scholarly journals Impact of writing workshops on doctoral student wellness

Author(s):  
Charles Buckley ◽  
Eli Saetnan ◽  
Amelia Gerber ◽  
Joanna Cheetham ◽  
Thomas Price ◽  
...  

Few interventions addressing student wellbeing have been designed or evaluated specifically with doctoral students in mind despite the doctoral experience being distinct from that of other students. We therefore explore the benefits of interventions designed specifically to address a key source of stress or anxiety for doctoral students, namely thesis writing. This research uses a mixed-methods approach to explore the ways in which doctoral thesis writing support sessions, in the form of writing workshops or writing retreats, can reduce the stress and anxiety associated with thesis writing specifically or academic writing more generally. Firstly, we quantified the reduction in writing related stress and anxiety associated with workshop participation using a survey completed before and after workshop attendance. Subsequently, we gathered student experiences of workshop participation through focus group interviews. Survey responses showed a clear reduction in participants’ levels of stress and anxiety related to thesis writing and focus group respondents described many clear benefits of participating in writing support sessions. We conclude that participation in thesis writing workshops and writing retreats is a valuable strategy for reducing stress and anxiety associated with thesis writing. The sense of empowerment and confidence that comes from discussing thesis writing in a supportive environment with others in the same situation, and the opportunity to experiment with new tools and strategies, is very valuable for improving the wellbeing of doctoral students.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne Grylka-Baeschlin ◽  
Regula Aeberli ◽  
Barbara Guenthard-Uhl ◽  
Barbara Meier Kaeppeli ◽  
Vanessa Leutenegger ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Job satisfaction of midwives is important to prevent skill shortage. Those working in midwife-led models of care were more satisfied than those working in standard care. Job satisfaction in the context of a midwife-led project was not researched previously. The aim of this study was to investigate job satisfaction before and after the implementation of a midwife-led intervention.Methods: Longitudinal observational study at three time points using quantitative and qualitative methods. A total of 43 midwives working in the labour ward participated in the online surveys and 5-7 in the focus group discussions. The surveys comprised questions from validated instruments. Descriptive and multivariable time series analysis were used for quantitative and content analysis for qualitative data.Results: Adjusted predicted scores decreased between t0 and t1 and subsequently increased at t2 without reaching baseline values (e.g ‘professional support subscales’: between t0 and t1: (0.65, 95% CI [0.45, 0.86] versus 0.26, 95% CI [0.08, 0.45], p=0.005) and t0 and t2 (0.65, 95% CI [0.45, 0.86] versus 0.29, 95% CI [0.12, 0.47], p=0.004). Focus group discussions revealed three themes: “Job satisfaction”, “Challenges with the implementation” and “Continuity of care”. Midwives perceived the additional tasks as stressors. Conclusion: The implementation of new interventions might increase work related stress and decrease job satisfaction in an early phase. This effect was stronger than the one of acquiring more autonomy and responsibility. Heads of institutions and policy makers should recognise the needs of support and additional resources for staff when planning new projects.


Author(s):  
Lori Walter ◽  
Jordan Stouck

Difficulties with academic writing tasks, such as the literature review, impact students’ timely completion of graduate degrees. A better understanding of graduate students’ perceptions of writing the literature review could enable supervisors, administrators, service providers, and graduate students themselves to overcome these difficulties. This paper presents a case study of graduate students at a secondary campus of a Canadian research university. It describes survey data and results from focus groups conducted between 2014 and 2015 by communications faculty, writing centre staff, and librarians. The focus group participants were Master’s and Doctoral students, including students situated within one discipline and those in interdisciplinary programs. The questions focused on the students’ experiences of writing the literature review as well as the supports both accessed and desired. Data analysis revealed four themes: (a) literature review as a new and fundamental genre; (b) literature review for multiple purposes, in multiple forms, and during multiple stages of a graduate program; (c) difficulties with managing large amounts of information; and (d) various approaches and tools are used for research and writing. Using an academic literacies approach, the paper addresses implications for campus program development and writing centre interventions and furthers research into graduate students’ experiences of writing literature reviews.


Author(s):  
Eva Costiander-Huldén ◽  
Leena Järveläinen

In recent years, there has been a demand to include doctoral students and researchers in the curriculum for information literacy. Not only information search, but also the expertise of the librarians in scientific publishing, bibliometric analysis is demanded. As a result of the demand the two universities in Turku/Åbo have developed their research services. The libraries have also met for benchmarking and further cooperation is being discussed. 1.The implementation of three focus group interviews with 18 researchers at Åbo Akademi University The Focus Group survey methodology has its roots in social science qualitative research. It is widely used in the library world and is considered to be suitable particularly well for the evaluation and development of library services. The overall purpose with our interviews was to obtain feedback on how library users (in this case, researchers and graduate students) wish ÅAUL to develop its services to better meet their needs. Three group interviews were conducted, with 6-8 participators. The following questions were, among others, discussed in every session: How do the researchers perceive the library's role in their daily work? What is the starting point for retrieving information (e.g. The MetaLib portal, Google Scholar or other)? Is there a need for courses/more supervision in information search and reference management? Is there a need for tailored and integrated library services? As a result of the sessions and analysis of the group discussions a number of measures were proposed: Targeted teaching of subject-specific databases, more topic-specific sessions in the library portal and RefWorks. Compulsory information retrieval course for first year doctoral students. Information Weeks or "hands on" sessions on campus libraries. The library should participate more in workshops and seminars to increase their visibility and their services. The library should actively consider how to measure the impact and influence of such as the teaching of information retrieval and databases to better develop and monitor the results. More individual supervision and focus on the personal touch. The presentation will also discuss the pros and cons of the focus group method. 2.Transferable skills for researchers in Turku University Library (TUL) In Turku University Library the need for IL among doctoral students and researchers had also been recognized and when the University of Turku Graduate School (UTUGS) was established in 2011, the library immediately contacted the coordinator of UTUGS. Already in the first meeting both parties agreed that the first training of which the library would be responsible would take place in Spring 2012. The course blended well into the other transferable skills training of UTUGS. The IL course contents were then planned with the UTUGS Coordinator who had the best knowledge of what the PhD students would need from the library. E-resources, reference management, affiliation, plagiarism etc. were discussed and the first course description was written. One of the key elements was that other experts in the university were asked to lecture also. They covered subjects like ethics and plagiarism. For all three courses the library has asked for feedback and adjusted the content respectively. For the most part the feedback has been encouraging but there are still things to be done. Which are the interfaces with the other UTUGS courses? How can the course participants benefit more of the interdisciplinary groups they are studying in? Does the training have effect on the research the participants are doing? 3.Cooperation and benchmarking Since 2004, The Information Literacy Network of the Finnish Universities has coordinated further education and exchanges of experiences. Some of the members were appointed in 2012 to develop the recommendations of information literacy in universities and universities of applied sciences in Finland. The recommendations are now under consideration by the libraries and will be used in negotiations with the university administration to implement compulsory studies of information skills among doctoral students. On a local level, ÅAUL and TUL, as neighbouring libraries, have strengthen the exchange of ideas and experiences during the last years. As ÅAUL started with focus group surveys and abstracts before implementing information literacy courses, TUL started with customized courses for doctoral students last year. There have been fruitful, professional discussions and more elaborative benchmarking sessions between the libraries. Together the both libraries have also hosted the University Library of Gothenburg and arranged a two-day-long benchmarking seminar about research services.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 620-643
Author(s):  
Manjet Kaur Mehar Singh

The present research provides insights into the different forms of adaptation strategies employed by international graduate students to overcome the challenges faced in the academic writing practices and gain access to their disciplinary communities of practice at Master’s level. Qualitative data was collected through semi-structured in-depth focus group interviews. Respondents were 70 international graduate students enrolled in various Master-level programs. Semi-structured focus group interviews allowed the international graduate students to share their own experiences in the employment of suitable adaptation strategies to overcome the challenges faced in their academic writing practices in the Master programs. The adaptation strategies employed include enhancing their English language proficiency, referring to non-formal advisory services, and improving their academic writing style.


2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 301-317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane P. Preston ◽  
Brittany A. E. Jakubiec ◽  
Julie Jones ◽  
Rachel Earl

The purpose of this article is to describe student experiences when incorporating Twitter into a Bachelor of Education (BEd) course. Data for this participatory action research were gathered from eight first-year BEd students who provided written answers to 16 open-ended questions and participated in two focus group interviews. Findings indicated that, after participants completed a Twitter assignment, their views of Twitter and its applicability in educational realms changed. Analyzed through the emerging concept of new pedagogy, the Twitter experience enhanced collaboration and communication between student and the instructor. An implication is that if BEd students are to effectively incorporate technology into future kindergarten to grade 12 classrooms, they need to experience digital literacy during undergraduate courses.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanna Pauliina Kangas ◽  
Pia Jaatinen ◽  
Saara Metso ◽  
Rintala Tuula-Maria

Abstract Background: Interprofessional education (IPE) can promote healthcare professionals’ competence to work in interprof­­essional collaboration (IPC), whi­­­­ch is essential for the quality and safety of care. An interprofessional approach is particularly important in complex, chronic diseases like diabetes. A number of studies have been published on IPE, but only a few with a qualitative approach.Methods: The objective of this qualitative study was to evaluate changes in medical and nursing students’ perceptions of IPC, induced by a novel IPE course on diabetes care. The data from focus-group interviews of 30 students before and after the course were analyzed by using an inductive and deductive content analysis.Findings: The students´ perceptions were illustrated as Elements of interprofessional care (e.g. Elements formulating care team and Quality of professional care relationship ) and Elements of IPC (e.g. Importance of communication and Valuation of collaboration ). The post-course interviews added one subcategory ( Need of resources ) to the pre-course perceptions, and there was improvement in ten areas of self-perceived competence in performing or understanding IPC on diabetes care.Conclusions: The IPE course piloted in this study increased the students’ self-perceived competence and confidence in performing IPC on the care of diabetes, and changed their understanding of IPC towards a more patient centered and holistic perspective. More research is needed to evaluate the generalizability and sustainability of these changes.


10.28945/4757 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 363-377
Author(s):  
Andrew Kelly ◽  
Kylie J Stevenson

Aim/Purpose: This paper analyses the textual features of contract cheating websites that offer thesis writing services for doctoral students and considers implications for practice. Background: Contract cheating is an increasing challenge for higher education institutions, governments and societies worldwide. However, relatively little is known about the prevalence of online thesis writing services and the ways in which these companies attract doctoral students as customers. Methodology: This study has a three-step textual analysis methodological approach: firstly, identifying contract cheating websites that target doctoral students; secondly, applying a top-down thematic approach to the literature to identify potential vulnerabilities; and, thirdly, using these themes in a textual analysis to interrogate the language used on these websites. Contribution: Much of the current research into contract cheating has focused on coursework students. This study builds on the small sub-field of scholarship that has investigated contract cheating in a research writing context, and in contradistinction to previous studies, analyses the persuasive language features used by online contract cheating websites in the context of commonly reported doctoral student challenges. This is a novel approach not yet explored in the literature. Findings: The analysis reveals that contract cheating websites include specific language to appeal to doctoral students’ vulnerabilities across four common themes: ‘balancing work and personal life’, ‘the complexity of doctoral academic writing’, ‘self-efficacy’ and ‘academic career progression’. Recommendations for Practitioners: The themes present in this study highlight the critical role thesis supervisors can play in supporting doctoral students’ thesis writing progression, as well as the value of peer learning groups in building self-efficacy. The limited research literature into contract cheating in a doctoral context also suggests a need for increased training and awareness-raising programs for supervisors, thesis examiners and new graduate students. Recommendation for Researchers: Future studies that further investigate the prevalence of these themes across a broader scope of websites and countries will provide greater insights into the extent to which these websites are a global threat to vulnerable doctoral students. Impact on Society: The paper provides a foundation for researchers and graduate schools to raise greater awareness of contract cheating amongst doctoral students and, in so doing, combats the reputational risks it can have on universities and the potential safety risks for the general public. Future Research: Semi-structured interviews and focus groups with doctoral students and supervisors that explore their awareness of contract cheating for thesis writing and their ability to identify research writing that has been completed by a third-party.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (18) ◽  
pp. 28-41
Author(s):  
Kelli M. Watts ◽  
Laura B. Willis

Telepractice, defined by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA, n.d.) as “the application of telecommunications technology to the delivery of professional services at a distance by linking clinician to client, or clinician to clinician, for assessment, intervention, and/or consultation,” is a quickly growing aspect of practicing audiology. However, only 12% of audiologists are involved in providing services via telepractice (REDA International, Inc., 2002). Lack of knowledge regarding telepractice has been cited as one of the reasons many audiologists do not use telepractice to provide audiology services. This study surveyed audiology doctoral students regarding their opinions about the use of telepractice both before and after their opportunity to provide services via telepractice sessions. The authors expected that by providing students the opportunity to have hands-on training in telepractice with supervision, they would be more open to using telepractice after becoming licensed audiologists. Overall, the data indicates benefits of exposing students to telepractice while they are in graduate school.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 104-111
Author(s):  
Po. Abas Sunarya ◽  
George Iwan Marantika ◽  
Adam Faturahman

Writing can mean lowering or describing graphic symbols that describe a languageunderstood by someone. For a researcher, management of research preparation is a veryimportant step because this step greatly determines the success or failure of all researchactivities. Before a person starts with research activities, he must make a written plan commonlyreferred to as the management of research data collection. In the process of collecting researchdata, of course we can do the management of questionnaires as well as the preparation ofinterview guidelines to disseminate and obtain accurate information. With the arrangement ofplanning and conducting interviews: the ethics of conducting interviews, the advantages anddisadvantages of interviews, the formulation of interview questions, the schedule of interviews,group and focus group interviews, interviews using recording devices, and interview bias.making a questionnaire must be designed with very good management by giving to theinformation needed, in accordance with the problem and all that does not cause problems at thestage of analysis and interpretation.


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