took over
the Journal of Public Affairs Education as co-editors-in-chief, one of the first things we
did was survey the field. The survey had two goals: (1) to understand SoTL-related needs
Corresponding author:
Bruce D McDonald III, Department of Public Administration, NC State University, Campus Box 8102, Raleigh
27695, NC, USA.
Email: bmcdona@ncsu.edu
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