RESEARCH

INTERESTS

Research Interests
M. Christopher Goodwin
University of the Pacific

RESEARCH INTERESTS

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Research Interests

As a practicing educator in California Public Schools for over 20 years, I have

developed an array of interests in educational research. The time has come for me to
narrow the focus to an area of interest that I can research for my doctoral program. My
interests include new teacher induction, closing the opportunity gap, school reform and
restructuring, and the use of technology in education. However, I believe at this time, I am
most interested in the restructuring of schools (I am completely aware and open to the fact
that this may change). In particular, I am very interested in what affect the restructuring of
a school from a culture of isolation to one with a focus on a culture of collaboration might
have on student achievement. I understand that this has been well documented in others
research. However, I am specifically interested in the effect that the systems within the
school have on the success or failure of the school reform efforts and to what extent. I am
also interested in studying the extent to which the way in which these reforms are
implemented drives their success or failure. Ultimately, I want to contribute to an area of
education research that is meaningful to the body of knowledge and is of great interest to
me. Therefore, it is my hope that through further research I can whittle this down to an
area that demonstrates a need and fuels my passion for successful school reform that can
be replicated in other schools. After 20 plus years in education, I still maintain a deep
passion for our moral responsibility to educate every child regardless of background,
income, race, etc. This continues to provide the motivation for my research interests.
Although I still have much work to do to refine my research interests, at this time I remain
enthusiastic about the possibilities that lie ahead.