Developmental networks and learning: toward an interdisciplinary perspective on identity development during doctoral study

Abstract

The authors draw on two families of theories – developmental networks and sociocultural perspectives on learning – to develop an interdisciplinary approach to the study of doctoral education as a path to the professoriate. This approach seeks to elucidate the connection between doctoral students’ developmental networks, what they learn during their graduate experience (including their learning about the faculty role) and how they develop a professional identity. The authors first discuss the key tenets of the developmental networks and sociocultural perspectives, before exploring their alignments and explaining how the combination might remedy the limitations inherent in each approach. Finally, they offer some research propositions and directions for further study of the preparation of doctoral students for academic careers.

Keywords:

• doctoral education
• academic careers
• developmental networks
• learning
• identity development

Acknowledgements

We want to gratefully acknowledge the advice received from Chris Golde and two anonymous reviewers during the writing of this manuscript. A previous version of this article was presented at the Association for the Study of Higher Education annual conference in Jacksonville, FL in November 2008. This research was supported by a grant from the Hewlett‐Mellon Fund for Faculty Development at Albion College in Albion, Michigan.