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Section 2 Becoming a Researcher/Scholar / Chapter 3 The Doctoral Identity

7. Conclusion

 

Recognizing growth through metacognitive reflection will aid doctoral learners in understanding where they have been and where they are in order to move to where they need to be as scholar-practitioners. Additionally, recognizing the emotional challenges that can, and will, occur in the doctoral journey can help learners understand more fully the rigors and expectations of completing course work and dissertation. Life happens, and the ability to set priorities, carve out time for completion of reading and writing, and setting boundaries for what is and is not acceptable in learners' spheres of influence will assist them in their journey of becoming a doctor.

 

The best advice anyone can give is to embrace the change that will manifest in various domains of life. As the researcher, the writer, and the doctoral student, learners will transcend previous academic experiences. This is not to say that there are not tendencies towards self-growth and awareness in every person, but these latent talents and gifts will manifest in ways that will create the scholar that learners need to become to graduate.