Date of Degree
2025
Degree Name
Ed.D. (Doctor of Education)
Department
Department of Counseling and Higher Education (CAHE)
Director
Gudrun Nyunt
Committee Members
Kelly Wesener-Michael, Quortne Hutchings
Keywords
Scholarly Practitioner Identity, Faculty Pedagogy, Community College Leadership, Educational Doctorate Degree
Abstract
The purpose of this research was to explore the different ways instructors teach in community college leadership doctoral programs. This qualitative study used case study methodology to understand how faculty participants from different universities develop their pedagogy. Eleven faculty participated in semi-structured interviews about their experiences teaching doctoral students on their journey to developing a scholarly practitioner identity. Three themes emerged: participants viewed their role in the learning process of doctoral students through co-creating learning environments where faculty recognized the expertise students brought to class, building scholarly confidence so students began trusting their critical thinking abilities from a research perspective, and utilizing flexible teaching approaches to best serve students with busy lives. These findings suggest faculty (1) co-create learning environments leveraging student expertise, (2) intentionally develop students’ scholarly confidence, and (3) adopt flexible, student-centered teaching practices to support working students. These provide valuable insights into how faculty support student practitioners in developing a scholarly lens in their roles and explore the faculty perspective often missing from existing literature. Implications for faculty development and CCLP programs are discussed.
Publisher
Northern Illinois University
Rights Statement
In Copyright
Rights Statement 2
NIU theses and dissertations are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors, unless otherwise indicated.
Recommended Citation
Nemcek, Lindsey, "Serving Scholarly Practitioners: The Role of Faculty and Pedagogy in Community College Leadership EdD Programs" (2025). Dissertations of Practice. 89.
https://huskiecommons.lib.niu.edu/allgraduate-disspractice/89
