Communications in Information Literacy - Volume 15 - Issue 1 - Article 4 - “This Is Just What We Do”: PhD Students on Becoming Scholars in a Community of Practice

Oct 15, 2026

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Increasingly librarians are interested in how the community of practice (CoP) framework explains information literacy practices through situated and social learning. Doctoral students are socialized into academic routines, gradually adopting the identity and work of scholars. The author presents qualitative findings from a small group of early-career education PhD students developing information literacy within disciplinary and social contexts, using CoP for support, reflection, and identity development. Critical reflection addresses the role of a librarian-researcher and how librarians can support research and writing practices within the CoP.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Keywords

Introduction

Literature Review

Community of Practice Framework

Communications in Information Literacy | Volume 15 Issue 1 | Article 4 | | --- | --- | | 6-2021
“This Is Just What We Do”: PhD Students on Becoming Scholars in a Community of Practice
Linds Roberts
University of Colorado Boulder, [robertlm@colorado.edu](robertlm@colorado.edu)
Follow this and additional works at: [https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/comminfolit](https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/comminfolit)
Part of the Information Literacy Commons
Let us know how access to this document benefits you. | | Recommended Citation Roberts, L. (2021) .“This Is Just What We Do”: PhD Students on Becoming Scholars in a Community of Practice. Communications in Information Literacy, 15 (1), 75–94 . [https://doi.org/10.15760/](https://doi.org/10.15760/)[ ](https://doi.org/10.15760/)[comminfolit.2021.15.1.4](comminfolit.2021.15.1.4) This open access Research Article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4 .0) . All documents in PDXScholar should meet accessibility standards. If we can make this document more accessible to you, contact our team. “This Is Just What We Do”: PhD Students on Becoming Scholars in a Community of Practice Linds Roberts, University of Colorado Boulder 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 ofthe 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. Keywords: community of practice, information literacy, critical reflection Roberts, L. (2021).“This is just what we do”: PhD students on becoming scholars in a community of practice. Communications in Information Literacy, 15(1), 75–94. “This Is Just What We Do”: PhD Students on Becoming Scholars in a Community of Practice As they enter their graduate programs, doctoral students are socialized into the practices of the academy and gradually take on the identity and work of a scholar in their field. Lave and Wenger (1991) described this process as “legitimate peripheral participation” (LPP), where newcomers begin on the fringes of a community of practice (CoP) and often (but not always) move towards greater participation and full membership by taking on the identity, practices, tools, and language of the community (p. 40) . Considering the social nature of Communities of Practice, legitimate peripheral participation and information literacy learning (IL) together offer helpful lenses for librarians. This article shares qualitative data gathered from a small group of early-career PhD students (N = 9) using the context of their classroom and larger program as the communities of practice. The findings focus on the dynamics ofthe group, the larger context of academia, and the research and writing experiences ofthe individuals within the CoP. The author engages in critical reflection on the research process and the role ofbeing a librarian in the community in addition to reporting the results of the research. This article builds on prior research on communities of practice within LIS and higher education to explore how information literacy practices are shared and co-con

FAQs

How does the community of practice (CoP) framework relate to information literacy learning in the article?

The article uses CoP and legitimate peripheral participation to explain how information literacy practices are shaped by situated and social learning. It treats doctoral students’ learning and identity development as embedded in relationships, language, and practices within academic communities.

What research approach and participant group does the author use?

The author shares data from a qualitative study involving a small group of early-career education PhD students, developing information literacy within their classroom and broader program communities. The group size is N = 9, and the findings emphasize group dynamics, the academic context, and individual research and writing experiences.

What role do librarians play in supporting students’ research and writing practices?

Through critical reflection, the author examines the role of being a librarian-researcher within an existing CoP of doctoral students. The article discusses how librarians can provide support and reflection tied to research and writing practices inside the community.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by kopisore