Preparing New Doctoral Students Preparing New Doctoral Students for Academic Practice:for Academic Practice:

Cultivating New Students’ Cultivating New Students’ Scholarly Identity and Practice Scholarly Identity and Practice

through Cognitive Apprenticeshipthrough Cognitive Apprenticeship

Ann E. AustinAnn E. AustinMichigan State UniversityMichigan State University

Second International ConferenceSecond International ConferenceOxford UniversityOxford University

April, 2008April, 2008

Doctoral Education as Anticipatory Doctoral Education as Anticipatory SocializationSocialization

Definition of SocializationDefinition of Socialization– Merton, Reader, & Kendall: “the processes through Merton, Reader, & Kendall: “the processes through

which [a person] develops [a sense of] professional which [a person] develops [a sense of] professional self, with its characteristic values, attitudes, self, with its characteristic values, attitudes, knowledge, and skills…”knowledge, and skills…”

– Weidman, Twale, & Stein: Offered a framework to Weidman, Twale, & Stein: Offered a framework to understand socialization in doctoral educationunderstand socialization in doctoral education

Students learn knowledge and skillsStudents learn knowledge and skills

Interact with faculty and peersInteract with faculty and peers

Integrate into activities of their fields Integrate into activities of their fields

Concerns about Doctoral EducationConcerns about Doctoral Education

Lack of systematic, developmentally organized Lack of systematic, developmentally organized preparation experiencespreparation experiences

Lack of clear expectations and feedbackLack of clear expectations and feedback

Limited attention to academic and non-academic Limited attention to academic and non-academic careerscareers

Concerns about advisors and sense of Concerns about advisors and sense of communitycommunity

Limited opportunities for “guided reflection”Limited opportunities for “guided reflection”

Theory of Cognitive ApprenticeshipTheory of Cognitive Apprenticeship

A framework for teaching and learning in A framework for teaching and learning in doctoral education that may enhance the doctoral education that may enhance the socialization processsocialization process

““A model of instruction that works to make things A model of instruction that works to make things visible” (Collins, Brown, & Holum, 1991)visible” (Collins, Brown, & Holum, 1991)

Comparison to Traditional ApprenticeshipComparison to Traditional Apprenticeship– Thinking is less easily observable processThinking is less easily observable process– Involves work that is separated from situation where it Involves work that is separated from situation where it

may occurmay occur– Skills must be transferrableSkills must be transferrable

Practice of Cognitive ApprenticeshipPractice of Cognitive ApprenticeshipModeling: Modeling: – Providing demonstrationProviding demonstration

Scaffolding: Scaffolding: – Offering suggestions, diagnoses, feedbackOffering suggestions, diagnoses, feedback

Coaching:Coaching:– Guiding students to do more complex workGuiding students to do more complex work

Articulation and Reflection: Articulation and Reflection: – Helping students ask questions and articulate processes of thinkingHelping students ask questions and articulate processes of thinking

Promoting Transfer of Learning: Promoting Transfer of Learning: – Helping students see wide applicability in diverse settingsHelping students see wide applicability in diverse settings

Importance of Learning Context:Importance of Learning Context:– Encouraging active engagement in a community of scholarsEncouraging active engagement in a community of scholars

Cognitive Apprenticeship and Cognitive Apprenticeship and Doctoral EducationDoctoral Education

Using a teaching approach informed by the Using a teaching approach informed by the theory of cognitive apprenticeship helps provide:theory of cognitive apprenticeship helps provide:

– More systematic preparationMore systematic preparation

– More focused guidance and scaffoldingMore focused guidance and scaffolding

– More explicit feedbackMore explicit feedback

– Preparation for being part of a community of scholarsPreparation for being part of a community of scholars

Case Example:Case Example:First-Year Seminar Higher, Adult, and Lifelong First-Year Seminar Higher, Adult, and Lifelong

EducationEducation

Purpose of CoursePurpose of Course– Increase students’ familiarity with history, key Increase students’ familiarity with history, key

concepts, questions, and literatures relevant concepts, questions, and literatures relevant to scholars and practitioners of higher and to scholars and practitioners of higher and adult educationadult education

– Help entering doctoral students enhance their Help entering doctoral students enhance their abilities in the areas of critical reading, critical abilities in the areas of critical reading, critical thinking and analysis, writing, and inquirythinking and analysis, writing, and inquiry

Practice 1:Practice 1:Making Explicit the Challenges, Making Explicit the Challenges,

Responsibilities, and Opportunities of Doctoral Responsibilities, and Opportunities of Doctoral EducationEducation

Help students make productive transition Help students make productive transition into doctoral education, develop identities into doctoral education, develop identities as scholars, and deepen abilities as as scholars, and deepen abilities as thinkers and writersthinkers and writers

Make explicit the ways of thinking, habits, Make explicit the ways of thinking, habits, and abilities associated with productive and abilities associated with productive scholarly work in the fieldscholarly work in the field

Practice 2:Practice 2:Guiding Students through the Process of Guiding Students through the Process of

Creating a “Mini-Research Proposal”Creating a “Mini-Research Proposal”

The goal is to help students understand The goal is to help students understand the research processthe research process– Students frame problems, identify questions, Students frame problems, identify questions,

develop literature reviewdevelop literature review– Scaffold process with guidance and feedbackScaffold process with guidance and feedback– Provide examplesProvide examples– Model thinkingModel thinking– Provide coaching—feedback, individual mtgs.Provide coaching—feedback, individual mtgs.– Emphasize transfer—practice conference Emphasize transfer—practice conference

talkstalks

Practice 3: Practice 3: Coupling Purposefulness with FlexibilityCoupling Purposefulness with Flexibility

Adjust work to student needsAdjust work to student needs

Emphasize Articulation and ReflectionEmphasize Articulation and Reflection– Short written reflectionsShort written reflections– Mid-semester feedbackMid-semester feedback– Students self-assessStudents self-assess– Students provide feedback to each otherStudents provide feedback to each other

Practice 4:Practice 4:Cultivating a Community of ScholarsCultivating a Community of Scholars

Discuss and develop learning communityDiscuss and develop learning community– Respect for and support of others’ learningRespect for and support of others’ learning– Mutual responsibility for quality of classMutual responsibility for quality of class

Strategies:Strategies:– Writing groupsWriting groups– Practice giving feedbackPractice giving feedback

Practice 5: Practice 5: Creating an Environment of High Creating an Environment of High Expectations and High SupportExpectations and High Support

Expect excellence and hard work from Expect excellence and hard work from everyone—students and facultyeveryone—students and faculty

High support—accessibility of teacher, High support—accessibility of teacher, openness to conversationopenness to conversation

Mutual respectMutual respect

Results/OutcomesResults/Outcomes

Strong positive resultsStrong positive results– Self-confidenceSelf-confidence– Gains in ability to conceptualize important porblems Gains in ability to conceptualize important porblems

and frame relevant questionsand frame relevant questions

Example: “The teacher …modeled behaviors—Example: “The teacher …modeled behaviors—ways of responding to people, ways of ways of responding to people, ways of presenting one’s own ideas so that the door is presenting one’s own ideas so that the door is open to other ideas, ways of bringing up open to other ideas, ways of bringing up contradictory evidence for mutual consideration contradictory evidence for mutual consideration instead of blunt disagreement.”instead of blunt disagreement.”

Concluding ThoughtsConcluding Thoughts

Cognitive apprenticeshipCognitive apprenticeship– a theory about how learning occurs and a theory about how learning occurs and

specific ways in which teaching practice can specific ways in which teaching practice can enhance the learning processenhance the learning process

A very useful theory in explaining aspects A very useful theory in explaining aspects of how doctoral students learn to think as of how doctoral students learn to think as scholarsscholars

Practical implications for teaching practicePractical implications for teaching practice