Being a Padawan and Mastering the Force: A Dissertation Quest

Authors

• Papia Bawa, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa, USAFollow

Abstract

This study explores the experiences of one doctoral researcher and two doctoral peers navigating mentor-mentee relationships through a literary lens, employing autoethnographic methods to capture the nuanced dynamics of guidance, expectation, and emotional labor. Data were drawn from narratives found in reflective journals, personal memos, email exchanges, text messages and conversations with four faculty mentors and two doctoral peers accumulated through the doctoral journey.  The narratives were analyzed using thematic analysis. Using vignettes and incident reports, the research highlights key turning moments in the doctoral journey that shaped perceptions of mentorship, emphasizing both the cognitive and affective dimensions of academic identity development. Findings reveal that mentees often confront mismatched expectations, experience emotional labor, and negotiate cognitive dissonance when aligning their scholarly identities with mentor guidance. By centering the mentee perspective, this study challenges traditional views of passive doctoral socialization and underscores the importance of active, reciprocal engagement in mentorship. The research contributes to understanding the complexities of doctoral mentorship and offers practical implications for cultivating supportive, reflective, and equitable mentor-mentee relationships in higher education. Additionally, the study contributes to the literature by offering an experience-based framework of JOY (Journey, Openness, Yield) for understanding doctoral mentorship process and proposes to help guide productive mentor-mentee relationships.

Keywords

mentoring, autoethnography, mentor guidance, doctoral, identity

Author Bio(s)

Dr. Papia Bawa is an experienced instructional designer and educator with over 15 years of expertise in developing innovative learning solutions. Dr. Bawa holds a Ph.D. and Master of Science in Education in the subject of Learning Design and Technology. Specializing in instructional design for both educational and corporate environments, Dr. Bawa has designed and led programs in areas such as business law, leadership, technology-enhanced learning, accessibility, and project management. Dr. Bawa has a strong background in curriculum development, having served as Program Coordinator for a Master's and Advanced Certificate in Instructional Design, as well as creating faculty training programs, designing global communication and diversity workshops, and integrating massively multiple online games (MMOS) into curricula. Passionate about fostering inclusive, culturally competent learning environments, Dr. Bawa is committed to leveraging emerging technologies and instructional theories to enhance student engagement and success. Please direct correspondence to [email protected]

Publication Date

10-24-2026

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

Recommended APA Citation

Bawa, P. (2026). Being a Padawan and mastering the force: A dissertation quest. The Qualitative Report, 31(9), 6663-6688.

ORCID ID

0000-0003-3005-5566