Researcher Identity, Belonging, and Motivation in a Faculty-Led Research Team: A Mixed Methods Study of Online EdD Students and Alumni

Online graduate students may have limited opportunities to participate in collaborative research and develop a sense of belonging within scholarly communities. In this mixed methods study, we examined researcher identity, motivation, self-efficacy, and belonging among online Doctor of Education students and alumni who participated in a faculty-led research team. We used critical mentorship theory to examine the experiences of our participants. We analyzed quantitative data using descriptive statistics and multiple regression, and analyzed participants’ open-ended responses using thematic analysis. In the regression analysis, researcher self-efficacy and sense of belonging accounted for approximately 24% of the variance in researcher identity and motivation. Sense of belonging was the only significant independent predictor. Although participants most frequently identified research skill development as a motivation for joining the team, interestingly, belonging ranked seventh among nine initial motivations. Through qualitative analysis, we identified three themes: becoming a researcher, learning through community, and confidence through contribution. Participants described increased identification as researchers, reciprocal peer support and knowledge exchange, and increased confidence through meaningful participation in scholarly work. While online doctoral students may have entered this collaborative research experience seeking competence, their development as researchers depended more on experiencing membership. These results support the use of faculty-led research teams to create opportunities for online professional doctoral students to participate meaningfully in scholarly work, develop collaborative relationships, and strengthen their identities as researchers.