"Iron Sharpening Iron": Student Motivation Inside and Outside an Ed.D. Cohort

• In Event: 67.069 - Sheraton Roundtable 14 - Osgoode Ballroom
  In Roundtable Session: 67.069-5 - The Motivation of Doctoral Students

Abstract

A core feature of our EdD program is the use of cohorts. Two aims of this research were (1) gathering narrative evidence to confirm existing program practices, and (2) identifying specific program growth areas. Preliminary findings indicate that graduates thought one of the greatest strengths of our program is its cohort model of coursework. However, a number of graduates shared candidly the difficulties in transitioning from a cohort model (during the coursework phase) to independent dissertation writing. Drawing on McLane’s (1990) “writing as a social process” research and Zimmerman and Risemberg’s (1997) socio-cognitive perspective on writing motivation, this paper presents an analysis of ten oral narratives from EdD graduates in order to translate their feedback into actionable program improvement steps.

Authors

• Edmund T. Hamann, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

• Eileen Boswell, University of Nebraska - Lincoln