Graduate student instructor communities of practice: supporting learning and value creation for novice instructors in higher education

Nabours, Gina Marie (2023) Graduate student instructor communities of practice: supporting learning and value creation for novice instructors in higher education. Doctoral thesis, Northern Arizona University.

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Abstract

Graduate Student Instructors (GSIs) are an integral part of the higher education system. Their presence causes a substantial impact on undergraduate student learning, making supporting GSI learning and growth as educators a focus of anyone tasked in supervising their instruction and charged with the success of the undergraduates they teach. Numerous studies have focused on a variety of GSI-related factors in an effort to better understand this unique demographic of educators. This study extends this research by using a situated learning framework (Lave and Wenger, 1991) involving communities of practice (CoPs) and value creation (Wenger et al., 2011) to determine the activities and experiences that most influence GSI professional learning, patterns that exist in these activities and experiences, and how they influence value creation within two GSI CoPs. Twenty-nine GSIs studying mathematics, statistics, or mathematics education participated in the study and provided data through multiple surveys and interviews. The GSIs mentioned 71 activities and experiences that were analyzed. The data suggest that supportive interactions significantly influence the professional learning that occurs within a CoP, the intended purpose of the CoP plays a role in the type of value GSIs place on their professional learning within a CoP, and there are distinctions in how first-and second-year GSIs create value for their professional learning within a CoP. I conclude with recommendations for both practitioners and the research community.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Publisher’s Statement:	© Copyright is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the Cline Library, Northern Arizona University. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.
Keywords:	Communities of Practice; Graduate Student Instructor; Graduate Teaching Assistant; Professional development; Training
Subjects:	L Education > LB Theory and practice of education L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB2300 Higher Education
NAU Depositing Author Academic Status:	Student
Department/Unit:	Graduate College > Theses and Dissertations College of Education > Teaching and Learning
Date Deposited:	23 May 2025 15:32
Last Modified:	23 May 2025 15:32
URI:	https://openknowledge.nau.edu/id/eprint/6176

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