Annotated Bibliography: Doctoral Identity

Annotated Bibliography: Doctoral Identity Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Course Name/Number Instructor’s Name Due Date Annotated Bibliography: Doctoral Identity Baker, V. L., & Pifer, M. J. (2011). The role of relationships in the transition from doctor to independent scholar. Studies in Continuing Education, 33(1), 5-17. doi: 10.1080/0158037X.2010.515569 This study was purposed to demonstrate the transformation a scholar undergoes from dependency to independence during stage (2) two of a doctorate program and examine major relationships along with their effects on the process of identity development. The article introduced identity development and knowledge acquisition as its key concepts. Identity development referred to the changes that transpire after the graduate training process. Knowledge acquisition referred to the new competencies and skills that one must learn while transitioning to a new role. The article’s authors focused on this perspective because they lacked prior empirical research in the evaluation of identity development in conditions surrounding a doctoral education. The article proposed a theory that the nature of an individual’s nature of relationships can have an effect on the retention, creation, and selection of provisional identities. Scholars’ relationship networks outside and within the academic spectrum are essential for tenacity and professional success. The study was qualitative, and the research design was phenomenological. The participants of the study were (31) thirty-one doctoral students in both higher education and business. A fraction of the participants were continuing with Stage 2 at the period in which the study was being conducted while the remainder had just completed Stage 2. Of the 31 participants, one was Asian American, one was African American, two were Indians, six were international students, three were Asian, and eighteen were white. The limitations of this study sample were the absence of cultural identity which was isolated from the process of information gathering and the combination of cultures. The study highlighted three themes pertaining to the purpose of relationships including identity development as a scholar, and advice and general support, and identity development for the purpose of academic furtherance. Key findings were climate and program structures were significant, and relationships were significant components of socialization, doctoral education, and preparation for an academic and professional career. Although the data presented was valid, a weakness was manifest in how different cultural backgrounds were not considered and whether those differences had an effect in identity development. It would be beneficial if more research was conducted to examine whether different disciplines have an effect on identity development. Personal versus academic relationships should also be looked at in more detail. Gardner, S. K. (2009). Conceptualizing success in doctoral education: Perspectives of faculty in seven disciplines. The Review of Higher Education, 32(3), 383-406. doi: 10.1353/rhe.0.0075 This study was purposed to form a conception of success in doctoral settings. Areas that quantify success are competencies associated with the professional...