Troublesome knowledge for entry-level PhD nursing students: Threshold concepts essential for the research-focused doctorate

Background: Evidence supports that PhD doctoral students experience conceptually difficult knowledge, or troublesome knowledge, during their studies. These areas of troublesome knowledge are often associated with threshold concepts, those ideas specific to a discipline that must be understood to advance ways of thinking and making knowledge in the discipline. Purpose: To examine troublesome knowledge identified by a group of PhD nursing students during an introductory course and to consider threshold concepts related to that knowledge. Method: Design: Case study research methodology. Sample: 18 entry-level PhD nursing students recruited with convenience sampling. Data collection: Content analysis was used to analyze data collected from student reflective learning journals. Journal data was triangulated with formative and summative faculty assessments of student learning. Results: Three essential threshold concepts for entry-level PhD nursing students were identified: developing new ways of knowing, constructing researcher and writer identity, and positioning within the nursing research community. Analysis indicates that entry-level students found the threshold concept of constructing researcher and writer identity most troublesome. Conclusion: A PhD introductory nursing course which includes metacognitive activities, scaffolding of assignments, and early positioning within the research community can assist students with mastery of threshold concepts for the research-focused doctorate.