Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

The Dispositions and Skills of a Ph.D. in Education: Perspectives of Faculty and Graduate Students in One College of Education

  • Published:
Innovative Higher Education Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Twenty-two faculty and graduate students were interviewed in one college of education in order to understand what the college and its constituents view as the skills, habits of mind, and dispositions needed to obtain a Ph.D. in Education. Analysis of the data was conducted using professional socialization as a theoretical framework, allowing for an understanding of the different perspectives of this topic as viewed through a developmental lens. Implications for theory and practice are included.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adams, K. A., & Association of American Colleges and Universities (2002). What colleges and universities want in new faculty. Preparing future faculty occasional paper series. Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges and Universities.

    Google Scholar 

  • Atwell, R. H. (1996). Doctoral education must match the nation’s needs and the realities of the marketplace. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 43(14), B4–B6 (November 29).

    Google Scholar 

  • Baez, B. (2002). Degree of distinction: The Ed.D. or the Ph.D. in education. Paper presented at the Association for the Study of Higher Education, Sacramento, CA (November).

  • Baird, L. L. (1972). The relation of graduate students’ role relations to their stage of academic career, employment, and academic success. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 7, 428–441.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bargar, R. R., & Duncan, J. K. (1982). Cultivating creative endeavor in doctoral research. Journal of Higher Education, 53, 1–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Becher, T. (1981). Towards a definition of disciplinary cultures. Studies in Higher Education, 6, 109–122.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Becher, T., & Trowler, P. R. (2001). Academic tribes and territories (2nd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Open University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berelson, B. (1960). Graduate education in the United States. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Biglan, A. (1973a). The characteristics of subject matter in different academic areas. Journal of Applied Psychology, 57, 195–203.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Biglan, A. (1973b). Relationships between subject matter characteristics and the structure and output of university departments. Journal of Applied Psychology, 57, 204–213.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bogdan, R. C., & Biklen, S. K. (2003). Qualitative research for education: An introduction to theories and methods. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowen, W. G., & Rudenstine, N. L. (1992). In pursuit of the Ph.D. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boyer, E. L. (1990). Scholarship reconsidered: Priorities of the professoriate. Princeton, NJ: Carnegie Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bragg, A. K. (1976). The socialization process in higher education. Washington, DC: George Washington University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carpenter, D. S. (1987). On-going dialogue: Degrees of difference? The Review of Higher Education, 10, 281–286.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark, B. R. (1987). The academic life: Small worlds, different worlds. Princeton, NJ: Carnegie Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Council of Graduate Schools (1990). The doctor of philosophy degree: A policy statement. Washington, DC: Council of Graduate Schools.

  • Council of Graduate Schools (2004). Ph.D. completion and attrition: Policy, numbers, leadership, and next steps. Washington, DC: Council of Graduate Schools.

    Google Scholar 

  • Damrosch, D. (1995). We scholars: Changing the culture of the university. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dill, D. D., & Morrison, J. L. (1985). Ed.D and Ph.D research training in the field of higher education: A survey and a proposal. The Review of Higher Education, 8, 169–186.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gaff, J. G. (2002). The disconnect between graduate education and faculty realities. Liberal Education, 88(3), 6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gardner, S. K. (2005). “If it were easy, everyone would have a Ph.D.” Doctoral student success: Socialization and disciplinary perspectives. Doctoral dissertation, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington.

  • Glaser, B. (1978). Theoretical sensitivity: Advances in the methodology of grounded theory. Mill Valley, CA: Sociology.

    Google Scholar 

  • Golde, C. M. (2005). The role of the department and discipline in doctoral student attrition: Lessons from four departments. Journal of Higher Education, 76, 669–700.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Golde, C. M., & Walker, G. E. (Eds.) (2006). Envisioning the future of doctoral education: Preparing stewards of the discipline. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

  • Heiss, A. M. (1968). Graduate education today: An instrument for change?: The answer seems to be no. Journal of Higher Education, 39, 1–10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jacobson, J. (2005, March 25). Report calls for abolition of Ed.D. degree and overhaul of education schools. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 51(29), A24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, E. (2003). Beyond supply and demand: Assessing the Ph.D. job market. Occupational Outlook Quarterly, 46(4), 22–33.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lester, S. (2004). Conceptualizing the practitioner doctorate. Studies in Higher Education, 29, 757–770.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lovitts, B. E. (2001). Leaving the ivory tower: The causes and consequences of departure from doctoral study. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lovitts, B. E. (2005). Being a good course-taker is not enough: A theoretical perspective on the transition to independent research. Studies in Higher Education, 30, 137–154.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maxwell, J. A. (1996). Qualitative research design: An interactive approach. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Merton, R. K. (1957). Social theory and social structure. New York, NY: Free.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, J. K., & Coorough, C. (1994). Content analysis of the PhD versus EdD dissertation. Journal of Experimental Education, 62, 158–168.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Osguthorpe, R. T., & Wong, M. J. (1993). The Ph.D. versus the Ed.D.: Time for a decision. Innovative Higher Education, 18, 47–63.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Richardson, V. (2006). Stewards of a field, stewards of an enterprise: The doctorate in education. In C. M. Golde & G. E. Walker (Eds.), Envisioning the future of doctoral education: Preparing stewards of the discipline (pp. 251–267). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robertson, N., & Sistler, J. K. (1971). The doctorate in education: An inquiry into conditions affecting pursuit of the doctoral degree in the field of education: The institutions. Bloomington, IN: American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosen, B. C., & Bates, A. P. (1967). The structure of socialization in graduate school. Sociological Inquiry, 37, 71–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Siegfried, J. J., Getz, M., & Anderson, K. H. (1995, May 19). The snail’s pace of innovation in higher education. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 41(36), A56.

    Google Scholar 

  • Soto Antony, J. (2002). Reexamining doctoral student socialization and professional development: Moving beyond the congruence and assimilation orientation. In Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research (vol. XVII, pp. 349–380). New York, NY: Agathon.

  • Tierney, W. G. (1997). Organizational socialization in higher education. Journal of Higher Education, 68, 1–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tierney, W. G., & Rhoads, R. A. (1994). Enhancing promotion, tenure and beyond: Faculty socialization as a cultural process. Washington, DC: George Washington University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Toma, J. D. (2002, November). Legitimacy, differentiation, and the promise of the Ed.D. in higher education. Paper presented at the Association for the Study of Higher Education, Sacramento, CA.

  • Van Maanen, J. (1977). Experiencing organization: Notes on the meaning of careers and socialization. In J. Van Maanen (Ed.), Organizational careers: Some new perspectives (pp. 15–45). London, England: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Maanen, J. (1978). People processing: Strategies of organizational socialization. Organizational Dynamics, 7(1), 19–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Maanen, J., & Schein, E. H. (1979). Toward a theory of organizational socialization. Research in Organizational Behavior, 1, 209–264.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weick, K. E. (1984). Contradictions in a community of scholars: The cohesion-accuracy tradeoff. In J. L. Bess (Ed.), College and university organization: Insights from the behavioral sciences (pp. 15–29). New York, NY: New York University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weidman, J. C., & Stein, E. L. (2003). Socialization of doctoral students to academic norms. Research in Higher Education, 44, 641–656.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA

    Susan K. Gardner

  2. Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA

    Michael T. Hayes & Xyanthe N. Neider

Authors
  1. Susan K. Gardner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Michael T. Hayes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Xyanthe N. Neider
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Susan K. Gardner.

Appendix

Appendix

Interview Protocol

  1. (1)

    What do you consider to be an ideal Ph.D. program in education?

    1. a.

      How well does the Ph.D. program in the college of education match this ideal?

  2. (2)

    What effect, if any, has this college’s participation in the Carnegie Initiative on the Doctorate had on the quality of Ph.D. education in the college?

  3. (3)

    What are the dispositions, habits of mind, attitudes, and skills a Ph.D. in education should have or exhibit?

    1. a.

      What is your assessment of how these are being provided in the college?

  4. (4)

    What are the most valuable experiences in a Ph.D. program in education?

    1. a.

      How well are these being provided in the college?

  5. (5)

    What do you consider to be an ideal Ph.D. student?

    1. a.

      How well does the Ph.D. program in the college help students to meet this ideal?

  6. (6)

    What are your expectations for these constituencies in a Ph.D. program in education?

    1. a.

      Students

    2. b.

      Faculty

    3. c.

      Advisors/mentors

    4. d.

      Administrators

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Gardner, S.K., Hayes, M.T. & Neider, X.N. The Dispositions and Skills of a Ph.D. in Education: Perspectives of Faculty and Graduate Students in One College of Education. Innov High Educ 31, 287–299 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-006-9029-1

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-006-9029-1

Key words

Search

Navigation