Completing Your EdD

The Essential Guide to the Doctor of Education

Iona Burnell Reilly, Jodi Roffey-Barentsen

• Publisher: Emerald Publishing Limited
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781789735659
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Higher Education

Undertaking a Professional Doctorate in Education (EdD) can be a daunting yet career-defining task. Through engaging with research, increasing your networks, and conducting your own research project, you will advance your professional practice and understanding of your field. Completing your EdD is the new essential text to guide you through your doctorate. It provides a thorough and comprehensive guide intended to accompany you as you successfully progress through your EdD. It is packed with critical information covering key topics from both the taught modules you will undertake and advice for conducting your own research project. Coverage includes writing at doctoral level, conducting a literature review, theoretical frameworks, research ethics, the relationship with your supervisor, and more. Bridging theory and practice, chapters include practical, real-life examples taken from EdD students' experiences and work, as well as extracts offered by practitioners. Written by current EdD teachers, programme leaders and supervisors, and featuring feedback from recently completed EdD students, this vital resource is a must-read for any EdD candidate and will remain a go-to guide for qualified professionals working in education and beyond.

1

THE STRUCTURE OF A PROFESSIONAL DOCTORATE IN EDUCATION; WHY CHOOSE IT?

Jane Creaton

INTRODUCTION

All doctoral-level qualifications in the United Kingdom

require the main focus of the candidate’s work to demonstrate an original contribution to knowledge in their subject, field or profession, through original research or the original application of existing knowledge or understanding. (Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), 2015, p. 3)

However, doctorates are delivered through a range of different models. The three main categories are subject specialist doctorates (PhD/DPhil), doctorates by publication and professional and/or practitioner doctorates. The latter category is distinguished by its application to professional practice and so tends to be structured differently from the other forms of doctorate. The aim of this chapter is to review and analyse the structure of professional doctorate in education (EdD) programmes. There are three key purposes: to enable you to understand the distinctive nature of a professional doctorate, to compare the professional doctorate with other options for doctoral-level study, and to assist you in choosing an EdD programme which best meets your requirements.

This chapter begins with a general overview of the structure of professional doctorate programmes, including level, credits, modules, delivery and assessment. It will then identify the key features of a professional doctorate and how these differ from other doctoral pathways. The final section will review some of the different ways that EdD programmes are structured and delivered and consider the advantages and disadvantages of the various approaches. The rationale is to enable you to choose a programme which is best suited to your aims and objectives, your style of working and your personal and professional circumstances.

At the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

• Identify the key characteristics of a professional doctorate.
• Understand the potential advantages and disadvantages of different EdD structures.
• Make an informed choice about which programme would best suit your needs.

WHAT IS A PROFESSIONAL DOCTORATE?

The UK Council for Graduate Education (UKCGE) defines a professional doctorate as:

A programme of advanced study and research which … is designed to meet the specific needs of a professional group external to the university, and which develops the capability of individuals to work within a professional context. (UKCGE, 2002, p. 62)

The origins of professional doctorates can be traced back to the thirteenth century to the subject-based doctorates such as Doctor of Law and Doctor of Theology that were offered by European universities (UKCGE, 2002). The earliest modern professional doctorates in the United Kingdom were launched in 1992: an EdD at the University of Bristol and a Doctorate in Engineering (EngD) at the University of Warwick, the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST)/University of Manchester and the University of Wales (Bourner, Bowden, & Laing, 2001). The UK frameworks for higher education (HE) qualifications do not differentiate between types of doctorate, requiring that all doctoral degrees are awarded for

the creation and interpretation of new knowledge, through original research or other advanced scholarship, of a quality to satisfy peer review, extend the forefront of the discipline, and merit publication. (Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, 2008, p. 23)

There are, however, significant differences in how doctoral programmes are designed, structured and delivered (Ellis & Lee, 2005; Neumann, 2005; Pearson, 1999) which reflect the history and ethos of the different models. The link to professional practice and practitioner knowledge is fundamental, and Ellis and Lee (2005), for example, argue that ‘application to practice is at the philosophical core of the professional doctorate’ (p. 2). In contrast to the traditional PhD, which is generally conceptualised as an apprenticeship for aspiring academics, professional doctorates tend to be aimed at mid-career practitioners and hence are often described as being for ‘researching professionals’ rather than ‘professional researchers’ (Bourner et al., 2001, p. 71). Most programmes require participants to be employed or engaged in a professional capacity in the relevant sector, although there are some examples of professional doctorates (e.g. the Professional Doctorate in Forensic Psychology) which have been established as entry qualifications into a profession.

A report commissioned by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) into the provision of the professional doctorate in English HE institutions identified 72 EdD programmes offered by 54 different institutions (Mellors-Bourne, Robinson, & Metcalfe, 2016). The EdD is one of the most well-established professional doctorate programmes, being offered by nearly half of the 123 English HE institutions surveyed by the report’s authors. The number of EdD programmes had nearly doubled from the previous survey of provision in 2009, which identified 38 programmes and education continued to be one of the dominant areas of professional doctorate provision (the others being business, health and social care and psychology). The growth of EdD programmes has also included an increase in specialisation, with the emergence of programmes focussing specifically on HE, educational psychology and education leadership.

In the early years of professional doctorate provision, there were some concerns about the parity of quality and standards between PhD and professional doctorates, linked to differences in the time requirements for completion, entry qualifications and the length of the final thesis (Ellis & Lee, 2005; Neumann, 2005; Pearson, 1999). These debates over the equivalence between the PhD and the professional doctorate can be seen as part of a wider scepticism within some elements of the academy about the status and value of professional knowledge. Although professional doctorate students are undoubtedly engaged in the creation of new knowledge, this is often informal, situated and contingent knowledge generated through professional practice (Eraut, 1994, 2000) rather than the more formal disciplinary-based knowledge associated with PhD study. These disciplinary boundaries, have however, come under considerable challenge from ‘Mode 2 knowledge’, which is produced outside the academy in the context of application and characterised by transdisciplinarity and heterogeneity (Gibbons et al., 1994).

As understanding of the different structures and approaches of professional doctorates has grown, a considerable body of academic literature has developed, focussing on the impacts of the professional doctorate on the personal and professional development of practitioners (Costley, 2013; Hawkes & Yerrabati, 2018; Lindsay, Kerawalla, & Floyd, 2017; Wildy, Peden, & Chan, 2015). This research identifies a number of positive impacts of the doctorate on candidates’ career trajectories and professional identities. In relation to an EdD programme, Wellington and Sikes (2006) concluded that ‘… the doctorate is seen as being largely of benefit to the individual rather than the professional as a whole’ (p. 733), but other research has also identified examples where research undertaken for doctoral projects has a direct impact on policy and practice within their own organisation (Costley, 2010, 2013). Interviews with professional doctorate candidates and alumni have also identified the development of ‘more reflective practice and evidence-based professionalism valued by some employers’ (Mellors-Bourne et al., 2016, p. vi).

Reflective question:

What personal, professional and other benefits do you hope you might get from the EdD?

THE STRUCTURE OF DOCTORAL PROGRAMMES

Another striking difference between doctorates lies in how programmes are structured. The traditional doctorate in humanities and social sciences requires a three-year full-time period of research supported by a supervision team. A more usual model for a professional doctorate programme is a two-year taught programme delivered part time on a cohort basis, followed by a research stage taking between two and five years. The content of the taught element varies across programmes but will typically include sessions on research methodology and methods, publication and dissemination, professional reflection and practice and some subject-specific content. This is delivered and assessed through a series of modules credited at masters or doctoral level. Assessments undertaken for the taught element of the programme often involve an element of work-based learning, professional reflection or action research. Although students write an amount over the course of the programme that is broadly equivalent to the total words required for a PhD thesis, the professional doctorate thesis is often shorter. The final research project undertaken for the thesis is also undertaken in the context of the student’s professional practice. This focus on the individual’s professional practice means that professional doctorates are also characterised by a greater degree of reflection and reflexivity than may be the case in a PhD.

It has been argued that the structure of professional doctorates is becoming less distinctive because of the changing nature of doctoral education (Bao, Kehm, & Ma, 2016; Kamler & Thomson, 2006; Loxley & Kearns, 2018; Park, 2005). This includes the increasing expectations that PhD students engage in formal research methods and researcher development training, the growth of specialist Doctoral Colleges or Doctoral Schools to support the doctoral research community and the establishment of cohort-based approaches through doctoral training partnerships and structured PhD programmes. However, notwithstanding these developments, the experience of students on a professional doctorate programme is likely to differ quite significantly from a student on a PhD programme, at least in the taught phase of the programme. Furthermore, the experiences of professional doctorate students may also vary considerably by programme and by institution. Within the broad framework outlined above, there are significant variations in EdD programme structures, which can produce quite different learning experiences for participants at different institutions. Applicants for programmes should consider carefully the various elements before making a decision, and the purpose of this chapter is to provide more information about these structures, including size, length, volume and content, in order to guide you to make the best choice of programme for you.

HOW ARE PROFESSIONAL DOCTORATES IN EDUCATION STRUCTURED?

Although academic credit has not traditionally been assigned to PhDs, professional doctorates do sit within the relevant UK Frameworks of Higher Education Qualifications. The framework for England, Wales and Northern Ireland specifies 540 credits, at least 360 of which must be at level 8, and the Scottish framework specifies a minimum of 420 at level 12. Levels 8 and 12 are doctoral level and the QAA’s Characteristics Statement for Doctoral Degrees complements and contextualises these frameworks by elaborating on the distinctive features of the doctoral degree. The majority of EdD programmes are offered part time, on the basis that practitioners will be juggling their studies with a full-time job. However, a growing number of programmes now offer a full-time pathway, to accommodate those who have more flexible working patterns. This is reflected in the minimum and maximum lengths of registration which can vary from three to four years full-time or from six to eight years part time...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Introduction
• 1. The Structure of a Professional Doctorate in Education; Why Choose it?
• 2. Your Relationship with Your Supervisor
• 3. Ethics in Educational Research
• 4. Writing the Literature Review
• 5. Developing a Theoretical Framework
• 6. Research Design and Methodological Approaches
• 7. Analysing and Interpreting Data
• 8. Getting Over the Finishing Line
• 9. The Examination Process and Your Viva
• 10. Post Qualification – Now You’re a Doctor, What Next?
• Index