Exploring Doctoral Student Identity Development Using a Self-Study Approach

Abstract

The doctoral journey is as much about identity transitions as it is about becoming an expert in a field of study. However, transitioning from past and professional lives and identities to scholarly identities is not an easy process. Three doctoral students at various stages of completion engaged in self-study research to explore their emerging identities as doctoral student practitioners. Drawing on self-study and doctoral student identity research, as well as findings from our individual analyses, we explore how self-study can be used as an authentic and positive experience to help doctoral students understand their scholarly identity development. After describing the benefits of self-study research for doctoral student success, we provide practical guidelines for how to implement self-study research into existing doctoral programs.