Becoming a Researcher: A Qualitative Study of the Apprenticeship Model in Doctoral Education

Abstract

Despite the growing body of research on doctoral education, little is known about how doctoral students learn to do research across the disciplines. Even though there is a lack of empirical research on the pedagogy of research in doctoral education, much of the literature anecdotally and metaphorically attributes students' learning to traditional apprenticeship relationships between a student and an advisor. The purpose of this qualitative study is to examine how doctoral students learn to do research and to what extent, if any, do apprenticeship relationships facilitate students' learning. A conceptual framework of the apprenticeship model in doctoral education based on literature from doctoral education, adult learning, labor research, schooling, and professional education was designed. Primary data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 10 faculty members and 21 doctoral candidates from three disparate academic departments (bioengineering, comparative literature, and sociology) at one research university. Findings showed that other apprenticeship relationships exist in doctoral education that go far beyond the traditional or classical definition between one master and one novice. Instead, doctoral students in this study were engaging in apprenticeships with multiple individuals (other faculty members, post-docs, and more advanced peers). These apprenticeship relationships focused on a broad range of topics and they varied in duration. Moreover, faculty and students in the different disciplines demonstrated different understandings of learning to do research. Results from this study call for the need to re-conceptualize the apprenticeship model in doctoral education in order to better reflect the realities of how doctoral students are learning to do research in their field. A revised model will not only help to increase the transparency around the pedagogy of research, but also help doctoral students to become aware of what it takes to become an independent researcher. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone [phone]. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]