Evidence From a Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate Program That Develops Ed.D. Students' Identities as Educational Leaders and Educational Researchers

• In Event: Hilton Roundtable Session 5
  In Roundtable Session: Roundtable Session 1: Graduate and Postdoctoral Education Across the Disciplines SIG

Abstract

During doctoral programs, participants have been shown to develop various professional identities (Jaczac-Martek, 2009). We examined how end-of-first-year students in a CPED-affiliated EdD program were developing professional identities as educational leaders and educational researchers. Quantitative and qualitative data revealed substantial development of identities as leaders and as researchers. Qualitative data indicated students ‘tried out’ leadership and researcher skills in their workplaces to develop these skills. These efforts were consistent with the notion of possible selves or provisional selves in which individuals try on identities, which they practice on a trial basis and reformulate over time as they become more accomplished. “Connections to current views of self” were influential in students’ efforts as they tried out these new roles (Oyserman, 2010).

Author

• Ray R. Buss, Arizona State University