Becoming a Scholar : cross-cultural reflections on identity and agency in an education doctorate

**A window into the lives of nine non-traditional doctoral students and their journeys to become scholars.** This book provides a window into the lives of nine non-traditional doctoral students. As mature, part-time, international students enrolled in a professional doctorate program, the students reflect on the transformation process of becoming scholars, as their narratives provide breadth and depth to themes that represent a diverse cross-section of cultures, identities, and communities. The volume brings the "human face" behind the doctoral journey to the forefront, as the narratives draw much-needed attention to the personal journey that inevitably parallels and intersects with the academic journey. Although the narratives are drawn from a professional doctor-in-education program based in the United Kingdom, the struggles will resonate with a much wider range of doctoral students and academics, sparking lively discussion, debate, and reflection. A must-read for students preparing to embark on the doctoral journey, this book will be essential reading for leaders of doctoral programs who wish to equip students with important knowledge about the challenges ahead. Cover Half-title Title page Copyright information Table of contents List of contributors Foreword Acknowledgements Introduction Coming together as a cohort Milestones in the EdD Reflecting on the journey Chapter 1: Belonging and becoming in academia: a conceptual framework (Lynn P. Nygaard and Maria Savva) Chapter 2: A tale of two languages: first-language attrition and second-language immersion (Barbora Necas and Susi Poli) Chapter 3: I found my tribe online: belonging in the context of precarity (Muireann O’Keeffe) Chapter 4: A view of the Western university through the eyes of a non-Western student (Mohammad Abdrabboh) Chapter 5: Navigating the pass: distance, dislocation and the viva (David Channon, with Maria Savva and Lynn P. Nygaard) Chapter 6: Understanding the personal significance of academic choices (Maria Savva) Chapter 7: Academic identity interrupted: reconciling issues of culture, discipline and profession (Rab Paterson) Chapter 8: Into the fray: becoming an academic in my own right (Lynn P. Nygaard) Chapter 9: The cultural encounters of women on the periphery (Safa Bukhatir and Susi Poli) Chapter 10: The ‘peripheral’ student in academia: an analysis (Maria Savva and Lynn P. Nygaard) 1 Belonging and becoming in academia: a conceptual framework The complexity of scholarly identity Embarking on a doctoral journey in the changing landscape of academia Learning to be a researcher Supervision and other support Making choices and forging a path References 2 A tale of two languages: first-language attrition and second-language immersion Writing on linguistic and professional identities together (Barbora) Susi’s story: leaving home behind Barbora’s story: returning ‘home’ Final considerations: Susi’s position Final considerations: Barbora’s position References 3 I found my tribe online: belonging in the context of precarity Undertaking a doctorate in a precarious environment Identifying a twenty-first-century research topic Next generation doctoral support From margin to centre: developing my voice online From the doctorate to academic life It’s not what you achieve ... Conclusion References 4 A view of the Western university through the eyes of a non-Western student Cultural misconceptions and biases Unfamiliarity with relevant power relations The informed consent dilemma The audio-taped interview Institutional implications Conclusion References 5 Navigating the pass: distance, dislocation and the viva Editors’ introduction The context and author Positions, orientations, trajectories Authorship and authenticity Dislocation and distance The viva defence Climbing out of the avalanche: coping with major revisions Post-operative Being there counts References 6 Understanding the personal significance of our academic choices Selecting a research topic A dialectical past Transitioning into education Motivation in doctoral pursuit: EdD or PhD? Academic choices, agency and resilience Life after the doctorate References 7 Academic identity interrupted: reconciling issues of culture, discipline and profession From the classroom to the shipyards: discovering professional communities of practice From the shipyards back to the classroom: developing an academic teaching identity Culture shift: evolving as an academic in Asia Back to the drawing board: new schools of thought and technological adjustments What is a fact? Life in Japan: cultural, financial and social issues Summing up References 8 Into the fray: becoming an academic in my own right From accidental to purposeful professional Jumping into the fray You are what you read: finding the right literature Is this research yet? Transforming research to writing The view from the other end: receiving feedback Stretching out the doctoral journey: saying ‘yes’ to everything Writing: interrupted Becoming an academic References 9 The cultural encounters of women on the periphery Reflections on language and culture Our learning journeys Being an Arab woman in British academia (Safa) Being a Western, foreign and ‘difficult’ woman in academia (Susi) Reflections on our learning References 10 The ‘peripheral’ student in academia: an analysis The ‘peripheral’ student and belonging Supervisory and faculty relationships Identity, language and culture Scholarly identity: the expert, the novice and the impostor Concluding remarks References Index

Becoming a Scholar provides a window into the lives of nine non-traditional doctoral students. As mature, part-time, international students enrolled in a professional doctorate programme, they reflect on the transformation process of becoming scholars, and their narratives provide breadth and depth to themes that represent a diverse cross-section of cultures, identities and communities.

Recognising that the process of becoming a scholar is as much internal as it is external, the book provides an opportunity to engage with authentic personal stories that remain firmly rooted in academic literature. By bringing the ‘human face’ behind the doctoral journey to the forefront, the narratives draw much-needed attention to the personal journey that inevitably parallels and intersects with the academic journey. Although the narratives are drawn from a professional Doctor in Education (EdD) programme based in the UK, the struggles are sure to resonate with a much wider range of doctoral students and academics, sparking lively discussion, debate and reflection. A must-read for students preparing to embark on the doctoral journey, and essential reading for doctoral programmes that wish to equip students with important knowledge about the challenges ahead.

Praise for Becoming a Scholar

'Extremely relevant to any student looking to pursue a doctoral degree in a rapidly diversifying, expanding academia that is increasingly repurposed for the needs of the job market rather than those of blue sky research.' Nature Astronomy

Becoming a Scholar provides a window into the lives ofnine non-traditional doctoral students. As mature, part-time,international students enrolled in a professional doctorateprogramme, they reflect on the transformation process of becomingscholars, and their narratives provide breadth and depth to themesthat represent a diverse cross-section of cultures, identities andcommunities.

Recognising that the process of becoming a scholar is as muchinternal as it is external, the book provides an opportunity toengage with authentic personal stories that remain firmly rooted inacademic literature. By bringing the 'human face' behind thedoctoral journey to the forefront, the narratives draw much-neededattention to the personal journey that inevitably parallels andintersects with the academic journey. Although the narratives aredrawn from a professional Doctor in Education (EdD) programme basedin the UK, the struggles are sure to resonate with a much widerrange of doctoral students and academics, sparking livelydiscussion, debate and reflection. A must-read for studentspreparing to embark on the doctoral journey, and essential readingfor doctoral programmes that wish to equip students with importantknowledge about the challenges ahead.

"Becoming a Scholar" provides a window into the lives of nine non-traditional doctoral students. As mature, part-time, international students enrolled in a professional doctorate programme, they reflect on the transformation process of becoming scholars, and their narratives provide breadth and depth to themes that represent a diverse cross-section of cultures, identities and communities. Recognising that the process of becoming a scholar is as much internal as it is external, the book provides an opportunity to engage with authentic personal stories that remain firmly rooted in academic literature. By bringing the 'human face' behind the doctoral journey to the forefront, the narratives draw much-needed attention to the personal journey that inevitably parallels and intersects with the academic journey. Although the narratives are drawn from a professional Doctor in Education (EdD) programme based in the UK, the struggles are sure to resonate with a much wider range of doctoral students and academics, sparking lively discussion, debate and reflection. A must-read for students preparing to embark on the doctoral journey, and essential reading for doctoral programmes that wish to equip students with important knowledge about the challenges ahead In Becoming a Scholar nine mature, part-time, international students reflect on the transformation they each underwent while enrolled in a professional doctorate programme. Their narratives provide breadth and depth to themes that represent a diverse cross-section of cultures, identities andcommunities