Cognitive Apprenticeship in an Online Research Lab for Graduate Students in Psychology

The Cognitive Apprenticeship Model

Cognitive apprenticeship was the guiding theoretical framework used to evaluate the Lab design and pedagogy, as well as analysis of student outcomes (Collins, Brown & Newman, 1989). Apprenticeships, in the traditional sense, are an opportunity for the novice to acquire a skill by working alongside an expert in his or her work environment. Apprenticeships have occurred in many domains, ranging from apprentices in building trades, to interns in law firms, to artisans (Williams, 1992). In traditional apprenticeships, the expert models a skill, not in a formal classroom but within his or her own workplace, office, or laboratory. What each apprenticeship has in common is the “real world” context, or situated learning, in which the skill is developed (Brown, Collins, & Duguid, 1989). Cognitive apprenticeship is an effort to combine the best of the classroom experience with the hands-on learning opportunities of apprenticeship (Collins et al., 1989).

Collins et al. (1989) established the framework of cognitive apprenticeship using four components: a) Content (domain knowledge and heuristics); b) Method (pedagogy); c) Sequence (how activities are ordered); and d) Sociology (community of practice, collaboration, and motivation). Each of these components contributes to the efficacy of a cognitive apprenticeship. It should be noted, however, that components are often interrelated. For example, the content of instruction (how to conduct a statistical test or develop a research question) affects how the instructor provides guidance (by walking students through the steps or proposing questions and asking for critique) and the sequencing of material (research questions are usually formed before running statistical analysis). Further discussion of each of these components is provided below.