Preparing New Doctoral Students for Academic Practice: Cultivating New Students’ Scholarly Identity and Practice through Cognitive Apprenticeship Ann E. Austin Michigan State University Second International Conference Oxford University April, 2008

Doctoral Education as Anticipatory Socialization Definition of Socialization –Merton, Reader, & Kendall: “the processes through which [a person] develops [a sense of] professional self, with its characteristic values, attitudes, knowledge, and skills…” –Weidman, Twale, & Stein: Offered a framework to understand socialization in doctoral education Students learn knowledge and skills Interact with faculty and peers Integrate into activities of their fields

Concerns about Doctoral Education Lack of systematic, developmentally organized preparation experiences Lack of clear expectations and feedback Limited attention to academic and non-academic careers Concerns about advisors and sense of community Limited opportunities for “guided reflection”

Theory of Cognitive Apprenticeship A framework for teaching and learning in doctoral education that may enhance the socialization process “A model of instruction that works to make things visible” (Collins, Brown, & Holum, 1991) Comparison to Traditional Apprenticeship –Thinking is less easily observable process –Involves work that is separated from situation where it may occur –Skills must be transferrable

Practice of Cognitive Apprenticeship Modeling: –Providing demonstration Scaffolding: –Offering suggestions, diagnoses, feedback Coaching: –Guiding students to do more complex work Articulation and Reflection: –Helping students ask questions and articulate processes of thinking Promoting Transfer of Learning: –Helping students see wide applicability in diverse settings Importance of Learning Context: –Encouraging active engagement in a community of scholars

Cognitive Apprenticeship and Doctoral Education Using a teaching approach informed by the theory of cognitive apprenticeship helps provide: –More systematic preparation –More focused guidance and scaffolding –More explicit feedback –Preparation for being part of a community of scholars

Case Example: First-Year Seminar Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education Purpose of Course –Increase students’ familiarity with history, key concepts, questions, and literatures relevant to scholars and practitioners of higher and adult education –Help entering doctoral students enhance their abilities in the areas of critical reading, critical thinking and analysis, writing, and inquiry

Practice 1: Making Explicit the Challenges, Responsibilities, and Opportunities of Doctoral Education Help students make productive transition into doctoral education, develop identities as scholars, and deepen abilities as thinkers and writers Make explicit the ways of thinking, habits, and abilities associated with productive scholarly work in the field

Practice 2: Guiding Students through the Process of Creating a “Mini-Research Proposal” The goal is to help students understand the research process –Students frame problems, identify questions, develop literature review –Scaffold process with guidance and feedback –Provide examples –Model thinking –Provide coaching—feedback, individual mtgs. –Emphasize transfer—practice conference talks

Practice 3: Coupling Purposefulness with Flexibility Adjust work to student needs Emphasize Articulation and Reflection –Short written reflections –Mid-semester feedback –Students self-assess –Students provide feedback to each other

Practice 4: Cultivating a Community of Scholars Discuss and develop learning community –Respect for and support of others’ learning –Mutual responsibility for quality of class Strategies: –Writing groups –Practice giving feedback

Practice 5: Creating an Environment of High Expectations and High Support Expect excellence and hard work from everyone—students and faculty High support—accessibility of teacher, openness to conversation Mutual respect

Results/Outcomes Strong positive results –Self-confidence –Gains in ability to conceptualize important porblems and frame relevant questions Example: “The teacher …modeled behaviors— ways of responding to people, ways of presenting one’s own ideas so that the door is open to other ideas, ways of bringing up contradictory evidence for mutual consideration instead of blunt disagreement.”

Concluding Thoughts Cognitive apprenticeship –a theory about how learning occurs and specific ways in which teaching practice can enhance the learning process A very useful theory in explaining aspects of how doctoral students learn to think as scholars Practical implications for teaching practice