scholarly journals Not Only the Sorcerer's Apprentice: Re-Conjuring the PhD

2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristy Buccieri ◽  
Campbell McDermid ◽  
Joy Mannette

Without a magic mirror on the wall, Ph.D. students have to look elsewhere for answers. In this paper, we pose the question, “What does it mean to be a Ph.D. in the 21st century?” We explore this issue through our respective social locations, as two first year Ph.D. students from differing backgrounds and as a tenured professor in a Faculty of Education. Our interest lies beyond a critique of the current model and a dualistic consideration of what should or should not be. Instead, we engage auto-ethnography with an analytic-induction approach to consider what postmodern doctoral studies might entail. The discussion is informed by a range of theorists, allowing us to consider multiple voices in the process of inculcation within the canon. Central to our discussion is the motivation of doctoral students and the means by which we can find our place within existing research communities. We examine the responsibility of students in animating knowledge and disseminating it outside the walls of the established academy. With a Ph.D. comes considerable power. The time has come for us to re-think the way we pass the wand from sorcerer to apprentice, and perhaps, even what is the wand.

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (10) ◽  
pp. 9-28
Author(s):  
E. A. Terentev ◽  
B. I. Bednyi

The concentration of state resources in the leading universities poses the problem of reproduction of the scientific and pedagogical personnel in regional universities that do not participate in state-funded academic excellence programs. Based on the data from three focus group interviews with heads of doctoral studies offices at regional universities, the article analyzes problems arising in the implementation of the current model of training and certification of doctoral students. Four following groups of problems are identified: 1) the rigidity of requirements for the structure and content of the educational programs, 2) the imperfection of the system of attestation, gaps between attestation activities, 3) the problem of “retention” of doctoral students after the completion of the educational program, 4) the problems of conjugation of the processes of preparing a dissertation and its defense. The authors discuss possible ways to overcome the identified problems through providing universities with greater autonomy in designing the structure and content of the educational programs; synchronization of the procedures of the final state attestation and dissertation defense; creation of mechanisms for supporting successful doctoral graduates at the final stage of their preparation for the defense of a dissertation; development of network forms for implementation of doctoral programs with leading universities and research institutes.


Author(s):  
Yueh Yea Lo ◽  
Juliana Othman ◽  
Jia Wei Lim

This article details an attempt to understand better how first-year doctoral students construct persuasive arguments in academic writing by exploring the patterns of boosters in drafts of doctoral research proposals. Eight Malaysian first-year ESL doctoral students produced 43 drafts of doctoral research proposals across four areas of study in education during their first year of doctoral studies. These drafts were analysed by coding the various linguistic items used to persuade readers of a text, and the analysis was based on Hyland’s (2005) model of metadiscourse. Results show that the (i) overall frequency of booster markers used is relatively low (n=158), reinforcing the argument that first-year doctoral students lack understanding about the interaction between booster markers and the context in a more complicated discussion in academic writing such as the doctoral research proposal. Then, the (ii) further analysis of booster marker sub-categories indicates that Malaysian first-year doctoral students struggle to make appropriate booster markers with different meanings and strengths in academic writing when used in context. Therefore, our study suggests that direct and explicit teaching of using various booster markers categories should be implemented in postgraduate writing courses to heightened the students’ perceptiveness regarding semantic features associated with creating convincing arguments in academic writing.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 206-219
Author(s):  
Louay Qais Abdullah ◽  
Duraid Faris Khayoun

The study focused basically on measuring the relationship between the material cost of the students benefits program and the benefits which are earned by it, which was distributed on college students in the initial stages (matinee) and to show the extent of the benefits accruing from the grant program compared to the material burdens which matched and the extent of success or failure of the experience and its effect from o scientific and side on the Iraqi student through these tough economic circumstances experienced by the country in general, and also trying to find ways of proposed increase or expansion of distribution in the future in the event of proven economic feasibility from the program. An data has been taking from the data fro the Department of Financial Affairs and the Department of Studies and Planning at the University of Diyala with taking an data representing an actual and minimized pattern and questionnaires to a sample of students from the Department of Life Sciences in the Faculty of Education of the University of Diyala on the level of success and failure of students in the first year of the grant and the year before for the purpose of distribution comparison. The importance of the study to measure the extent of interest earned in comparision whit the material which is expenseon the program of grant (grant of students) to assist the competent authorities to continue or not in the program of student grants for the coming years.


Public Voices ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 73
Author(s):  
John R Phillips

The author, a recent graduate of the Doctor in Public Administration program, shares his thoughts about what it means to study public administration in the twenty-first century. He hopes his insights, born out of more than a forty year-long career in the field—decades of work in colleges and universities as a faculty member, dean, provost, vicepresident, and acting president, as well as his extensive experience in teaching public administration at the graduate and undergraduate levels—will help doctoral students in their academic pursuits. More specifically, he hopes that his remarks will make Ph.D. students think more deeply about the promise of their endeavors and, on the other hand, give them advance warning about perils of the process and ways to avoid them.


e-mentor ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 88 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-36
Author(s):  
Lidia Pokrzycka ◽  

In times of the coronavirus pandemic, distance learning has become mandatory for higher education. That requires using a variety of teaching methods, both synchronous and asynchronous, and their common feature is the use of ICT tools. The aim of the article is to present applications used for making the remote lectures more attractive and engaging for journalism students of graduate and doctoral studies and foreigners from the English-language Doctoral School of Social Sciences of UMCS. The author also reflects on students' appreciation of such solutions initially during blended learning and then e-learning classes. That is based on the survey conducted among 30 doctoral students who carried out their lectures using internet applications. The study confirmed that the applications motivate students to work systematically and additionally to use them during their apprenticeships or while working in various companies with marketing, advertising, or public relations profile. Students also appreciate asynchronous classes and the fact that the use of applications allows them to repeat the most important pieces of information in a stress-free mode. Graphical applications make even tricky topics easier to remember while enabling students to illustrate the theory with practical elements.


2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars Göran Wallgren Tengberg

<p class="apa">Several research findings conclude that many doctoral students fail to complete their studies within the allowable time frame, in part because of problems related to the research and supervision process. Surveys show that most doctoral students are generally satisfied with their dissertation supervision. However, these surveys also reveal some students think their supervisors meet with them too infrequently, lack interest in their dissertation topics, and provide insufficient practical assistance. Furthermore, many countries will soon witness a large turnover in the labour market as people near retirement. Because this is also the case at many universities and colleges, the expectation is that there will be many teaching and research vacancies. Therefore, many new doctoral students who plan to enter academia after earning their doctoral degrees are needed. In responding to these complaints, this conceptual paper examines the use of the agile approach–which has achieved recognition and approval in software development–in the doctoral dissertation process. In the teaching/learning sphere, the agile approach can be used in iterative meetings between doctoral student and supervisor for dissertation planning, direction, and evaluation. The focus of the iterations, the so-called Sprints, is on communication and feedback throughout the entire process. The paper is based in theories on teaching/learning and on the author’s personal experience with the agile approach. Use of the agile approach, which can decrease the time required for doctoral studies, may thus increase the number of graduates with doctoral degrees. The paper makes suggestions for practical implementation of the agile approach.</p>


Author(s):  
Tazhibayeva Sagdat ◽  
Mun Grigoryi ◽  
Irmukhametova Galiya ◽  
Ongarbayev Yerdos ◽  
Myltykbaeva Zhannur ◽  
...  

Problem of globalization of the educational process and integration into the international educational space is one of the most urgent problems for the Kazakh universities. In this regard, generalization of experience in training of PhD students is of particular interest, since training of PhD students is different in different countries. The example of the organization of educational process and scientific research in the PhD studies of chemical specialties at Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology Al-Farabi Kazakh National University shows the peculiarities of the organization and defense of dissertations in Kazakhstan universities. It is shown that the training of specialists - doctoral students at Kazakhstan universities is carried out on the basis of theoretical and practical tests. At the same time currently the state of theoretical training and practical research is 1:1,5 however there is a tendency of decrease of the theoretical training. Conditions for preparation and defense of PhD-dissertations are described. The main requirements for the defense are marked: fulfillment of theoretical training and practical research in amount of 75 credits, the publication of results in journals with non-zero impact factor and approbation of the results in international scientific conferences.


10.28945/4415 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 581-595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vijay Kumar ◽  
Amrita Kaur

Aim/Purpose: The quality, degree of effort and persistence required in doctoral studies can be sustained through intrinsic motivation. Despite the critical role of motivation, studies that examine ways to promote doctoral students’ motivation are lacking. This study, drawing on the self-determination theoretical (SDT) framework, aims to offer advice for supervisory practices to facilitate the satisfaction of three basic psychological needs- autonomy, competence and relatedness of doctoral students’ motivation. The focus was on the experiences of the doctoral candidates who participated in this study. Background: Prior studies have established that creating environment and ways that lead to satisfaction of three basic psychological needs are capable of producing optimal outcomes. Based on that assumption the current study explores the ways in which supervisory practices lead to satisfaction of the three needs. Methodology: The study adopted a qualitative approach and used the experience sampling method to collect data from 11 full-time doctoral students from a research-intensive university in New Zealand. In total, 72 entries that captured students’ real-time psychological experience of supervision in a repeated manner were used to analyse the data. Contribution: It proposes theory driven practices/guidelines for supervisors to adopt for effective supervisory practices for intrinsic motivation of doctoral students. Findings: Thematic analysis guided by the research question revealed that to have students experience autonomy support the supervisors must respect students’ research interest, encourage self-initiation, and be amenable to changes suggested by the students. To have students experience the feeling of competence, the supervisors carefully need to consider the quality, mode and time of feedback and provide students with optimal challenge level. Finally, to facilitate students’ need for relatedness, the supervisors should offer personal and professional support to students and look after their emotional well-being. Recommendations for Practitioners: This study highlights the need for supervisors to acknowledge the role of need satisfaction and mindfully adopt the practices to facilitate the satisfaction of the three needs for the intrinsic motivation of the doctoral students. Recommendation for Researchers: The researchers should consider the psychological health and well-being of doctoral students for persistence and successful completion of their studies. Impact on Society: The study can help improve doctoral studies completion rates as well as produce doctoral candidates with a positive and healthy disposition for future workforce. Future Research: The current study relies only on students’ self-report data. In future inclusion of data from supervisors of their own practices would enhance the quality of findings. Additionally, an analysis to chart changes in students’ experiences over time would provide a deeper understanding of the effect of supervisory practices.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 23
Author(s):  
Omona Andrew David

This paper analyses the effect of supervisor-supervisee relations on students’ completion of doctoral studies. It argues that, whereas doctoral studies is student focused, the success of the student is hinged on their relations with research supervisors. Three type of relationships: cordial, conflictual and sandwich are highlighted as key determinants of student’s progress. The paper further argues that, whereas supervisors are usually blamed by students as major source of their non-completion, students’ factors also greatly contribute to their completion or non-completion. Hence, to limit attrition numbers of doctoral students, there is need to address negative supervisor-supervisee relational issues.   


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-36
Author(s):  
Carey Borkoski ◽  
Brianne Roos

The Johns Hopkins online EdD program prepares students as scholar-practitioners who become leaders and agents of change across educational contexts.  Advocating for equity and social justice requires our students to not only immerse themselves in the relevant literature and learn the traditional skills of applied research but to master the art of communication through a sort of storytelling. Storytelling, in this sense, represents a means to gather and analyze data and understand and integrate diverse perspectives to engage and persuade relevant stakeholders (Moezzi, Janda, & Rotmann, 2017). The Hopkins first-year EdD programming and coursework emphasize the use of deficit-free language to understand people and problems, consideration of diverse perspectives and structuring inquiry with a systems-approaches to explore contextual problems using a mixed methods research paradigms.  Together, the program's approach to student learning and practice-oriented courses and dissertation research contribute to training scholar-practitioners as activists who ask relevant questions, draw on multiple perspectives to craft potential solutions, adapt to a variety of contexts and circumstances, engage with diverse stakeholders, reflect on their own assumptions, and admit to and learn from mistakes throughout the process. Through a detailed accounting and examination of the JHU onboarding features and processes, particular course content and assignments, as well as the interplay of these elements, this paper will demonstrate how attending to language, perspective taking, context, and research inquiry support the development of scholar-activists.


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