Brigham Young University BYU ScholarsArchive Theses and Dissertations 2014-07-03 Investigating the One-on-One Master-Apprentice Relationship: A Case Study in Traditional Craft Apprenticeship Isaac W. Calvert Brigham Young University - Provo Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd Part of the Educational Psychology Commons BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Calvert, Isaac W., "Investigating the One-on-One Master-Apprentice Relationship: A Case Study in Traditional Craft Apprenticeship" (2014). Theses and Dissertations. 4154. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/4154 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. i Investigating the One-on-One Master-Apprentice Relationship: A Case Study in Traditional Craft Apprenticeship Isaac W. Calvert A dissertation submitted to the faculty of Brigham Young University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Russell T. Osguthorpe, Chair Jerry L. Jaccard A. Legrand Richards David D. Williams Stephen C. Yanchar Department of Instructional Psychology and Technology Brigham Young University July 2014 Copyright © 2014 Isaac W. Calvert All Rights Reserved ii ABSTRACT Investigating the One-on-One Master-Apprentice Relationship: A Case Study in Traditional Craft Apprenticeship Isaac W. Calvert Department of Instructional Psychology and Technology, BYU Doctor of Philosophy Governments around the world are calling for a revival of apprenticeship on a large scale, emphasizing the value of the one-on-one, human interaction between master and apprentice and the teaching involved in that interaction. Although a broader historical view of apprenticeship shares these ideas, certain prominent threads within recent educational research have done a great deal to deemphasize them. Some go so far as to overlook the master-apprentice relationship altogether, assert that masters simply do not exist, and claim that apprenticeship learning happens without any teaching at all. In response to these claims, the researcher took part in an autoethnographic case study, participating himself in a two-year apprenticeship under a master violinmaker. Analysis from the case suggests that the one-on-one master-apprentice relationship plays a key role in apprenticeship learning, that mastery is embodied in individuals rather than in communities alone, and that a master’s teaching does in fact make a difference to an apprentice’s learning. Keywords: apprenticeship, teaching, role of human teacher, traditional craft apprenticeship iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank the members of my committee, friends, family, and colleagues. Without the help of those around me, I know that completing this dissertation would not have been possible. I would like to especially thank the master under whom I apprenticed, who has graciously asked that his name not be mentioned. Without his kindness and generosity in taking me in as an apprentice, I would neither have learned how to make violins, nor have been able to conduct this study. I also wish to recognize the hand of the Lord in my work. Above all, without His divine help, none of this, nor any other endeavor in my life, would have been possible at all. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................... iv LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................... xii Preamble ......................................................................................................................................... 1 Instructional ................................................................................................................................ 1 Psychology .................................................................................................................................. 2 And .............................................................................................................................................. 2 Technology ................................................................................................................................. 3 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 5 Research Questions ....................................................................................................................... 10 Literature Review.......................................................................................................................... 11 Why Study Apprenticeship? ..................................................................................................... 11 What is Apprenticeship? ........................................................................................................... 17 Traditional ............................................................................................................................. 17 Craft ...................................................................................................................................... 18 Apprenticeship.. .................................................................................................................... 22 Theorizing Apprenticeship........................................................................................................ 32 Cognitive apprenticeship ...................................................................................................... 33 Legitimate peripheral participation ....................................................................................... 38 A traditional theory of apprenticeship .................................................................................. 42 Summary ................................................................................................................................... 47 Method .......................................................................................................................................... 48 v Study Overview ........................................................................................................................ 48 Autoethnography as Method ..................................................................................................... 50 Apprenticeship as Field Method ............................................................................................... 51 Data Gathering .......................................................................................................................... 54 Data Analysis ............................................................................................................................ 56 Qualitative Standards ................................................................................................................ 58 Pilot Study Results .................................................................................................................... 59 Theme one: Traditional human apprenticeship treats learning as becoming ........................ 59 Theme two: The desire to teach is just as fragile and important as the desire to learn......... 60 Theme three: Failure is a key element of apprenticeship learning ....................................... 61 Theme four: Encounters with unfamiliarity involve powerful human emotion ................... 61 Theme five: Apprenticeship acts as a catalyst for holistic inquiry ....................................... 62 Theme six: Traditional apprenticeship emphasizes embodied, practical involvement ......... 63 Theme seven: The master’s openness about his or her mistakes encourages learning ......... 64 Future research directions from preliminary study ............................................................... 64 Personal Narratives ................................................................................................................... 65 Marduła: The master of my master ....................................................................................... 66 Wade Pingree: The master .................................................................................................... 67 My story as apprentice .......................................................................................................... 72 Apprenticeship Stages ............................................................................................................... 78 Stage one: Rites of passage (September 2012 to March 2013) ............................................ 80 Stage two: Formal apprenticeship (April 2013 to December 2013) ..................................... 86 Stage three: Journeymanship ................................................................................................ 89 vi Results ........................................................................................................................................... 90 The Nature and Dynamics of the Master-Apprentice Relationship .......................................... 91 Sharing a personal relationship ............................................................................................. 92 A master’s generosity.