Helping doctoral students write : pedagogies for supervision

Helping Doctoral Students Write offers a new approach to doctoral writing. By treating research as writing and writing as research, the authors offer pedagogical strategies for doctoral supervisors that will assist the production of well-argued and lively dissertations." "It is clear that many doctoral candidates find research writing complicated and difficult, but the advice they receive often glosses over the complexities of writing and/or locates the problem in the writer. Rejecting the DIY websites and manuals that promote a privatized, skills-based approach to writing research, Kamler and Thomson provide a new framework for scholarly work that is located in personal institutional and cultural contexts. Their discussion of the complexities of forming a scholarly identity is illustrated by stories and writings of actual doctoral students.

The pedagogical approach developed in the book is based on the notion of writing as a social practice. This approach allows supervisors to think of doctoral writers as novices who need to learn new ways with words as they enter the discursive practices of scholarly communities. This involves learning sophisticated writing practices with specific sets of conventions and textual characteristics. The authors offer supervisors practical advice on helping with commonly encountered writing tasks such as the proposal, the journal abstract, the literature review and constructing the dissertation argument." "In conclusion, they present a persuasive argument that universities must move away from simply auditing supervision to supporting the development of scholarly research communities. Any doctoral supervisor keen to help their students develop as academics will find the new ideas presented in this book fascinating and insightful reading.

Some trials and tribulations of doctoral studies

The study analyses the nature of changes that have taken place in the artistic life of Australia and how well the Australia Council, as the Commonwealth Government's main agency charged with support and promotion of the arts, has responded to these over time. It also identifies what emphasis the Australia Council has given to both excellence/quality of achievement and equity of access and participation; and the music community's perceptions about how the Council has managed this dual policy. Perceptions were gathered first, by way of a national survey of individual musicians and music organizations and second, through follow up interviews.
Two central themes to emerge from the thesis are the need for improved communication to occur between the Performing Arts Board and the music community as a whole, and for the music community to work together as an integrated network to promote collective interests more successfully not only to governments, but also to potential private sources of support and to the public at large.

Driven to abstraction: doctoral supervision and writing pedagogies

The writing of academic abstracts is more than a tiresome necessity of scholarly life. It is a practice that goes beyond genre and technique to questions of writing and identity. In this article we deconstruct a series of abstracts from a variety of refereed journals to 'read' for the representation of data, argument, methodology and significance. We describe one strategy for writing abstracts, developed as part of a long-term project on postgraduate writing pedagogies. We propose that the art of writing abstracts is neglected in the academy, is given scant attention by journal editors, and has produced a motley and often bland array of conventions and genres. We suggest that abstract art should be an important aspect of supervision if graduate students and novice researchers are to stake a claim in the academy.

Using digital data and bibliometric analysis for researching doctoral education

As more digital data become publicly available new opportunities for researchers in education are arising. Researchers may be unaware of the existence and usefulness of such data even though these are freely available. In this article the use of one such source of information is described and its potential for research into research education discussed. We sought to exploit the research potential of the existing, yet dispersed, collection of online Australian thesis records to inform their research into the development of the PhD in Australia. Having created a searchable and reliable database from the available records, bibliometric analyses enabled us to map knowledge production and research capability in institutional and disciplinary settings from 1949 to 2003 as indicated by PhD theses. This is in contrast to the more familiar use of data based on student load or completion rates, and complements that data by focusing on research output as opposed to student throughput.

Understanding the management of doctoral studies in Australia as risk management

This paper discusses and analyses theoretical explanations of risk and risk management in terms of the management of doctoral studies. It deals with the ways in which Government policy, together with contemporary approaches to the bureaucratisation of risk management and the development and imposition of rationalities of risk, are shaping the practices of universities concerning the selection, supervision, support and assessment of doctoral candidates. In particular, the impact of the Research Training Scheme on doctoral studies is discussed as a particular context in which the institutionalisation of risk management occurs.

Crossing boundaries between learning and research : doctoral programs at a distance

Australian distance education, from school to university contexts, typically concerns teaching people the knowledge, values and skills that constitute their chosen courses of study; whereas doctoral courses principally concern candidates learning how to produce – through producing – significant original new knowledge. This paper considers the history and contemporary practices of Australian off-campus doctoral education and argues that these are at the forefront internationally. It is argued that understanding the provision of quality doctoral education at a distance requires a form of conceptual boundary crossing by policymakers, distance educators, and (especially) doctoral education practitioners, in order to develop and/or enhance future practices.

`Silly, soft and otherwise suspect`: doctoral education as risky business

This article investigates how certain doctoral practices come to count as scandalous and with what effects on universities. To do so, it engages with a number of recent media allegations that relate to doctoral practice in Australia and elsewhere. The analysis of these allegations is developed in terms of three broad categories, namely allegations of silliness in relation to thesis content, allegations of softness in relation to entry, rigour and assessment, and allegations of suspect conduct and/or credentials. The impact of such allegations on university governance is then addressed.

Doctorates downunder : keys to successful doctoral study in Australia and New Zealand

Presents a comprehensive collection of essays designed to guide current and prospective doctoral candidates through the amazing journey of doctoral study. Includes chapters on beginning candidature, selecting a supervisor, countering isolation, engaging support structures, and more.