A conceptual enquiry into communities of practice as praxis in international doctoral education

Cai, L., Dangeni, D., Elliot, D. L. , He, R., Liu, J., Makara, K. A. , Pacheco, E.-M. , Shih, H.-Y., Wang, W. and Zhang, J. (2019) A conceptual enquiry into communities of practice as praxis in international doctoral education. Journal of Praxis in Higher Education, 1(1), pp. 11-36. (doi: 10.47989/kpdc74)

Abstract

Undertaking a PhD entails diverse and multi-faceted challenges as doctoral researchers enter a distinct academic culture that requires transition to a new level and threshold of learning – with both knowledge acquisition and production at the core. While doctoral researchers are expected to secure different dimensions of knowledge, which necessitates meaningful ‘dialogue’ with experts, the colossal task is still ironically associated with isolated doctoral experience and somewhat limited postgraduate supervision provision. With the extra concerns typically confronting the international doctoral cohort, the pressure tends be intensified, and may lead to psychological well-being concerns. Nevertheless, there is evidence from the literature that highlights the often unacknowledged forms of learning opportunities and support mechanisms via community participation. By employing communities of practice as the main framework, this conceptual paper exemplifies the crucial role played by these communities – how these communities serve to scaffold doctoral researchers’ academic progress, support their psychological adjustments, and reinforce the crucial, but perhaps limited, formal doctoral support provision. By featuring effective examples of educational praxis via these communities, our paper offers a holistic understanding of formal and informal infrastructures as part of the wider doctoral ecology with a view to achieving a more holistic and meaningful doctoral experience.

• Item Type: Articles
• Keywords: Doctoral researchers, psychological well-being, Communities of Practice, education as praxis, international students, whole doctoral ecology.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Makara Fuller, Dr Kara and Pacheco, Dr Emily-Marie and HE, RUI and Cai, Liexu and Dangeni, Miss Dangeni and ZHANG, JIE and SHIH, Hsin Yi and Elliot, Dr Dely and Liu, Jianshu and WANG, WENTING
• Authors: Cai, L., Dangeni, D., Elliot, D. L., He, R., Liu, J., Makara, K. A., Pacheco, E.-M., Shih, H.-Y., Wang, W., and Zhang, J.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Education; College of Social Sciences > School of Education > People, Place & Social Change
• Journal Name: Journal of Praxis in Higher Education
• Publisher: JPHE
• ISSN: 2003-3605
• ISSN (Online): 2003-3605
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2019 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Journal of Praxis in Higher Education 1(1):11-36
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons license