Troublesome knowledge for entry-level PhD nursing students: Threshold concepts essential for the research-focused...

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Doctoral Studies
• Scholarly Identity Development

Background:

• PhD doctoral students often encounter conceptually difficult knowledge, termed troublesome knowledge.
• Troublesome knowledge is frequently linked to threshold concepts crucial for advancing discipline-specific understanding and knowledge creation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify troublesome knowledge experienced by PhD nursing students in an introductory course.
• To explore the threshold concepts associated with this troublesome knowledge.

Main Methods:

• Employed a case study research methodology.
• Analyzed reflective learning journals from 18 entry-level PhD nursing students using content analysis.
• Triangulated journal data with faculty assessments.

Main Results:

• Identified three essential threshold concepts: new ways of knowing, constructing researcher/writer identity, and community positioning.
• Entry-level PhD nursing students reported constructing researcher and writer identity as the most troublesome threshold concept.

Conclusions:

• An introductory PhD nursing course should incorporate metacognitive activities and scaffolding.
• Early positioning within the research community aids students in mastering threshold concepts.
• These strategies support mastery of threshold concepts for research-focused doctorates.