Understanding The Impact of The Professional Doctorate on Professional Practice and Personal Development

Summary

The professional doctorate (PD) is founded on a range of statements relating to: its ‘impact on professional practice’; its aim of producing ‘reflective practitioners; and its role in developing ‘professional knowledge’ and ‘work based research’. Sometimes these claims are used as a means of marketing the PD, whilst sometimes they are used as a way of separating it from the traditional PhD. Some of the rationale and rhetoric ‘behind’ professional doctorates involves the claim that we are developing ‘researching professionals’ and that the PD will improve practice and enhance professional development.

All of the above terms and claims are problematic. The aim of our research project is to explore, analyse and document the extent to which students who have completed, or are still engaged in, a PD consider that either the product of their doctorate or the process of doing it, have ‘impacted’ on their professional practice and their own development. In so doing we plan to enhance the impact of these doctorates on the professions, particularly in the areas of health and education.

Researchers

The research is centred on an ongoing joint project conducted by Professors Hilary Burgess and Jerry Wellington.

Methods and approach

We are collecting a range of case studies/ narratives/ stories from students who are willing to openly engage in the activity of personal reflection on this question. We are using a mixture of methods including e-mail ‘interviews’, narratives offered by students, telephone interviews, face to face interviewing and analysis of students’ doctoral dissertations. The key question we have asked them to reflect upon is:

How has the PD influenced/ impacted upon/ altered my own professional practice?

We ask them to reflect on positive aspects of the interaction between the process and product of the PD and their professional life – but we also ask them to consider if any negative interactions or even dissonance has occurred.

The latest phase of our research will involve employers in assessing how best the professions can be developed as a result of the PD. This is supported by a joint Higher Education Academy (HEA) grant for 2012-2013 (Hilary Burgess is the Principal Investigator).

Beneficiaries

Our aim is to benefit both sides of the academic/ professional ‘divide’. Thus our work should have an impact on PD courses, including the curriculum, the written products ( mainly the thesis) and the assessment process; equally, we hope in our future work to influence employers and the professions in assimilating graduates from PDs in order to enhance knowledge transfer, professional development and the development of the professions.

Links and publications

Wellington, J (2012) Searching for Doctorateness, Studies in Higher Education, DOI:10.1080/03075079.2011.634901 for on-line access

Burgess, H., Weller, G and Wellington, J. (2011) Tensions in the purpose and impact of professional doctorates. Work Based Learning e-Journal, Vol. 2, No.1.

Burgess, H. & Wellington, J. (2010) “Exploring the impact of the professional doctorate on students’ professional practice and personal development: early indications” in Work Based Learning E-journal Vol.1, No.1, pp. 160-176.

Wellington, J ( 2010) Making supervision work for you, London: Sage

Wellington, J. and Sikes, P (2006), ‘A Doctorate In A Tight Compartment’: Why Do Students Choose A Professional Doctorate And What Impact Does It Have On Their Personal And Professional Lives, Studies In Higher Education, Vol. 31, No. 6, pp 723-734.