Examining Structures and Practices of Affinity Group Development in Teacher Education: A Mixed Methods Sequential Explanatory Approach

For many educators, transitioning from teacher to scholar is a journey wrought with identity-laden challenges, as students must merge an already developed professional identity with an academic researcher identity. Thus, we examined how the structures and practices of cohorts enabled or constrained affinity identity development in teacher education doctoral students from 2008-2012. Through our mixed method design, the four professional, collaborative, institutional and social themes emerged as the most important aspects for our participants (n=16). Our 2011 cohort participants most readily identified as an established cohort, and upon closer examination, they, unlike the others, had structures and practices put forth in the beginning of their doctoral program that emphasized the four emerging themes. Our findings have a meaningful impact on the support that is received and scholarly development that occurs for doctoral students.