Professional Doctorate In Education Research Articles

Embracing hybridity: the affordances of arts-based research for the professional doctorate in education

ABSTRACT Despite the growth of the professional doctorate in education (EdD), its potential for capturing practice is restricted by academic tradition. In this hybrid paper, we argue that arts-based research (ABR) can help rectify this. We bookend the paper with creative non-fiction of our own EdD experiences, where ABR is restricted and afforded. We develop our argument through a position paper mapping the theoretical similarities of the EdD and ABR. We then undertake a scoping review identifying existing research into ABR on EdD programmes. We analyse six articles using the 5A’s theory of creativity [Glăveanu 2013. Rewriting the language of creativity: The Five A's framework. Review of General Psychology 17, no. 1: 69–81] to see how these theoretical similarities are afforded. Using ABR on the EdD promotes reflexivity and co-creation, impacting upon diverse audiences. We conclude with a challenge for further research into ABR on EdD programmes through hybrid research.

The role of situated talk in developing doctoral students’ researcher identities

ABSTRACT It is widely recognised that an important aspect of doctoral study is the development of a researcher identity. However, little is known about how to support this. Although previous research has highlighted the importance of discursive engagement for researcher identity development, no studies examine talk or discuss how identities are constructed through interaction. This article examines how doctoral students’ researcher identities develop during tutorials on a professional doctorate in education. Analysis reveals how researcher identities are constructed and accomplished, turn by turn, during study-based talk. Researcher identities are co-constructed with and confirmed by peers, and verified by a tutor who validates students’ actions and describes experiencing similar, often difficult, processes herself. Knowledge and understanding facilitated by discussion prompts identity development and tutorial talk builds a sense of belonging and confidence, acculturating students into the research community. The article makes an original contribution to research by analysing situated talk to show identity accomplishment in action. The article also makes recommendations for both practice and further research which include setting up opportunities for doctoral students to talk and share experiences, and close analysis of doctoral interactional events such as supervision meetings and peer support groups.

Power, positionality and practitioner research: Schoolteachers' experiences of professional doctorates in education

AbstractThe growth, internationally, in professional doctorates over the last 25 years has been well documented, as are the forms, fields and disciplines that such doctorates embrace. Yet relatively little is known about the professional tensions teachers encounter, in relation to their positionality, when carrying out doctoral research in the schools where they work. This paper draws attention, not only to the contribution the Professional Doctorate in Education (EdD) makes to research as a whole, but also to the significance of teachers as invaluable members of the research community. Findings will be presented from interviews with 30 senior teachers from schools in England who are carrying out practitioner research as part of their doctoral studies. The paper draws attention to how power relations in the research process ferment the structural and agentic concerns of the participants in this study when discussing their researcher positionality. The scholarly significance of this study is its contribution to knowledge of how schools are increasingly becoming both sites of research and research‐rich environments. With its focus on researcher positionality the paper draws attention not just to the tensions and dilemmas these participants encounter on their doctoral journey, but also to the importance of teacher researchers and their role in research knowledge production.

Online supervision in a professional doctorate in education: Cultivating relational trust within learning alliances

ABSTRACT In this case study research, we examine online supervision and engagements in a blended education doctorate (EdD) programme through a lens of relational trust. Interviews with supervisors and EdD graduates enabled us to examine practices and strategies used to cultivate relationships and learning alliances that supported doctoral candidates in conducting research and dissertation writing. We explored opportunities and challenges in fostering effective supervisory relationships online. Five enabling factors for cultivating effective online supervisory relationships address programme design, supervisors’ roles and responsibilities, and doctoral students’ experiences. Establishing relational trust and learning alliances in early and ongoing engagements in programme through to culminating milestones was vital for effective student-supervisor relationships.

The Dissertation Clinic: Supporting Doctoral Students’ Research Methods Training in an Online EdD Program

“The professional doctorate in education prepares educators for the application of appropriate and specific practices, the generation of new knowledge, and for the stewardship of the profession” (CPED, 2009). The Johns Hopkins University EdD attracts diverse learners with varying experiences with statistics and research methods. These experiences coupled with becoming doctoral students often contributes to high levels of reported anxiety and low confidence related to these topics. Evidence also suggests that this anxiety may contribute to higher rates of attrition in online doctoral programs. Understanding the importance and value of acknowledging our students’ needs, differences, and worries around methods and statistics and recognizing that intentionally working with students in these areas can mitigate this anxiety, the methods faculty in this EdD program set out to create a forum for students, faculty, and advisors to call on for matters related to methods, statistics, and data analysis. This essay offers a description of the Dissertation Clinic, implementation of the clinic and the services offered, as well as next steps and future considerations.

Reflecting on the Journey Towards Identity and Belonging During Professional Doctoral Study

The Professional Doctorate in Education (EdD) is a doctoral level professional qualification for practising teachers that affords the opportunity to research an area of practice of particular interest. Many EdD students encounter mixed feelings, emotions and new identities as many could be leaders within their employment and seen as ‘experts’ in their role, however, they may find themselves on the periphery of a new community of which they are yet to feel a part. This reflective paper explores the role of ‘identity’ and ‘belonging’ in Professional Doctoral students with particular emphasis placed on situated learning theory (Lave & Wenger, 1991) and the notion of communities of practice. I discuss the idea of ‘identity congruence’ and how I experienced this in terms of my identity as a leader of learning and as a fledgling doctoral researcher. The paper concludes that communities of practice promote a sense of community and belonging that have clearly supported me through the doctoral journey.

Participatory creativities: developing a research design for children’s pastoral encounters with the natural world

ABSTRACTIn this paper, the author discusses the interrelationship between creativity, children’s experiences of the natural world and pastoral education. Based on a research design developed whilst undertaking a professional doctorate in education (EdD), and grounded in a theoretical framework of children’s rights, the author explores the creative uncertainties of collaboratively researching children’s educational experiences with nature. The paper considers the ways in which the research design supports a pastoral care agenda, whilst encouraging the emergence of ‘creative artefacts’, alongside the extent to which the focus of the research, encounters with the natural world, might be deemed pastorally minded in its own right. The children who have participated in the research then draw the paper to a close, sharing what their involvement in the project has meant to them. Images and excerpts of children’s own creative reflections are offered as illustration of the powerful confluence of the Creative and the Pastoral.

Supporting adult learners from disadvantaged backgrounds into higher education

This paper presents the work in progress of a professional doctorate in education (EdD) and is being published now, at a time when government priorities around widening access and participation to higher education (HE) in England are increasingly requiring HE providers to prioritise supporting mature1 students into and through HE. The Office for Students (OFS), a newly formed regulatory body for HE in England, positions adult learners within five priority areas for which HE providers should allocate resources to enable access and success in HE. This research contributes to these requirements through recommendations around the adult learner student voice and better (evidence-informed) understanding of the potential barriers they face, set within the context of a part-time distance-learning institution. Despite literature that suggests adult learners are not a homogeneous group (Waller, 2006; Pearce, 2017), many initiatives designed to support adult learners into HE focus upon programmes to develop confidence in academic ability and study skills, suggesting a 'one size fits all' approach. This research sought to explore this heterogeneity further as a first step to unpicking how policy makers and HE providers approach the support they offer to adult learners. The research was specifically focused on adult learners from disadvantaged backgrounds. One-to-one telephone interviews were undertaken with 12 students who had studied the institution's Access2 programme prior to embarking on a full degree. The student sample was filtered to present the most disadvantaged students (those from POLAR33 quintiles 1 and 2) with no previous HE experience and low previous educational qualifications, who had received a full fee waiver for the Access programme. Vignettes were used to aid the discussion, helping to overcome some of the ethical challenges that were raised through the institution's research approvals process. The interviews were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis in NVivo. This paper presents some of the findings of the research, which reflect a life-history methodological approach with a view to informing current and future practice to support mature students in HE.

The landscape of professional doctorate provision in English higher education institutions: Inconsistencies, tensions and unsustainability

This article reports findings from a recent research project, commissioned by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), which explored the current landscape of professional doctorate (PD) provision in English higher education institutions (HEIs) (Mellors-Bourne et al., 2016). Given the absence of a clear definition by the Quality Assurance Agency for England of the characteristics that distinguish PDs from practice-based doctorates and the doctor of philosophy, this paper makes a timely contribution through considering the inherent characteristics of PD programmes. The paper presents an overview of the state of play of PD programmes currently available in HEIs in England, highlighting how the proliferation of PD titles and programmes, and inconsistencies between the various programmes, has resulted in confusion about what PDs are, the contribution they make, and the value they add to professional practice. Consideration is given to the tensions created through the expansion in the number and types of PDs available, and the implications of these tensions with regard to the future sustainability of PD programmes in general and in relation to the professional doctorate in education (EdD) in particular.

‘Our Breadcrumb Trail through the Woods’: Reflections on the Use of a Secret Facebook Group as a Strategy for Surviving and Thriving on the Doctoral Journey

This article explores the value of attending to the emotional side of the doctoral journey by focusing on the use of a ‘secret’ Facebook group amongst a cohort of EdD (Professional Doctorate in Education) students at one English university. Presented as a piece of action research in which the participants created an intervention to address a perceived problem and then reflected on its effectiveness, it is co-authored by the cohort of six students and their tutor. The stresses and loneliness of the doctoral journey have been well documented and constitute the ‘problem’ addressed by this cohort of students. Their inception and use of a Facebook group was a response to challenges experienced in their studies, with the expectation of facilitating peer support. As will be shown this aim was successfully met with enhancements in academic, social, and emotional support. However, unexpected benefits arose from the interactions within the group including a normalization of the challenges of the doctoral quest and the advantage of being able to follow the ‘breadcrumb trail’ found in the group postings as group journal and aid to reflection. Further, both tutors and students have noted the development of a strong sense of ‘cohortness’ and inclination to work collaboratively. Through a process of individual and group reflection on experiences of the intervention, combined with analysis of the content of the postings, this article examines the characteristics of the Facebook intervention and considers some ethical implications. We suggest that key characteristics that have contributed to its success include the student ownership, the protection of the secret format, and the combination of emotionally supportive, academic, and irreverent exchanges between group members. It is hoped that these insights may be useful to future doctoral candidates and their tutors as they negotiate their own way through the doctoral woods.

A systematic approach to the assessment of impact in a professional doctorate

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present one approach to the measurement of impact in a professional doctorate in education that encompasses discipline-based coursework and practice-embedded research. Design/methodology/approach – Quantitative and qualitative data on the impact of the doctoral program were collected at regular intervals, with a focus on students’ application of program content in their professional practice and on students’ professional growth. Findings – The research design and the findings are discussed in the context of the larger debate surrounding the measurement of doctoral impact and the value of online doctoral degrees for practitioners. Originality/value – This paper presents the systematic collection of data over four years in a newly developed professional doctorate in education.

A critical reflection of self in context-first steps towards the professional doctorate

This paper employs a reflexive methodology in order to examine critically the author’s professional context and responsibilities. It represents his first, tentative steps towards the award of professional doctorate in education. His role as a head teacher and, specifically, as an agent of change within his school, is scrutinised within the framework of his own professional practice. Issues surrounding his professional relationships with other members of the school community are analysed. In particular, his position of power and authority is explored and set alongside his perceptions of his broader social responsibility. The initial stages of his search for a fruitful focus for his doctoral studies are contextualised and a potential area for his research identified.

Paramedics and professionalism: Looking back and looking forwards

Journal of Paramedic PracticeVol. 5, No. 1 CommentParamedics and professionalism: Looking back and looking forwardsAnna van der Gaag, John DonaghyAnna van der GaagSearch for more papers by this author, John DonaghySearch for more papers by this authorAnna van der Gaag; John DonaghyPublished Online:16 Aug 2013https://doi.org/10.12968/jpar.2013.5.1.8AboutSectionsView articleView Full TextPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail View article References Donaghy J (2011) The student experience of university paramedic education/training-from classroom learning to situational understanding. In preparation for the award of Professional Doctorate in Education (EdD). University of Hertfordshire (unpublished). This document is available on request from the author. Google ScholarFreidson E (2004) Professionalism, the third logic. Polity, Cambridge Google ScholarFurber R (2008) Curriculum Guidance and Competency Frameword (2nd Edn). College of Paramedics, Bridgewater Google ScholarHPC (2011) Professionalism in healthcare professionals. www.hpc-uk.org/assets/documents/10003771Professionalisminhealthcareprofessionals.pdf (accessed 14 December 2012) Google ScholarLave J and Wenger E (1991) Situated Learning: legitimate Peripheral Participation. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Crossref, Google ScholarMcLachlan, John C et al. (2009) The Conscientiousness Index: A Novel Tool to Explore Students’ Professionalism. Academic Medicine. Issue: Volume 84(5): 559–65 Crossref, Google ScholarMorrow G et al. (2011) Professionalism in healthcare professionals. Health and Care Professions Council ./?mode=pdetail&id=8494&sid=8494&pdetail=69983 (accessed 4 January 2013) Google ScholarPapadakis MA, Hodgson CS, Teherani C et al. (2004) Unprofessional behavior in medical school is associated with subsequent disciplinary action by a state medical board’, Academic Medicine. 79: 244–9 Crossref, Google ScholarQuality Assurance Agency (2004) Benchmark Statement. The Quality Assurance Agency, Gloucestershire Google ScholarWenger E (1998) Communities of practice: Learning, Meaning and Identity, Cambridge University Press Crossref, Google Scholar FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsCited byDefining two novel sub models of the Anglo-American paramedic system: A Delphi studyAustralasian Emergency Care, Vol. 25, No. 3Community paramedicine: cost–benefit analysis and safety evaluation in paramedical emergency services in rural areas – a scoping review9 June 2022 | BMJ Open, Vol. 12, No. 6Overcoming Stigma of Mental Illness in Paramedicine: A Model for Future Practice30 January 2023 | Australasian Journal of Paramedicine, Vol. 19A bibliometric analysis of paramedicine publications using the Scopus database: 2010–2019International Emergency Nursing, Vol. 59The psychometric properties of the professionalism at work questionnaire for paramedicine students6 January 2021 | International Journal of Emergency Services, Vol. 10, No. 2Community paramedicine—cost–benefit analysis and safety with paramedical emergency services in rural areas: scoping review protocol25 September 2020 | BMJ Open, Vol. 10, No. 9Professionalism and Professionalisation in the Discipline of Paramedicine1 January 2019 | Australasian Journal of Paramedicine, Vol. 16The role of the mentor in professional knowledge development across four professionsInternational Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, Vol. 7, No. 1Community paramedicine model of care: an observational, ethnographic case study2 February 2016 | BMC Health Services Research, Vol. 16, No. 1Striving for the professionalisation of Australian paramedics29 September 2013 | International Paramedic Practice, Vol. 3, No. 3The role of the Health and Care Professions Council29 September 2013 | Journal of Paramedic Practice, Vol. 5, No. 7 14 January 2013Volume 5Issue 1ISSN (print): 1759-1376ISSN (online): 2041-9457 Metrics History Published online 16 August 2013 Published in print 14 January 2013 Information© MA Healthcare LimitedPDF download

Postgraduate Transnational Education in Nonbusiness Subjects: Can it Fit Conceptualizations of Curriculum Internationalization?

The issue of teaching and learning in transnational education has increasingly received attention through studies about “curriculum internationalization.” To date, many of the examples and theorizations about curriculum internationalization are provided by business courses. This is largely a function of trade and commercial activities being inherently amenable to globalization forces, and hence facilitating the business subjects to adopt an international focus in curriculum planning and design. This article argues that curriculum internationalization also has significance for postgraduate science and social science programs delivered across borders, citing pharmacy and education as examples. However, the objectives of curriculum internationalization in these two are not narrowly focused on the functionalist notion of employability and performance as is found for business programs. Rather, they are considered to contribute toward the convergence of professionalization process of pharmacists worldwide for a postgraduate clinical pharmacy program, and the extension of a community of researchers to novice student researchers located overseas in the case of a professional doctorate in education. This difference in objectives calls for the construction of a more robust model of curriculum internationalization to guide international educators in their practice.

The experience of critiquing published research: Learning from the student and researcher perspective

This paper commences with affirmation of the importance of research critique within academic programmes of study, and the context of this skill within the nursing profession. Judie (student) shares an experience from a Professional Doctorate in Education (EdD) assignment that involved selecting and critiquing a piece of published research. “The qualities of an effective mentor” ( Gray and Smith, 2000) was critiqued using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme ( CASP, 2006) framework. Morag was the researcher and co-author ( Gray and Smith, 2000) and was subsequently contacted by Judie for the purposes of validating her critique assignment. On the tenth anniversary since publication of her PhD research findings Morag reflects on the original article in the light of Judie’s critique and shares evaluative comments. Some of the assignment critique is validated by Morag, whilst some of the evaluation demonstrates unreliability of critique shown by Judie. Discussion surrounding sufficiency of research critique through systematic examination of a published article, versus an original research report such as a thesis ensues. The student and researcher/author reveal their learning from this collaborative experience and conclude with recommendations for; setting critique assignments; authors publishing their research findings; and students undertaking critique assignments.

Becoming researchers: a sociocultural perspective on assessment, learning and the construction of identity in a professional doctorate

The article reports on a small‐scale in‐depth research study investigating formative assessment enacted and theorised from a sociocultural perspective within a part‐time Professional Doctorate in Education (EdD) programme in an English university. Going beyond its conventional conceptualisation within psychological and motivational frameworks, formative assessment here encouraged students to view their learning as entailing the development of identities as researchers. The research adopted a case study approach, drawing upon participant observation, discourse analysis of online discussion forum and email feedback, and two series of student interviews. Although the practice of formative assessment remains problematic, students’ responses suggest the value of tutor feedback, including its ontological dimension. Given the wide‐ranging backgrounds of the learners who participated in this study, our findings suggest the relevance of a sociocultural view of formative assessment for supporting a more diverse doctoral student population. This leads us to argue for doctoral supervision to be conceptualised more firmly as a pedagogic relation in which formative assessment has a key role.

Developing alternative models of doctoral supervision with online formative assessment

This paper reports on empirical research into formative assessment conducted in a blended learning environment within a professional doctorate in education (EdD.) programme in an English university, focusing primarily on peer discussion forum activity. This was conceptualised within sociocultural learning theories, where learning entails processes of identity formation. The data presented suggests the usefulness of online environments for supporting students’ development of subject positions as researchers, thereby constructing new relations between peers, as well as tutors and students, in addition to providing shared textual resources upon which the tutor's feedback can then build. The paper discusses how this might contribute towards more collective forms of doctoral supervision.

The Distinctiveness of the EdD in Producing and Transforming Knowledge

The aim of this paper is to focus on the distinctiveness of the Professional doctorate in education (EdD) located in the development of higher education (HE) in England using Bourdieu’s theory of practice. It does this by building on a previous paper published in this journal, ‘The Distinctiveness of the EdD in the University Tradition’ (vol. 38, no. 3, 2006: 323–34). The paper uses Bourdieusian analysis to reveal the extent to which capital may have been misrecognized within HE. It then argues that the EdD may have developed within HE because it has the potential to recognize capital, previously misrecognized. Therefore, the EdD may be considered distinctive because it engages with issues surrounding social justice in terms of inclusion. Moreover, it may be argued that the EdD presents opportunities for educational practitioners to produce and transform knowledge, thus shaping the processes that structure what they can and cannot know and do.

The Distinctiveness of the EdD within the University Tradition

The aim of this paper is to explore the distinctiveness of the professional doctorate in education (EdD). To deliver on this aim the paper contextualizes the local and particular EdD by locating it within its wider perspective. First the development of Higher Education (HE) in England is considered. Next the historical development of the EdD is examined. Finally the paper argues that the EdD is distinctive and challenges the university tradition. Moreover the paper begins to provide tentative suggestions to the way in which practitioners and researchers doing the EdD might act as knowledge workers, knowledge producers and work for change.

The Role of Partnerships in the Professional Doctorate in Education: A Program Application in Educational Leadership

The Role of Partnerships in the Professional Doctorate in Education: A Program Application in Educational Leadership