Where to get Dissertation Topics in Education

If you are a doctoral student, you are certainly looking toward that dissertation and, even early on in your programs, you are undoubtedly thinking about possible dissertation topics in education that are related to your area of specialty – higher ed, educational leadership, elementary or secondary education, special education, multicultural/bilingual/trilingual education, or early childhood education, to name just some of them.

 

Sources for Topics

As you think about where to look for topic ideas, here is where you need to go:

1. Your graduate coursework: As you go through your coursework, there will certainly be topics that pique your interest. You want to choose a topic in which you do develop an abiding interest or you will otherwise have a much more difficult time writing that dissertation.
2. Start looking early on in ProQuest for research already conducted in your field of interest. You can read abstracts of dissertations and begin to identify topics which deserve additional research.
3. Talk with your professors and with your advisors. They are wonderful sources for topic ideas, and can take into account your interests as they make recommendations.

 

Dissertation Topics in Educational Leadership

Individuals who seek doctorate degrees in educational leadership are those who are looking toward careers as school administrators – principals, superintendents, department directors, etc. Many of them are already working in public and private education, perhaps in an administrative capacity, but are looking to move to that next level in their career fields.

Typical dissertation topics in education leadership relate to improving educational processes, teaching, curriculum delivery systems, technology in education, and many traditional topics such as community inclusion, the role of standardized testing, funding, etc. As many new ideas as there are in educational policy and delivery, there are always good areas for continued and additional research.

 

Higher Education Dissertation Topics

Those who go into higher education are planning on positions in university-level schools of education, either as professors or administrators. Today, no individual can get a teaching job in higher education without a doctorate degree. Topics are very similar to those in educational leadership; however, they focus more on such things as the efficacy of teacher training programs. Many doctoral choose topics relating, for example, to the best practices for pre-service teachers working with behavioral students. This concept of researching the best practices in all teaching areas is a common and actually vital area of continued study.

 

Dissertations on Education of Special Needs Students

The entire field of special education is continually growing, as higher percentages of children are being identified as having special needs. The field of special education, in fact, is experiencing a lack of teachers and administrators, so there are major efforts to get more individuals into both undergraduate and graduate special education programs. At the graduate level, there are critical areas for research, including:

1. Intrinsic motivation to achieve best understanding and self-efficacy for students with identified emotional disturbance.
2. Anything in the field of the autism spectrum
3. Care coordination of housebound patients who are also receiving educational services through special education programs.
4. The role of art and/or music therapy in behavior-disordered children and teens
5. Methods of cognitive behavioral therapy for adolescents
6. Specific treatments for students with specific learning disabilities

 

Early Childhood Education

The entire field of early childhood education is exploding, as local, state, and federal governmental agencies realize the absolute necessity for at least some populations to have educational interventions as early as possible. Add to that the increasing number of non-English speaking children who enter American school systems, today, the challenges are tremendous. Educators who go into early childhood doctoral programs might want to consider topics such as:

1. Bridging multicultural education with assimilation into the American public educational system
2. Early interventions for children from poverty-level households and neighborhoods
3. Early interventions for children with identified disabilities

 

Even more current might be choosing a trilingual early childhood education topic that relates to honoring the cultural backgrounds of children and their families as these children are exposed to language and American societal mores.

Dissertation topics in education are perhaps more varied than any other field of study, for the experimental base is so huge – children, early adolescents, teens, college students, teachers, families, communities, regular education, special education, early childhood education. The possibilities for research are, quite literally, endless, and they are continually evolving as other fields, particularly psychology, sociology and medicine, contribute more knowledge that has implications for how we educate our opulation.