Revised Paper

Running Head: SCHOLARSHIP, PRACTICE, LEADERSHIP

SCHOLARSHIP, PRACTICE, LEADERSHIP.

Scholarship, Practice, Leadership

Amenia Payne

University of Phoenix

An educational forum must be built on a foundation that will advance the organizational performance of those it teaches. SPL is one of many models used by Colleges and Universities to build up the academic community. The function of the model is based on each component relying on the other to promote balance while cultivating students on how to use knowledge gained constructively. SPL was intended to bring a harmonized relationship among the elements within the model. The trinity is composed of Scholarship, Practice, and Leadership. The model has constructed primarily on Boyer (1990) theories:

● The scholarship of discovery that includes original research that advances knowledge

● The scholarship of integration that involves synthesis of information across disciplines, across topics within a discipline, or across time

● The scholarship of application (also later called the scholarship of engagement)

● The scholarship of teaching and learning that the systematic study of teaching and learning processes

Kegan (2001) later added another theory:

● Cannot know something in an exclusively cognitive or exclusively affective way

● Always using both

Administrators that govern the advanced studies programs at many Universities have integrated some or all of the five theories into their curriculum, producing scholars with a valued sense of scholarship. A scholarship, then, is the principles and practices used by scholars to propose theories validated by research, an expert on a specific subject matter. A scholar is one with the "desire to understand, to preserve or change the world" (Heinrich, 2001, p.89). Dubois summarized a scholar as one who has a "passion for substance to answer questions central to the discipline and to social and humanitarian goals of society" (Dubois, 1983, p. 46). Achieving goals of this stature require one to articulate information literacy into his daily activities. Informational literacy is made up of two theories. The first is simple; one must realize the need for information, which can be a difficult task. Then locate, evaluate, use, and communicate information in a variety of platforms. Scholars are faced with the difficult task of creating and analyzing theories that can be associated with the advancing of our abstruse culture. Entangling practice as a fundamental constituent bonding theoretical thought into a systematic creation.

Scholars have to present theories that have been analyzed and interpreted by the existence of the routine practice. The dictionary defines practice as the actual utilization or use of an idea, belief, or method as compared to theories about such application or use. Practice causes one to better ‘manage their organizations more efficiently and effectively to achieve both individual and organizational objectives.' Shebib (2003), stated that practice could support the application of theory by building skills in four areas: relationship building, exploring or probing, empowering, and challenging. According to Boud, Cohen, and Walker (1993), learning can only occur if the experience of the scholar is engaged, at least at some level. The sociocultural perspective that underpins a practice-oriented approach highlights the role of practice and co-participation of the community in shaping the production, reproduction, and circulation of knowledge, including knowledge about the appropriateness of information skills in relation to the context in which the skills are practiced (Lloyd, 2011). An effective leader must intentionally master new competencies, develop through practical experiences that will change behavior habits and improve on weaknesses. "Leadership is the competence, knowledge, and foresight to make decisions that honor both theory and experience." Leaders who step into new situations that test other abilities continue to develop their skills and successfully take on higher levels of leadership responsibilities.

Lastly, scholarly knowledge has for years been a way of continuous professional development and lack of it would translate to stagnation of knowledge. Again, in our dynamic contemporary world, change is almost certainly inevitable. New ways of doing things are always being realized and incorporated into current practice for better and efficient work performance. Scholarly work continues to build blocks of knowledge especially since it builds on ideas that had previously been discovered, giving a competitive advantage to the scholar while making way for discovery and creation of new knowledge (Argote & Ingram, 2000). As such, a practitioner in my domain without scholarly background and leadership skills will most certainly be a professional disaster. International relations entail delicate issue that when even mildly mishandled, would lead to unprecedented conflicts. Again, international relations are mostly issue-oriented, and precedence helps at times, making scholarly work a requirement (Pereira, 2015). I have of late followed closely on international issues and negotiations to better understand how international relations play in the field while combining it with scholarly knowledge for a more rounded understanding. This institution will equip me with not only the knowledge I require to be an ardent practitioner, but with the exposure I need to expand my knowledge. Additionally, I will engage in a somewhat symbiotic relationship with the college, conducting research papers and adding to the knowledge base.

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