1.
Jeffrey M. Keefer ~ @JeffreyKeefer ~ #thresholds2014
Threshold Concepts and Postgraduate
Struggles: The Development of a
Framework to Support Learners
through Doctoral Liminality
Jeffrey M. Keefer
New York University / Pace University / VNSNY, USA
5th
Biennial International Threshold Concepts Conference
Collingwood College, Durham University, UK
July 9-11, 2014

2.
Jeffrey M. Keefer ~ @JeffreyKeefer ~ #thresholds2014
One element of
Doctorateness =
making an original
contribution to
one’s field.

3.
Jeffrey M. Keefer ~ @JeffreyKeefer ~ #thresholds2014
A threshold is a . . .
“portal, opening up a new
and previously inaccessible
way of thinking about
something”
that . . .
“represents a transformed
way of understanding, or
interpreting, or viewing
something without which the
learner cannot progress”
(Meyer & Land, 2003, p. 1).

4.
Jeffrey M. Keefer ~ @JeffreyKeefer ~ #thresholds2014
A transformed worldview can include understanding and
explaining conceptual frameworks, the ability to engage in
a solid review of the literature, and even the experience of
ontological or epistemological shifts
while along the doctoral journey.

5.
Jeffrey M. Keefer ~ @JeffreyKeefer ~ #thresholds2014
The notion of doctoral liminality
was the focus of this study.

6.
Jeffrey M. Keefer ~ @JeffreyKeefer ~ #thresholds2014
A liminal state is a period of transition
during a rite of passage, that point where
an identity shift occurs.
The person who entered the rite is no
longer the same, nor have they yet
transitioned into their new life as a result
of completing their rite
(vanGennep, 1960; Turner, 2011).

7.
Jeffrey M. Keefer ~ @JeffreyKeefer ~ #thresholds2014
Regardless of discipline, nationality, age,
type of doctorate, or any other
demographic qualifier, liminal experiences
fell into at least one of three thematically
distinct, though related, categories.

8.
Jeffrey M. Keefer ~ @JeffreyKeefer ~ #thresholds2014
Lack of confidence and impostor syndrome…

9.
Jeffrey M. Keefer ~ @JeffreyKeefer ~ #thresholds2014
Isolation and loneliness…

10.
Jeffrey M. Keefer ~ @JeffreyKeefer ~ #thresholds2014
.
and research misalignment

11.
Jeffrey M. Keefer ~ @JeffreyKeefer ~ #thresholds2014
Liminal periods often ended suddenly with an
Aha! moment of clarity illuminating the way.
The threshold was crossed.

12.
Jeffrey M. Keefer ~ @JeffreyKeefer ~ #thresholds2014
Each passed through his or her own difficult and
murky Liminal Black Box of personal challenges.

13.
Jeffrey M. Keefer ~ @JeffreyKeefer ~ #thresholds2014
Yet, they did not pass through
doctoral liminality all alone.

14.
Jeffrey M. Keefer ~ @JeffreyKeefer ~ #thresholds2014
Each one had some support in this dark
period, some actant that helped support
them through their liminal periods—
supervisors, friends, family,
and even theories themselves.

15.
Jeffrey M. Keefer ~ @JeffreyKeefer ~ #thresholds2014
Of importance to note, none could walk the
path in proxy for the postgraduate.
They could only provide scaffolding for or
hold the Ladder; each participant had to
navigate their own paths and climb their
own Ladder of Liminality.

16.
Jeffrey M. Keefer ~ @JeffreyKeefer ~ #thresholds2014
Doctoral Liminality . . .

17.
Jeffrey M. Keefer ~ @JeffreyKeefer ~ #thresholds2014
This theory of Doctoral Liminality, and
especially the Ladder of Liminality, may be
a useful frame to understand some of the
struggles along the doctoral journey,
especially the individual’s need to walk the
solitary path of original contribution to
one’s field, though always with some
support along the way.

18.
Jeffrey M. Keefer ~ @JeffreyKeefer ~ #thresholds2014
Two Questions to Consider
Does Doctoral Liminality speak to your
experience?
What implication does Doctoral Liminality
have for Threshold Concept theory?

19.
Jeffrey M. Keefer ~ @JeffreyKeefer ~ #thresholds2014
Threshold Concepts and Postgraduate
Struggles: The Development of a
Framework to Support Learners
through Doctoral Liminality
Jeffrey M. Keefer
New York University / Pace University / VNSNY, USA
5th
Biennial International Threshold Concepts Conference
Collingwood College, Durham University, UK
July 9-11, 2014