A Productive Scholar’s Guide to Respectful,Responsible Inquiry During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Moving Forward

Abstract

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, schools across the country have pivoted to providing a range of instructional opportunities including remote, hybrid, and modified in-person options with a commitment to keeping our society safe and supporting our nations’ youth in continuing their education. One byproduct of this most challenging situation has been the interruption of scientific inquiry in many fields, including educational research. Using a framework of self-leadership, in this feature article, we provide reflections to guide discussion among scholars involved in school-based research during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on lessons learned in our own mentee–mentor relationships and from our collective experiences, the purpose of this article is to offer considerations primarily for early-career scholars, but also to engage dialogue among mid- and late-career scholars to promote school-based inquiry in this defining moment in history, at a time when educators are concerned with mitigating learning loss. We focus on (a) revisiting and refining programmatic lines of inquiry, (b) crafting articles to disseminate lessons learned from research conducted to date—including those with lost time points, (c) retooling in a focused area of inquiry (e.g., methodology), (d) conceptualizing future studies featuring procedures that do—and do not—allow for interpersonal contact, and (e) appreciating and acknowledging individuals who have facilitated inquiry. We conclude with a note of encouragement and call to action for future educational research.