Running Head: GOOD RESEARCH

Good Research
Rich Haley
University of the Pacific

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Good Research

As a scholar, I want to engage in doing and learning from good research. But what is
good research? Is it quantitative, qualitative, or a hybrid of both? Is good research confined to the
ethical standards of society, of academia, or is it free from any ethical restrictions as long as the
research produces valuable data? Are certain epistemological approaches more valid than others?
Does the research need to be interesting, relevant, or actionable? Does the definition of good
research vary based on the field of study? Who defines what good research is?
The more I search for the definition of good research, the more I realize that this
definition is non-existent because the concept of good research is relative. There is no gold
standard of research (Ceglowski, 2011), nor should there be. Good research is defined by two
parties: the researcher and the consumer of the research. Therefore, good research is redefined
every time new research is done and every time any research is consumed. It is therefore
necessary for each of us to develop, but not necessarily cement, a working definition that
encapsulates what we believe to be good research.

Defining Good Research

Research is only as good as the impact it has (Hostetler, 2005; Kaestle, 1993). Therefore,
when defining good research, it was first necessary for me to consider the key aspects that
provide the foundation for the possibility of impactful research. Good, impactful research is
relevant, trustworthy, transparent, and meets the ethical standards of the researcher and the
consumer of the research.
Good research has an identifiable purpose that is relevant and worthy of accomplishing
(Hostetler, 2005; Kaestle, 1993). The purpose may be to add a contribution to an already existing

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body of research or it may be to reveal questions and issues that inform new avenues of research.
Either way, good research produces data that evokes interest and furthers thought or action
around the issue for which the research was done (Hemmings, 2006; Kaestle, 1993). If people
cannot use or are not interested in the information produced by research, it is meaningless and
nothing that is meaningless can be considered good.
In order for research to have meaning, the consumer must believe that the research is
trustworthy as a result of the use of sound research methods. Whether the research is quantitative
or qualitative does not determine the trustworthiness of the data, but rather the validity of the
process by which that data was collected (Ceglowski, 2011). Because the validity of the data is
measured by the consumer of the research, it is necessary for the researcher to clearly explain
and justify his or her methods. There is, in turn, a responsibility for the consumer of the data to
analyze how the data was collected and determine whether those methods are valid and
successful in producing trustworthy, useful data (Kaestle, 1993).
Related to being trustworthy, but worthy of being addressed separately, is that good
research is transparent. Research is done by humans and therefor there are inherent biases and
motivations that exist within the reporting of almost any research (Wolcott, 2009). Some
research makes every effort to remove these biases and some research embraces biases as part of
the research itself. Either way, good research does not attempt to hide any bias or motivation
from the consumer of the research. The consumer is reading the research for the purpose of
gathering information which will in some way inform or influence his or her thinking about the
issue. If the consumer is not provided with all of the pertinent information in regard to the lens
through which the data and the analysis of the data were produced, then he or she does not have

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the ability to make a fully informed decision as to how her or she will interpret and apply the
research.
The final component of defining good research involves exploring the ethical
components of the research processes. There are some ethical standards to which all research is
held. Primarily, researchers are held to the standard of do no harm. The methods by which
research is conducted should have no harmful effects on the subject(s) involved in the research,
or any harmful effects on society in general (Hallett, 2013; Hemmings, 2006). Beyond this
universally excepted standard, the definition of ethical research becomes relative and gray. As
with the trustworthiness of research, the ethical standards of research must be defined by both the
researcher and the consumer of the research. It is the responsibility of each to determine ethical
boundaries and once they are established, to remain within those boundaries (Hallett, 2013).

Research Worthy of Emulation

The above criteria describes research that I consider good, but these qualifications do not
encapsulate research that I find to be compelling and worthy of emulation. I am drawn to
research that tells a story and causes me to relate to the subject being researched. Although I see
value in quantitative data, it is the qualitative aspects of data that I find most intriguing.
Specifically, I enjoy research that presents and interprets qualitative narratives around issues
concerning education and social justice. A prime example of good research is a piece written by
Orna Shcatz-Oppenheimer and Nurit Dvir entitled From ugly duckling to swan: Stories of
novice teachers. In this article, the authors meet all of the expectations of my definition of good
research and present a piece that is enjoyable to read because it novel, well written, and able to
draw the reader into the experiences of the teachers.

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In this piece, the authors examine three stories submitted by first year teachers into a
story competition in Israel. The purpose of this study is to explore and learn from not only the
experiences of first year teachers, but also the way in which these teachers choose to present
their experiences in narrative form. The authors make their intentions for this piece evident when
they state that the purpose is to examine the professional identity construction process that
occurs as teachers cope with the tensions, conflicts, and gaps that arise when they begin work
(Schatz-Oppenheimer & Dvir, 2014, p. 141).The authors also look beyond the experiences
themselves and explore how the teachers chose to present their narratives because the way in
which the stories are constructed provides a window into the psychological conflicts and internal
dialogues that the novice teachers are experiencing.
Shatz-Oppenheimer and Dvir clearly state why their research is relevant and adds to the
already existing body of research about this topic. There has been a great deal of research done
around the first year of teachers entering the profession. Research has focused on understanding
the struggles and victories experienced by first year teachers, the associated psychological
impacts, and the role that emotions play in the development of a teachers professional identity.
There are two prominent approaches to identity formation. The traditional approach considers a
persons identity to be fully formed as an adolescent. In contrast, the post-modern approach
views a persons identity as continuously evolving as a result of environment, culture,
experiences and other contributing factors (Shatz-Oppenheimer & Dvir, p. 141). The authors of
this piece are able to present these opposing viewpoints in a clear and concise manner that
provides the reader with the foundational knowledge necessary to understand the interpretation
of the teacher narratives throughout the remainder of the article.

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The use and interpretation of reflective narratives is a unique method of data collection
that the authors must justify in order to gain the trust of the reader. Oppenheimer and Dvir
explain that the stories were chosen at random and that all stories were submitted to the contest
anonymously which encourages authentic writing. In addition, the authors explain that the stories
provide not only an account of the experiences of the teachers, but also an insight into how the
experiences affected the teachers psychologically and contributed to the development of their
professional identity. The uniqueness of the method itself provides the reader with a novel
perspective through which they are able to view this issue.
Transparency is a vital component of my definition of good research, yet sometimes a
lack of transparency can be difficult to identify. In this article, there does not appear to be any
reason to doubt that the authors are being transparent and I will therefore move beyond this
component of my definition of good research.
This article meets the standards of ethically appropriate research. The stories were all
submitted willingly and anonymously. Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that the teachers in
this piece were not caused any harm as a result of the research. In addition, the authors state that
the writing of the stories can ultimately have a beneficial effect on the first year teachers. In the
process of writing the stories, a dialogue is conducted between reality and the story and
reciprocal relations are formed between them. The encounter with reality creates a story for the
teller, and this story recreates the teller (Shatz-Oppenheimer & Dvir, 2014, p. 142).
In addition to being good research, this piece is written with a structure that flows and is
easy to read. The article begins by introducing the issue and the need for the research, then
provides an appropriate description of the methodology, followed by thorough descriptions and
interpretations of the stories, and ultimately concludes with a fairly brief discussion that

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summarizes the results and calls for additional similar research to be conducted. The authors
avoid using unnecessarily difficult words and complex sentence structures that could potentially
make the article difficult to read. As a result, the information presented in this article is easily
accessed and understood by the reader.
This article is not only well written, it is also engaging. The article is able to use quotes
and experiences from the stories to draw the readers in and allow them to connect to the
narratives of the teachers. These quotes and experiences provide insightful examples that support
the interpretations made in regard to how the teachers professional identities are developed. In
addition, these excerpts from the narratives create empathy within the reader which ultimately
makes the research more impactful.

Conclusion
There is no umbrella statement that clearly defines good research. Instead, good research
is defined by the individuals producing and consuming the research. Each person must identify
their own criterion for the relevance, trustworthiness, transparency, and ethical standards of good
research. In Schatz-Oppenheimer and Dvirs article, I find research that not only meets my basic
expectations for good research, but is also a well written and engaging. Although there is no
definitive gold standard for good research, this article provides a model of research practice and
writing that is of a caliber that I plan to emulate.

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References

Ceglowski, D. (2011). Aced Out: Censorship of Qualitative Research in the Age of

"Scientifically Based Research". Qualitative Inquiry, 17(679), 679-686.
doi:10.1177/1077800411415497
Hallett, R. E. (2013). Interrupting Life History: The Evolution of Relationship within
Research. The Qualitative Report, 18(27), 1-16. Retrieved from
http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR18/hallett27.pdf
Hemmings, A. (2006). Great Ethical Divides: Bridging the Gap Between Institutional
Review Boards and Researchers. Educational Researcher, 35(4), 12-18.
doi:10.3102/0013189X035004012
Hostetler, K. (2005). What Is "Good" Education Research? Educational Researcher,
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Kaestle, C. F. (1993). The Awful Reputation of Education Research. Educational
Researcher, 22, 23, 25-31. doi:10.2307/1177303
Schatz-Oppenheimer, O., & Dvir, N. (2014). From ugly duckling to swan: Stories of
novice teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education, 37, 140-149.
doi:10.1016/j.tate.2013.10.001
Wolcott, H. F. (2009). Overdetermined Behavior, Unforeseen Consequences. Qualitative
Inquiry, 1-11. doi:10.1177/1077800409349755