Whether supervision of doctoral students is best pursued individually or collectively is a recurring but unresolved question in debates on higher education. The rarity of longitudinal data and the ...common usage of qualitative methods to analyse a limited number of cases have left the effectiveness of either model largely untested. To assist with overcoming these problems, this paper reports on a study of 145 individuals admitted to a specific doctoral programme between 1991 and 2014. It analyses the effects of either individual or collective supervision during the first year of the programme on the probability of thesis completion and the time to thesis completion. Group means, Cox regressions, Kaplan-Meir curves and Ordinary Least Square regressions are calculated on the basis of the number of months spent by each doctoral student in the programme without defending a thesis. Studied in these ways, it appears that collective supervision in the first year significantly increases the probability of thesis completion and decreases the time to thesis completion. Collective supervision may have this effect as it enhances peer learning, creates a wider academic learning context, allows doctoral students to gradually acquire the values and behaviours of a research practice community and reduces the risk of premature selection of permanent supervisors.
Practical guidance for navigating issues associated with combining mixed methods and case study research approaches is in short supply, particularly for novice researchers who may grapple with ...numerous decision points in planning and conducting such studies. This methodological discussion examines the decision-making process used in a qualitatively driven mixed methods dissertation study with a focus on how mixed methods and case study research approaches can be applied together to enhance case descriptions and interpretations. This discussion contributes to the field of mixed methods research methodology by expanding conversations about the inherent messiness of mixed methods research and by providing practical guidance to researchers interested in applying a mixed methods case study approach.
During my Scholarship, I further progressed my doctoral dissertation on the representation of animal sounds in ancient Latin literature. One of the core aims of the thesis is to identify and ...critically evaluate the vocabulary used by ancient Latin authors (from 100 BC to AD 200) to denote and characterize sound. Drawing upon the recent work of Alexandre Vincent (‘Tuning into the past’, in E. Betts (ed.), Senses of the Empire (Abingdon, 2017), 147–58), my central method combines lexicographical approaches with the comparative analysis of the sounds of animals that still exist today. By applying this interdisciplinary methodology (supplemented by animal behavioural and biological evidence), I aim to improve our understanding of the acoustic, aesthetic and affective qualities denoted by sonorous Latin terms. In addition to my primary research project (Cantus et Clangor), I have spent time at the BSR fleshing out existing thesis chapters, and scaffolding those still in-progress. Following Macquarie University's thesis-by-publication model, I intend to publish the completed thesis chapters as individual research articles.
The importance of being family centered when providing services to children with a disability and their families has gained currency in the research and practice literature. A growing body of ...evidence has validated many of the theoretical links between the help-giving practices of staff and desirable outcomes for families with a child with a disability. However, it is clear from the research to date that the relationship between the provision of family-centered services and the achievement of positive outcomes for children and their parents is complex and is yet to be fully understood. The present article reviews the research in this area and discusses the links between help-giving practices and child and family outcomes for families who have a member with a disability. The article summarizes the extant research in an accessible format and identifies areas for future research.
This study explores the views of doctoral students and supervisors about two doctoral thesis-writing models: the traditional monograph and the thesis that includes published articles in its body. ...Doctoral theses in biological and health sciences usually follow one of these two common models. Doctoral theses with publications are increasingly utilised in Australian and New Zealand universities. This article provides insights into the factors that doctoral students and supervisors in Australia and New Zealand consider when deciding how to format a student's thesis. A cross-sectional survey was conducted of supervisors and doctoral students in biological and health sciences at The University of Auckland (UoA) and The Australian National University (ANU). Basic descriptive quantitative data analysis was undertaken. Qualitative data from open-ended survey questions were analysed using a general purpose thematic approach. Overall, 144 completed surveys were returned with a total response rate of 22.9%. More than half of the respondents identified as doctoral students (UoA 54.4%, ANU 73.3%). Respondents' primary consideration when weighing up the risks and benefits of each thesis model was the impact of publications on furthering aims of both the student and the supervisor. Other points included quality and style of writing, extent of peer review, development of skills, and time management. If they were to embark on another doctorate, most respondents indicated that they would do a doctorate that included published articles in its body. Based on findings, we recommend supervisors of students who are including articles in their thesis should be clear with students from the outset about what their own contributions will be in the writing process, as well as their expectations concerning publication processes and outputs. We argue for a move towards multimodal theses formats.
This article describes the effects of sequential non-residential writing retreats on graduate students the development of sustainable writing practices in the latter stages of writing theses and ...dissertations. Our study looks to understand how graduate students implement techniques of academic writing productivity. We collected data from three short, non-residential graduate student writing retreats in 2017. The retreats were hosted by a research support programme at a large public university in the United States (U.S.). We used a qualitative case study design and employed grounded theory. We analysed participant responses on exit evaluations and in interviews about their experiences in one or more retreats. Graduate students who participated in more than one retreat within a year expressed feelings of greater writing confidence and productivity, thus, exhibiting of the value of non-residential retreats to student thesis and dissertation writing processes. We found many graduate students have difficulty post-retreat maintaining writing habits. Our findings concur with existing studies about the benefits of retreats for academic writing productivity and expand on those studies to note that graduate student researchers can benefit from attending multiple retreats to build and sustain a regular writing practice among their campus community of writers.
This article presents a method to help PhD candidates in the implementation of Design-Based Research (DBR). It focuses on a process and a set of guides designed to accompany doctoral candidates in ...the different stages of their thesis. It also proposes a tenth principle concerning the definition of indicators used to drive the thesis. Evaluation is driven using a qualitative approach. Training programmes were conducted with 57 PhD students and 47 supervisors in 2019 and 2020. Participants in these sessions used the guides in the context of their thesis topic, then evaluated them. The results obtained show that the guides allow doctoral students to structure their reflections and better manage their thesis work. They also enhance the relationship between PhD students and their supervisor because they offer a means by which to collaborate regarding the thesis subject and research tasks.
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