COMPREHENSIVE EXAM STUDY GUIDE EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONS PHILOSOPHY ICongratulations! Youve made it this far, completed the course work and are preparing for the comps. We hope this guide will aid you in that preparation.Should you require further assistance or have other questions, please dont hesitate to contact any of us in the Foundations emphasis. Best Wishes and Good Luck! The policies and procedures cited here are from the Doctor of Education Degree Educational Leadership Program Handbook (June 1997). Close reading of the Handbook will offer information to supplement what is referenced here. PURPOSE: The CEE/EDL doctoral handbook includes the following statements of purpose for the doctoral comprehensive exam (p. 9): Their primary purpose is to give, students an opportunity to ( 1) Demonstrate an understanding of basic concepts beyond the final examinations taken in specific courses; (2) Form and articulate opinions and concepts in areas of study; (3) use methods of argument, presentations, conclusions, implications, applications, and organization as they synthesize knowledge from their studies; (4) illustrate an ability to integrate concepts from different areas; and (5) integrate knowledge with their own professional experiences. Further, it is not simply another final examination on courses completed, but rather it reflects the students demonstrated ability to analyze and synthesize information from the whole range of leadership classes (p. 8) TIMELlNE: The foundations portion of the comprehensive exam is take-home. Timelines are set at the beginning of each semester. EVALUATION: Questions are prepared and read by faculty members in each area of expertise; blind reads are used when possible and a rubric has been developed and used in each area. .(p. 9). Responses to the foundations questions in philosophy will be evaluated by two readers (with the student name removed from the exam) for accuracy, thoroughness, comprehensiveness, clarity, and appropriateness. Evaluation criteria are keyed to the purposes of comps cited above and to the content underpinning philosophical foundations of educational leadership. Each section of the exam is graded as pass, conditional pass, or failure. These are explained on page 10 of the Doctor of Education Degree, Educational leadership, Program Handbook. Successful completion of all sections of the comprehensive exams is a requirement for Advancement to Candidacy (p. 10). There is a 60-day period required between receiving Advancement to Candidacy status and dissertation defense. FORM: Students will be given a choice of three questions for the examination and must elect two to complete and submit. The questions will be set in a professional scenario with the writing task and purpose given and the audience for the writing specified. Example: The Executive Committee of the Arizona School Boards Association has requested a working paper on the influence of two major philosophic viewpoints on current schol reform initiatives. They will use this working paper as background for their planning of orientation sessions for new board members throughout the state. Select two philosophic viewpoints, discuss each and illustrate the presence and impact of each in discussions of specific reform initiatives Oike charter schools, performance-based testing, essential skills). Use APA documention style in the preparation of your work. STUDY ASSISTANCE: Individual area faculty members provide study guidelines for this portion of the examination (p. 9). Well in advance of the comprehensive examination session the student should contact his/her advisory and discuss specific study recommendations (p. 9). Students are advised to contact individual faculty members for reading sugestions and study guides for each portion of the examination. Many students find it useful to organize study groups to share resources (p. 9) CONCEPT GUIDE: Note: In philosophy the labels of categories may vary from text to text, but they can be roughly organized into three conceptual major streams of traditional, progressive, and radical. Some texts identify a macro structure that is more related to a linear timeline (classical, traditional, and contemporary). Which organizing scheme or labels you use is of secondary importance; you need to have some organizing structure to assist you in thinking through philosophic foundations as they impact contemporary educational issues. Your grounding in the theory should enable you to understand (i.e. describe, compare, contrast, assess) specific approaches to thinking about issues in educational reform and leardership. (For example, the professional literature may include references to philosophic labels such as the following: essentialism, existentialism, idealism, naturalism, neo-pragmatism, perennialism, pragmatism, progressivism, realism, social reconstructionism). You are expected to draw from primary source readings in addition t