Doctoral Internships and Research

The internship component of Gallaudet University's Ph.D. program in Interpreting has far-reaching benefits for students, researchers and the profession. Last year, we were awarded the RID grant for a research study designed to investigate the direct discourse of Deaf physicians' communication with Deaf patients. We were fortunate to have had a Gallaudet doctoral student working with us on that project. In our work together, the student had the opportunity to "see behind the curtain" and experience the range of challenges that arise in research work. As a member of the team, he asked questions, made decisions and learned skills necessary for conducting a study independently. This real-world approach to learning prepares students for steps necessary for completing their dissertations and, more importantly, for making scholarly contributions to the field in the future.

For us as researchers, the inclusion of an intern on a project enabled our study to move forward more quickly. Research in interpreting can be time-consuming, particularly for activities such as transcribing and coding data. Having a graduate intern who is motivated and prepared has proven to be a crucial asset to the study. Giving students specific pieces of a project that they can complete independently (with support and direction) allows researchers to advance other parts of the project. Given the limited resources available to many faculty members and researchers, having intern support contributes towards completing crucial phases of a research project.

We anticipate that when the Gallaudet doctoral students graduate, the internship will have helped them develop the critical skills necessary to conduct research, both on their own and as part of collaborative teams. The knowledge and the skills they will have learned from their mentors will have provided a solid foundation for them to make own unique contributions, which will create new knowledge for the interpreting profession.

Laurie Swabey, PhD
Brenda Nicodemus, PhD

(Information about doctoral research)