Bridging Theory to Practice

In this chapter, the authors present concepts of bridging theory to practice for doctoral students in an effort to build their research self-efficacy. Research self-efficacy is essential to doctoral students' success in completing dissertation research, and connecting theory to practice not only benefits doctoral students in the ability to conceptualize research, but it supports the development and enhancement of doctoral student dispositions. Providing these connections as early as possible, and as often as possible, can lead to scholar socialization and higher levels of research self-efficacy. The instructional strategies, including theory application, perspective shifting, and guided reflection, provide the necessary skills to help doctoral students be successful scholars, especially in preparing for the doctoral dissertation, as well as opportunities for faculty collaboration and student engagement.