The Value of a Pilot Study in Educational Research Learning: In Search of a Good Theory-Method Fit

Abstract

This article shares the authors’ reflections and experiences gained from a pilot study that was recently used in completing a larger qualitative educational research study on the challenges and opportunities for instructional leadership in inclusive secondary schools in Zimbabwe. Historically, pilot studies have not been reported. When interest in this area started to emerge, the focus was on quantitative research, especially in health-related disciplines. In recent times, there has been growing debate on the place of pilot studies in qualitative and mixed methods research. However, a number of questions still remain unanswered, especially in the area of educational research. One of the worrisome features of these questions seems to be the taken?for?granted assumption that once a researcher conceives of an educational research idea, they are automatically clear and specific on the onto-epistemological and methodological tools that may best be employed to answer the questions at hand. This view is reflected when, for example, the few writers on pilot studies generally specify a particular research approach, such as importance of pilot studies in quantitative research, importance of pilot studies in qualitative research, or importance of pilot studies in mixed methods research, and do not talk about the value of a pilot study in educational research learning as a search for a good theory-method fit. This article focuses on pilot studies in educational research learning in order to close this gap. The central theme in this article is that pilot-studying may itself determine, for example, whether a study should follow a qualitative, mixed methods or quantitative approach. It also determines the appropriateness of research tools for the task at hand. Specifically, pilot-studying helps especially student researchers to find an appropriate theory-method fit and thereby makes researching possible. Following a pilot study, educational research that was originally planned to be mixed methods research or quantitative research may end up embracing a qualitative approach and vice versa. Our desire to share reflections and experiences gained in completing the main PhD study which informs the current article, coupled with ongoing debates on pilot studies in educational research, inspired us to pen this article. The article contributes to scholarship by elaborating and adding new insights on the work of earlier writers on the important research practice of pilot-studying in educational research processes.

Received: 29 September 2021 / Accepted: 8 December 2021 / Published: 5 March 2022