Investigating the One-on-One Master-Apprentice Relationship

248 Pages·2016·1.27 MB·English

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Theses and Dissertations
2014-07-03
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Isaac W. Calvert
Brigham Young University - Provo
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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Results ........................................................................................................................................... 90
The Nature and Dynamics of the Master-Apprentice Relationship .......................................... 91
Sharing a personal relationship ............................................................................................. 92
A master’s generosity. ...................................................................................................... 93
Apprenticeship requires patience. ..................................................................................... 96
Earning the master’s trust. ................................................................................................ 99
An apprentice must be humble. ...................................................................................... 103
Sharing personal stories. ................................................................................................. 105
Mutual love and care. ...................................................................................................... 107
Friendship and banter. ..................................................................................................... 108
Building one another’s confidence. ................................................................................ 109
A profound love of work................................................................................................. 109
One cannot serve two masters. ........................................................................................ 110
A dynamic, progressing relationship .................................................................................. 111
A student-teacher relationship. ....................................................................................... 112
Rites of passage........................................................................................................... 112
Trials of patience......................................................................................................... 113
Frustration and disappointment................................................................................... 115
Overcoming arrogance and pride. ............................................................................... 115
Proving oneself to the master. ..................................................................................... 116
Master and apprentice become friends. .......................................................................... 117
From novice to journeyman. ....................................................................................... 119
A father-son relationship................................................................................................. 120
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Balancing patience and zeal ................................................................................................ 122
Tempering unbridled desire ............................................................................................ 123
A fragile desire .................................................................................................................... 125
Differing roles ..................................................................................................................... 126
A master’s role. ............................................................................................................... 127
An apprentice’s role. ....................................................................................................... 128
Negative case: The community’s role................................................................................. 129
Human Mastery ....................................................................................................................... 131
Mastery is a human quality ................................................................................................. 131
Human knowledge and evaluation. ................................................................................. 132
Learning from the past ........................................................................................................ 133
Human intuition .................................................................................................................. 134
A master’s craft is sacred .................................................................................................... 135
Shop space is sacred space. ............................................................................................. 136
At home in the shop. ....................................................................................................... 137
Mastery: Skill and character ............................................................................................... 138
A conscience of craft. ..................................................................................................... 138
Fostering personal change. .............................................................................................. 139
A love of simple craft. .................................................................................................... 140
Eternal perspective. ......................................................................................................... 140
Negative case: Input from others ........................................................................................ 141
The Master Teaching His Apprentice ..................................................................................... 142
Deliberate teaching ............................................................................................................. 143
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Teaching conceptually. ................................................................................................... 143
Direct explanation. .......................................................................................................... 144
Tricks of the trade. .......................................................................................................... 145
Physical demonstration. .................................................................................................. 146
Intervention ......................................................................................................................... 146
Giving warnings. ............................................................................................................. 146
Tempering unnecessary innovation. ............................................................................... 147
Tempering excessive zeal. .............................................................................................. 148
Fixing mistakes. .............................................................................................................. 149
Doing another’s work. .................................................................................................... 150
Teaching to one’s understanding ........................................................................................ 150
Customized teaching. ...................................................................................................... 151
Using experience as a tool. ............................................................................................. 152
Using familiar metaphors. ............................................................................................... 152
Evaluative feedback ............................................................................................................ 153
Explaining one’s evaluative processes................................................................................ 154
Masters explain problems from their own work. ............................................................ 155
Thinking out loud. ........................................................................................................... 156
Finding balance ................................................................................................................... 156
When to push the apprentice. .......................................................................................... 157
Purposeful rites of passage. ......................................................................................... 157
Slowing down. ............................................................................................................ 157
Letting the apprentice struggle. ................................................................................... 158
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When to let up. ................................................................................................................ 159
Showing empathy........................................................................................................ 159
Giving compliments. ................................................................................................... 160
Offering encouragement. ............................................................................................ 160
Easing tension with humor.......................................................................................... 161
Calming a troubled apprentice. ................................................................................... 161
Repetition ............................................................................................................................ 162
High expectations................................................................................................................ 163
Expecting self-direction. ................................................................................................. 163
Working apart. ................................................................................................................ 163
Expecting diligent observation. ...................................................................................... 164
Perennial evaluation. ....................................................................................................... 165
Apprentice initiative........................................................................................................ 166
Awaiting proper questions. ............................................................................................. 167
Answering questions with questions. .......................................................................... 167
Solutions are found, not prescribed. ........................................................................... 168
Process over product ........................................................................................................... 169
Teaching with multiple purposes ........................................................................................ 170
Teaching tacit skills tacitly ................................................................................................. 171
Teaching skills by project. .............................................................................................. 172
Vulnerability ....................................................................................................................... 173
Admitting difficulty. ....................................................................................................... 173
Admitting ignorance. ...................................................................................................... 174