Ask Doctoral Advising

There is a saying (I have no idea of the author – sorry) that if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, surely it’s a duck.  My favorite radio personality, Mr. Obvious, would agree – it’s got to be a duck!  After all, there could not possibly be another creature that fits into these specific categories, right?  Super – so we have a duck.  Now what?

This lesson can be (and is) applied probably everyday in each of our lives.  We live largely by what we know to be true within the context of our world and world views.  We know huge amounts of information about the world around us, however, how frequently do we truly challenge any of those things we KNOW that we know?  During the course of obtaining advanced degrees, individuals often expand their world views to include other possibilities and explanations for what may have before been obvious to them.  A critical element of doctoral studies includes questioning what it is that you KNOW, and challenging ideas, theories, and constructs to determine if, indeed, it really is just a duck.

As I move through my doctoral journey (yes – it is a long journey; a marathon – not a sprint), I find more and more that what I thought was just a duck may have more to it.  There are domestic and wild ducks: there are Black East Indies ducks that have green and turquoise feathers; there are white ducks.  There are hooked-billed ducks and flat-billed ducks.  There are rubber ducks and, at some restaurants, there are Peking ducks.  I have even seen pictures of crested ducks with what looks remarkably like mohawks on their heads.  Are you ready to duck out yet?  Seriously – I will stop now.

My point is simply that even if it looks like just a duck, there is always more to it.  There are nuances that you find when you investigate and take a closer look.  There are variations, striations, and strata among these things that must be delved into to truly understand and appreciate the duck (or theory, or construct, or world view). 

As students of learning (which I believe all doctoral learners to be) we should question what we know and believe we understand.   We should always exhaust (yes – exhaust: try out every single possibility) our research to ensure we haven’t overlooked a point.  We need to be diligent and constantly open to new possibilities – the research you read last year is likely to have been updated with new findings – have you checked?  Don’t assume you already know everything about your research.  The goal here is that while we are immersing ourselves in the details of learning, we are also on a path of deeper self-discovery about what we believe and KNOW to be true.

And yes, there is always the possibility that you truly do know everything you need to know – sometimes a duck is just that – a duck.  But when you see a duck, hopefully you will stop and consider the numerous possibilities about what kind of duck it is.  And, on the offchance that its a duck that you have never seen before, maybe stop and take a closer look!