What Motivates EdD Students to Pursue a Professional Doctorate?

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 12:40 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Graduate Student Experience and Institutional Structures (Table 9)

Abstract

Although interest in the EdD has grown, and although the institutional financial incentives driving professional degree expansion are widely understood, student motivations for pursuing the degree have been underexplored. In the 2023/24 academic year, we conducted an international survey of 581 current EdD students from the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, with follow-up interviews with 10 participants. We found that while motivation is multifaceted, most respondents primarily choose to take this degree for personal fulfillment and love of learning. In this paper we explore various dimensions of motivation and discuss the implications. If students are pursuing this for personal satisfaction, what is “professional” about the professional doctorate in education?

Authors

• Karen S. Acton, University of Toronto

• Joseph J. Flessa, University of Toronto - OISE