What is Research Paradigm

Increasingly, universities are embracing engaged scholarship as a vehicle for research that is “meaningful” and capable of reaching beyond the walls of academia to bring about a positive impact on society. While this shift toward citizen scholars is taking place philosophically in institutions of higher education across the United States (e.g., Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate), few faculty have experience or training in the implementation of engaged scholarship and are, thus, reticent to both attempt this research paradigm and teach students about it. Given such a conceptual chasm, this chapter examines issues encountered by two faculty while working with graduate students to conduct engaged scholarship and provides observations about mentoring students into this paradigm of research. Through a self-study constructed as a bricolage, insights into mentoring graduate students through processes of building trust, collective discovery, meaningful impact, and publishing are presented.