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Thinking about the PhD:

Thinking about the PhD:. What is it? Why do we do it? What does it mean?. Project. reading the literature. doing the research. PhD!!!!!. ‘writing up’. Product (thesis). marking. Project. Process. PhD!!!!!. Product (thesis). Whose business?. Commonwealth government (Neumann)

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Thinking about the PhD:

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  1. Thinking about the PhD: What is it? Why do we do it? What does it mean?

  2. Project reading the literature doing the research PhD!!!!! ‘writing up’ Product (thesis) marking

  3. Project Process PhD!!!!! Product (thesis)

  4. Whose business? • Commonwealth government (Neumann) • Hence, universities (funding) • Faculties/departments (funding, continuance of the discipline) • And, the community (taxpayers, citizens, study participants, consumers of news/current affairs) • Supervisors • Candidates (and their families, friends, etc!)

  5. How does the literature conceptualise the degree? • Various ‘How to get your PhD’ books, eg Doctorates Downunder • Institutional aspects: Neumann, McWilliam, Taylor et al • Training of researchers (QPRA) • Process, performance and making meaning: Lee et al (Green, Johnson, Williams, Boud), Vilkinas, Macauley, Peseta…

  6. How-to books • Great majority stay with the practical – skills development and acquisition • Focus on the product • Give lots of tips on getting and maintaining support networks • Recently, seem to be moving into a more managerial mode - learning plans, generic attributes

  7. Institutional perspective • Concern at lack of completions • Risk for universities: McWilliam • Supervisor training: Brew & Peseta • Neumann interviewed candidates and supervisors across disciplines • Took account of variations in disciplines • Looked at some specific problems (eg industry-linked projects)

  8. Training for research • Parallels government moves on research quality • Concern over vocational issues • US model - more coursework • UK - generic attributes and formalising teaching/testing of these • Aus: Proposed generic attributes (chapters in Doctorates Downunder)

  9. Process • Rite of passage - emotional as well as intellectual • ‘Distress’ as both necessary part and effect of process (Lee &Green: ‘Forged in Fire’) • PhD experience as predictor of supervision attitudes (Brew & Peseta) • P/g pedagogy – How do we learn to be researchers? What part do peers play? (Johnson, Lee & Green, Boud & Lee) • Performance (Peseta)

  10. Where is the PhD performed? In candidate’s homes and lives In The University In workplaces In Government reports In University faculties On the internet (searches, blogs, support groups, emails between candidates and supervisors) In fiction In hospitals In the media In learned journals, as the process discussed In University libraries In postgraduate student groups In learned journals, as research reported

  11. Over to you… • What is the PhD? • Why do we do it? • What does it mean?

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