Some of the first classes in an education doctorate program will ask the student to adopt a framework for research and scholarship, and to become aware of the educational research community. Some required reading for these classes, as listed in syllabi from George Mason University, might include the following texts:
Kimble, C., Hildreth, P., and Bourdon, I., eds. "Communities of Practice: Creating Learning Environments for Educators." Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, Inc., 2008.
Wenger, E. "Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning, and Identity." New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008.
Wenger, E., McDermott, R., and Snyder, W. "Cultivating Communities of Practice." Boston, MA:
Harvard Business School Press, 2002.
Classes in educational psychology help the student gain an awareness of cognitive and social theories that impact instructional methods and learning. Some required texts for these classes may include the following:
Alexander, P.A., and Winne, P.H., eds. "Handbook of Educational Psychology." 2nd ed. Mahwah, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., 2006.
Zimmerman, B.J., and Schunk, D.H., eds. "Educational Psychology: A Century of Contributions."
Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., 2003.
How people are affected by social and cultural activity has an effect on their learning capability and motivation, and doctoral students will have classes in the cultural processes that shape learning. The following books might be required reading for such courses:
Elliot, A.J., and Dweck, C.S. "Handbook of Competence and Motivation." New York: Guilford Press, 2005.
Darling-Hammond, L., & Bransford, J., eds. "Preparing Teachers for a Changing World: Report of the
Committee on Teacher Education for the National Academy of Education." San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass, 2005.
If the doctoral candidate is interested in researching the profession of teaching itself and how teachers are educated, she might specialize in research on teacher education. A course of study in this area might include the following required reading:
Cochran-Smith, M., Feiman-Nemser, S., and McIntyre, D.J. "Handbook of Research on Teacher
Education: Enduring Questions in Change Contexts." New York: Routledge, 2008.
Galluzzo, G.R., and Craig, J. "Handbook of Research on Teacher Education." New York: Macmillan,
1990.
Smith, B.O. "A Design for a School of Pedagogy." Washington, D.C: U.S. Department of
Education, 1980.
Studying the ways that various educational institutions interact and decide on policy approaches is another specialization area for an education doctoral candidate. Required reading in this area might include the following texts:
Cross, Christopher. "Political Education: National Policy Comes of Age." New York: Teachers College
Press, 2004.
Heck, R.H. "Studying Educational and Social Policy: Theoretical Concepts and Research Methods."
Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2004.
"Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association," 5th ed. Washington, DC:
American Psychological Association, 2009.