The Development of a Doctoral Program CoP and Its Members

Abstract

The purpose of this research study was to explore how a multigenerational community of practice (CoP) at a public urban university may provide doctoral students the space and the support needed to explore and develop their professional identities and find their scholarly voices. The second aim of this study was to examine how the entity of the CoP itself evolved over time. Social learning theory and generational theory provided the framework to interpret the data. Through analysis of collective autoethnographic journals, three primary themes emerged:1) psychological safety and trust; 2) diverse expectations became shared interests; and 3) the unique and shared experiences of the CoP members.

The Development of a Doctoral Program CoP and Its Members

“…To gain an understanding of how CoPs may facilitate professional development among doctoral students, a pilot study was conducted (Olszewski et al, 2018) that examined the experiences and professional identity development of the members of a multigenerational CoP. A qualitative autoethnographic case study framework was used, which permitted us to understand how the CoP members co-constructed their professional identities in interaction with their generational memberships.…”