“This Is Just What We Do”: PhD Students on Becoming Scholars in a Community of Practice

Abstract

Increasingly librarians are interested in how the community of practice (CoP) framework can provide a more complete picture of how information literacy practices are influenced by situated and social learning. Doctoral students are socialized into the practices of the academy and gradually take on the identity and work of a scholar in their field. As an illustration of the CoP framework among doctoral students, the author shares data from a qualitative study with a small group of early-career education PhD students who are developing their information literacy skills within their disciplinary and social contexts, using the CoP as a source of support and reflection around their identity development as scholarly researchers and writers. Using critical reflection, the author considers the role of a librarian-researcher in an existing CoP of doctoral students and what role librarians can play in supporting students’ research and writing practices within the community.