Waiting for the Expert to Arrive: Using a Community of Practice to Develop the Scholarly Identity of Doctoral Students

This qualitative study examined the identity of doctoral students in their quest to become scholars. The research question asked: What impact did a Community of Practice have on the doctoral students? The findings illustrated that on the journey the participants struggled to integrate multiple identities and roles. They also refined their identities within the liminal spaces of the doctoral process and the Community of Practice (CoP). The CoP provided validation to help the participants grow and emerge into scholars as they built relationship through the many opportunities they used to co-create knowledge for themselves and others. Under the guidance and direction of an expert and scholar in the field, we held the vision of becoming experts within our respective subject areas, trusting the CoP to facilitate the process of our transformation into scholars.