This paper offers an interim analysis of written feedback on a first draft of a PhD thesis. It first looks at two sources of data: in-text feedback and overall feedback. Looking at how language is used in its situational context, we then coded the feedback and developed a model for analysis based on three fundamental functions of speech: referential, directive and expressive. It was found that expressive feedback benefited the supervisee the most. The interaction between the supervisor and the supervisee played an important role for the induction of the supervisee into the academic community, and suggests a peer-to-peer model in PhD education. Finally, this paper suggests the possibility of developing a taxonomy of good feedback practices in postgraduate supervision practice in Higher Education.
This paper provides insights into the doctoral journey of a supervisee by analysing written feedback provided by supervisors and thesis examiners. As one aim of doctoral education is to train scholars to become independent researchers, that is highly self-regulated learners, this study paves the way for an understanding of the link between written feedback and the selfregulated learning process. Based on an analysis of speech functions, written feedback provided by two supervisors and three examiners were classified into three main categories: referential, directive and expressive. The results indicate the value of expressive feedback for the development of self-regulated learning in doctoral supervision.
This qualitative inquiry investigates postgraduate students' conceptions of research methodology and how it contributes to their learning. It explores factors likely to motivate student choice of research methodology and challenges in understanding research methods. The research was carried out at research-intensive universities in New Zealand and in Malaysia with similar postgraduate programmes. Participants were enrolled in Masters and Ph.D. programmes. Findings revealed that participants share a recognition that research methodology is a significant body of knowledge in postgraduate education. However, there were noticeable differences in perspectives regarding what constitutes research methodology and whether or not it should be conceived as a discipline. To some participants, learning research methodology is less of a discipline but rather an acquisition of a set of isolated facts and skills without necessarily acquiring a deeper understanding of research. Furthermore, postgraduate students choose research methodology based on a number of factors such as familiarity with a method, methodological orientation of the primary supervisor, the domain of study, and the nature of research problems pursued. Participants reported that the key challenges they face in understanding research methodology include framing research questions, understanding the theory or literature and its role in shaping research outcomes, and difficulties in performing data analysis.
A substantial body of research emphasizes the importance of humor in teaching/learning processes; however, research on the reasons for non-use of humor in academic contexts has enjoyed scant attention. Addressing this gap, this study examines the reasons for instructors' humor avoidance taking into account student perceived benefits of using humor in academic ESL classrooms. Data were collected through an open-response questionnaire. Participants in a university in Malaysia were asked to provide their views on: (a) the reasons some instructors avoid using humor, and (b) the benefits of using humor in L2 classes. Responses were grouped into relating categories and content analyzed. "Humor is not in their personality," "they lack competence to create humor in L2," and "they are more syllabus-oriented" were the most frequently cited reasons for the non-use of instructor humor. Perceived benefits of instructor humor were placed into three major categories: psychological, social and instructional. Implications of these findings are explored within the content of second language education.
The illusion of being ''customer-oriented'' ''Customer-centered,'' ''user experience,'' ''delighting customers,'' and ''user-friendly'' have become mantras for many businesses in recent years. They describe important goals that, if achieved, can lead to competitive success. But the goals are rarely realized and these phrases are acquiring an unintended irony, or worse, the empty ring of a marketing slogan representing no tangible benefit to users at all. Why has it been so difficult for companies to actually achieve great customer experiences that lead to above-average growth in market share, profit margin and customer loyalty? If it is so obvious that paying attention to customers is important, why are there not more examples of success? Our contention is that ''customer-centered'' strategies normally fall short because marketing and development teams miss what is fundamentally important to their consumers. They make the mistake of thinking they can achieve customer delight simply by refining research on markets. Companies do market research using as a starting point their current offerings, which are defined by product, distribution, promotion and price. The problem is that the first three are all company-centered, not customer-centered. This leaves price as the only factor that both the company and the customer care about. Companies who do not want to compete on price alone need to find factors that are important to consumers. Discovering these factors will enable companies to create true innovations that fulfill needs and desires before they are expressed by customers. The central focus of this type of research is not the product a company makes, but what activities the customer is trying to accomplish with the product. This is directly related to the argument made by Theodore Levitt in 1975: (Good companies) have succeeded not primarily because of their products or research orientation but because they have been thoroughly customer-oriented also. It is constant watchfulness for opportunities to apply their technical know-how to the creation of customer-satisfying uses which accounts for their prodigious output of successful new products (Levitt, 1975). How companies acted on Levitt's idea three decades ago no longer works because of a tectonic power shift in the relationship between companies and consumers. New methods of being ''customer-oriented'' are needed now. The power shift There has been a power shift from producers to customers caused by decreases in production costs and increases in customer choice. In decades past, production capability was a key strategic advantage. Creating efficient factories making large numbers of similar products was the way for a company to win. During the period, investments in more powerful
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.