Assessing doctorateness in the professional doctorate portfolio for language practitioners: from publishability to impact

As doctoral provision has expanded and diversified over the last 20 years in the UK, the concept of ‘doctorateness’ has been developed in policy and the academic literature to address parity across different types of doctoral qualification and providers. In assessing doctoral-level work, publishability has become synonymous with quality. However, when applied to the context of a professional doctorate for language teachers, publishability can be problematic due to the range of peer reviewed outputs and what counts as an original contribution to knowledge. The solution outlined in this chapter is to move from publishability to professional impact as the hallmark of quality. This required changes to the doctoral curriculum and assessment based on concepts from the literature on teacher professionalisation such as principled eclecticism, moral practice, and reflective practice. The chapter concludes with reflections on the impact of these innovations after four years of running a new doctoral programme, suggesting some areas for discussion as we look to shape TESOL as a profession in formation.