Serving two masters: a reflective narrative of reconciling the tensions faced in designing doctoral research

This paper presents a reflective narrative of the process of designing a PhD project. Using the analogy of the play 'One Man, Two Guvnors' , this paper discusses the tensions a beginning researcher faces in reconciling her own vision for a project with the academic demands of doctoral-level study. Focusing on an ethnographic study of a reading group for visually-impaired people, the paper explores how the researcher's developing understanding of the considerations necessary when working with disabled people impacted on the research design. In particular, it focuses on the conflict faced by doctoral students when working in a paradigm that requires actively involving research participants, thereby relinquishing some control over the project. The aim of the paper is to provide an honest narrative that will resonate with other beginning researchers.

The Masters in Teaching and Learning (MTL): a retrospective, intrinsic case study of the process of policy into practice and its impact on teacher participants

The research reported here is a retrospective case study of the recent (2010) introduction of the Masters in Teaching and Learning (MTL) as a post-graduate level programme of professional development for teachers. It contributes to the debate and research over the past two decades about the impact of post-graduate professional development and appropriate ways of delivering it. The study is located within an extensive body of literature dealing with the importance of the teaching profession with regard to the success of schools and pupils and the impact of professional development on teaching quality and of teaching quality on attainment. A further relevant context is the ongoing tension between the teaching profession and academics on the one hand and government and political actors on the other, in respect of the approaches to professional development and to the control of educational processes. The research questions which inform the study deal with the perspectives of various participants – policy makers, programme directors, coaches and teachers studying for the MTL – on the extent to which the MTL is likely to have an ameliorative effect on teaching and pupil attainment, their experiences of the process of policy development and their experiences as course participants. The study adopts a case study approach which involves elite interviews with those responsible for the development and implementation of the MTL, questionnaires completed by MTL course participants and a comparison group taking a conventional MA and in depth interviews with participants and coaches. The results revealed tensions and difficulties associated with the development of the MTL including uneasy relationships between HE institutions and government agencies, ideas about ‘producer capture’, the relevance of the MBA model and concern over the role of coaches. However, while acknowledging various difficulties and some misconceived expectations they viewed its potential to meet its expressed aims positively, given time. Course participants were positive about their experience of the MTL and felt that it had contributed to many aspects of their professional development. Most saw it as a positive experience despite the variable quality of support from their schools, particularly in the form of the school-based coach the concept of which had been heralded as the bellwether of the MTL. It was striking that the responses of the MTL participants were very similar to those of teachers taking a conventional MA. A finding which would repay further investigation is that while the great majority of course participants felt that the MTL (and the MA) had contributed to their becoming more effective teachers they were much less confident that it had contributed to increased pupil attainment.

Understanding Foreign Masters : the examples of Rabindranath Tagore and Fyodor Dostoyevskiy

The Indian author Rabindranath Tagore was received like royalty during his visits to the West after winning the Nobel Prize in 1913. Dreams of foreign cultures offered a retreat from a complicated age. In a time when the West appeared to be living under threat of disintegration and when industrialism seemed like a cul-de-sac, he appeared to offer the promise of a return to a lost paradise, a spiritual abode that is superior to the restless Western culture. However, Tagore’s popularity faded rapidly, most notably in England, the main target of his criticism. Soon after Tagore had won the Nobel Prize, the English became indignant at Tagore’s anti-colonial attitude.Tagore visited Sweden in 1921 and 1926 and was given a warm reception. His visits to Sweden can be seen as an episode in a longer chain of events. It brought to life old conceptions of India as the abode of spirituality on earth. Nevertheless, interest in him was a relatively short-lived phenomenon in Sweden. Only a few of his admirers in Sweden appreciated the complexity of Tagore’s achievements. His “anathema of mammonism”, as a Swedish newspaper called it, was not properly received. After a steady stream of translations his popularity flagged towards the end of the 1920s and then almost disappeared entirely. Tagores visits in Sweden gave an indication that India was on the way to liberate itself from its colonial legacy, which consequently contributed to the waning of his popularity in the West. In the long run, his criticism of the drawbacks in the western world became too obvious to maintain permanent interest. The Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevskiy’s Crime and Punishment (1866) has enticed numerous interpretations such as the purely biographical approach. In the nervous main character of the novel, the young student Raskolnikov, one easily recognizes Dostoyevskiy himself. The novel can also be seen as a masterpiece of realistic fiction. It gives a broad picture of Saint Petersburg, a metropolis in decay. Crime and Punishment can also be seen as one of the first examples of a modern psychological novel, since it is focused on the inner drama of its main character, the young student Raskolnikov. His actions seem to be governed by mere coincidences, dreams and the spur of the moment. it seems fruitful to study the novel from a psychoanalytical approach. In his book Raskolnikov: the way of the divided towards unity in Crime and Punishment (1982), a Swedish scholar, Owe Wikström, has followed this line of interpretation all the way to Freud’s disciple C G Jung. In addition to this, the novel functions as an exciting crime story. To a large extent it is Viktor Sjklovskij and other Russian formalists from the 1920s and onwards who have taught the western audience to understand the specific nature of the crime story. The novel could be seen as a story about religious conversion. Like Lasarus in the Bible (whose story attracts a lot of attention in the novel) Raskolnikov is awakened from the dead, and together with Sonja he starts a completely new life. The theme of conversion has a special meaning for Dostoyevskiy. For him the conversion meant an acknowledgement of the specific nature of Russia itself. Crime and punishment mirrors the conflict between traditional Russian values and western influences that has been obvious in Russia throughout the history of the country. The novel reflects a dialogue that still continues in Russian society. The Russian literary historian Mikhail Bakhtin, who is probably the most famous interpreter of the works of Dostoyevskiy, has become famous precisely by emphasizing the importance of dialogues in novels like Crime and Punishment. According to Bakhtin, this novel is characterized by its multitude of voices. Various ideas are confronted with each other, and each one of them is personified by one of the characters in the novel. The author has resigned from his position as the superior monitor of the text, and he leaves it to the reader to decide what interpretation is the correct one..The aim of the present study is thus to analyze the complex reactions in the west to Tagore’s visits in Sweden and to Fyodor Dostoyevskiys novel Crime and Punishment.. This leads to more general conclusions on communication between cultures.

Student Thesis Level: Master’s Thesis in Business Administration Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) networking : A case study on why members join CSR network and why are they sharing their knowledge

Purpose – This research focuses on finding the reasons, why members from different sectors join a cross-sector/multi-stakeholder CSR network and what motivates them to share (or not to share) their knowledge of CSR and their best practices. Design/methodology/approach – Semi-structured interviews were conducted with members of the largest cross-sector CSR network in Sweden. The sample base of 15 people was chosen to be able to represent a wider variety of members from each participating sectors. As well as the CEO of the intermediary organization was interviewed. The interviews were conducted via email and telephone. Findings – The findings include several reasons linked to the business case of CSR such as stakeholder pressure, competitive advantage, legitimacy and reputation as well as new reasons like the importance of CSR, and the access of further knowledge in the field. Further reasons are in line with members wanting to join a network, such as access to contact or having personal contacts. As to why members are sharing their CSR knowledge, the findings indicate to inspire others, to show CSR commitment, to be visible, it leads to business opportunity and the access of others knowledge, and because it was requested. Reasons for not sharing their knowledge would be the lack of opportunity, lack of time and the lack of experience to do so. Originality/value – The research contributes to existing studies, which focused on Corporate Social Responsibility and cross-sector networking as well as to inter-organizational knowledge sharing in the field of CSR.

Recruiting a Diverse Student Body at Mid-Size Public Master’s Universities

As student demographics change, admissions officers are increasingly recruiting a diverse group of incoming students, including underrepresented minorities. We outline how five public institutions identify and recruit potential applicants and review recruitment strategies and methodologies for expanding target recruitment populations.

Relações evolutivas entre Passiflora actinia Hooker e Passiflora elegans masters (Passifloraceae)

Em estudos prévios sobre a filogenia de Passiflora, as espécies P. actinia e P. elegans destacaram-se pela sua grande similaridade genética, apesar de sua classificação em séries taxonômicas distintas. As duas espécies apresentam distribuição geográfica muito diferente. Enquanto P. actinia é encontrada em áreas de Mata Atlântica desde o estado do Espírito Santo até o Rio Grande do Sul (RS), P. elegans está restrita ao RS e a poucas regiões limítrofes. Para melhor avaliar as relações evolutivas entre estas duas espécies foram realizadas coletas intensivas em todo o estado e desenvolvidos testes quanto às seqüências dos espaçadores intergênicos cloroplasmáticos trnL-trnF e psbA-trnH, e dos espaçadores transcritos dos genes ribossomais nucleares ITS de plantas de diferentes localidades. As análises revelaram uma baixa variabilidade intraespecífica, e evidenciaram um perfil genético próprio a cada espécie. Nas comparações interespecíficas, foram utilizadas seqüências de espécies do subgênero (Passiflora) estudadas previamente, pertencentes às séries Simplicifoliae e Lobatae, as mesmas de P. actinia e P. elegans, respectivamente. Nos três marcadores as menores distâncias genéticas encontradas foram entre estas duas espécies, sugerindo o pouco tempo de divergência entre elas. Estas comparações não mostraram diferenças marcantes nas diversidades dentro e entre as duas séries, indicando similaridade genética entre elas Apesar da intensa amostragem realizada na área limítrofe das distribuições de P. actinia e P. elegans, somente foi encontrado um híbrido entre as duas. Além do fenótipo morfológico intermediário, o híbrido pôde ser reconhecido através das suas características genéticas, o espaçador nuclear ITS apresentando padrão aditivo nos sítios variáveis destas duas espécies; as seqüências dos marcadores cloroplasmáticos foram iguais às de P. actinia, indicando que esta é a espécie doadora deste genoma. Os padrões genéticos e geográficos destas duas espécies sugerem que o processo de especiação que se desenvolveu entre as duas seja recente e tenha ocorrido em alopatria, estando provavelmente ligado aos eventos geológicos do Holoceno que influenciaram a migração da Mata Atlântica no RS. A investigação das características abióticas das regiões de ocorrência das espécies não apresentou grandes dissimilaridades, podendo indicar que a atual segregação espacial deva-se à fragmentação florestal ou que haja exclusão competitiva entre elas, pois apresentam nichos ecológicos muito semelhantes.

Tear identitário:a prática docente em arte como conhecimento compartilhado

This investigative tissue is about the formation of identification processes of teachers and pedagogical practice of Art, in Teresina city. This search comprised the sum of the needs presented, agreed upon with the teachers engaged in the process, it was developed through the establishment of interactive environment Loom Team where collaboration and critical reflection were steering actions to promote the understanding of existing connections or relations within the processes of identifications and the pedagogical practice of Art. The tissue is formed by the polyphonic plot of the critical reflection of nine teachers of Art who engaged voluntarily and this investigation of formative nature and a production of knowledge. All these teachers have degree and the course of artistic education and especial qualification in Fine Arts and/or Drawing. The texture, which we denominated Identification Loom: The pedagogical practice of Art as share knowledge is (de) (re) construction of knowledge resulting from the critical reflection, in an environment of collaboration, which may have implications and ethical political attitudes in the pedagogical practice of the group. Within this context, we pose the following question: - How does the pedagogical practice in Art influence and/or be influenced by the identification processes of the teachers, and how do they interfere with the search and manifestation of the knowledge involved and the investment in professionalization? In view of this query, we make use of the cooperative investigation, having social history as theoretical reference and as analytic perspective of interactive and dialogical-reflexive processes. Thus, social historic theory, cooperative approach and pedagogical practice were the major components of the plot. The methodological texture counted on the threads of dialogical reflexion, of mediation and of collaboration. The conceptual formulation, the recording in videos of classes and the narratives of formations were the main threads of the analytic substrate of the investigation. With this articulation, theses threads appear as developers of processes leading to a major approximation of the thought on the identity/alterity dialectical pair of the participants involved. The language within this plot had a decisive importance in all the moments of the search of signification, embracing and connecting the identification/alterative processes, the pedagogical practice of Art and the knowledge shared. In such processes involving (de) (re) construction, one can notice a close correlation of the triad social identity, pedagogical practice and knowledge shared. For this reason, the vigotskian, guetmanovian and kopnian theoretizations were the major framework for the analysis of conceptual formulations; and, as for discourse analysis, Baktin and Orlandi were our masters. For these teachers, the experience shared throughout the process of this typology of tri-axial investigation focused the experience of many theoretical and practical assumptions. Such an experience enabled them to state that this, with collaboration, can make reflection on the practice a starting and promoting element, within the individual level of self-management, in addition to being a space of (de)(re)construction of meanings, of knowledge and of reinvention per se

Corpo e beleza: uma análise das produções da educação física, em nível de mestrado

Talking about body and beauty seems fairly familiar to physical education. We understand that the body language in the area provides many meanings over the appearance, beauty and aesthetics, thus requiring the need of criticism and the need to interrogate her to realize how physical education has been re-signified. For this purpose, considering the multiplicity of meanings that surround the body and beauty, we discussed the implications that this brings to the area of Physical Education, analyzing the conception of body and beauty in the studies in this area, at the masters level, from some questions: What conceptions of body and beauty have been discussed in the studies of physical education at the masters level? What is the relationship between the meanings of body and beauty products analyzed and identified in the models of beauty outlined in Physical Education? We understand the importance of this research and its contribution to the epistemological analysis of existing studies. And, mainly because there is a lack of studies that discuss these productions. For construction of this text and for our reflections, we rely on thoughts like David Le Breton, Claude Levi- Strauss, Michel Foucault, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Ana Marcia Silva, Carmen Smith, Isabel Mendes, Karenin Porpino Nobrega and flounder. The present study is characterized as a qualitative research, and content analysis proposed by Laurence Bardin (1977) for data processing. The corpus was composed of eight essays in the area of Physical Education, published in the CAPES Theses Database for the period 2004 to 2008, selected from the subject and body beauty. The initial reading allowed us to select meaningful units and guide our discussions on two main themes, which make up the two chapters of the work. In the first chapter, entitled Body, beauty and culture, as evidenced understandings of body, nature and culture that are present in the work is considered. In the second chapter, Standard Body Transformations and beauty, we present the concepts of body and beauty found in the dissertation, focusing on the mutability of representations of the models of beauty in body singularities in the relations of power-knowledge and the importance given the body in society, especially with regard to physical education professionals. We have thus found that, considering the dissertations analyzed, the understanding of body and beauty has been resignified, when dealing with other aesthetic conceptions that consider the uniqueness expressed in the human body and the culture of which the individual belongs