Cognitive Apprenticeship in STEM Graduate Education: A Qualitative Review of the Literature

The future is dependent on the STEM graduate education system, emphasizing the importance of STEM graduate programs in producing highly trained expert researchers. The cognitive apprenticeship (CA) framework provides guidance to experts (i.e., faculty) on how to explicate their knowledge through the creation of learning opportunities that foster and support students in developing expertise in a particular discipline. This review examines the current landscape of research focused on the use of the CA framework in STEM graduate education. The research suggests the CA framework is a useful and effective model for supporting faculty in cultivating rich learning opportunities for STEM graduate students.