From Practitioner to Researcher: Designing the Dissertation Process for Part Time Coursework Masters Students

Shaw, Corrinne; Roux, Kate le

doi:10.1007/s11213-016-9402-7

Cited by 7 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…This final stage of the AL cycle (post-intervention analysis) was demanding on students. Consistent with Shaw and le Roux's (2017) observations, the program participants struggled with the changes in reading and writing practices in the transition from professional work practice and masters coursework to the research dissertation. This was a primarily self-led exploration of the workplace project outcomes requiring interaction with less familiar domains: that of theoretical insight and literature review.…”

Section: Ar Project Write-up and Submissionsupporting

confidence: 53%

“…This was a primarily self-led exploration of the workplace project outcomes requiring interaction with less familiar domains: that of theoretical insight and literature review. Thus, the program design incorporated components that included system elements, relationships, purpose, and feedback that facilitated interaction between the conventions of the research practice, what the student brings to the practice, and the agency of the student (Shaw and le Roux, 2017). The combination of the tutor engagement and the electronic and face-to-face peer network facilities offered support during this stage of the project.…”

Section: Ar Project Write-up and Submissionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The thinking behind the action (learning)

Kelliher

Byrne

2018

JWAM

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report on an action learning (AL) approach to curriculum design and delivery of a two-year part-time executive masters program, facilitated in part through a longitudinal work-based action research project. Program participants were a mix of mid- to senior managers operating in both the public and private sector and business owners, and all were in full-time employment. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents findings relating to participant and tutor perspectives of the program design, structure, and content. It also chronicles an AL tutor initiative run in conjunction with the inaugural program delivery, established to provide a collegial approach to learner facilitation, and to enable a research informed model of practice. Findings Findings suggest that the program allowed for greater action-reflection among and across all contributors (students, tutors, and program managers), and facilitated cross-pollination of AL perspectives, thus strengthening the interaction between practitioner and academic, and among academics themselves. Furthermore, the early involvement of tutors informed the work-based research project and larger AL program, and facilitated a matching of research interests between practitioner and tutor. Originality/value These findings suggest that an action-based model of knowledge transfer and development offers significant learning benefits to those partaking in an executive development program, resulting in the following insights: executive needs better served using a learner-centric approach; problem-oriented work-based assessment affords theory–practice balance; there is evidence of action-reflection “contagion” among all contributors; and the presented AL cycle has potential value in the conceptualization of reflective action.

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Section: Ar Project Write-up and Submissionsupporting

confidence: 53%

Section: Ar Project Write-up and Submissionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The thinking behind the action (learning)

Kelliher

Byrne

2018

JWAM

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“…They found that the international students’ self-identities in academic success were challenged in a new environment lacking effective feedback so that self-doubt and diffidence were recognized by the students as a common experience. The struggling process has also been reported by coursework master’s students trying to reconcile their agency with the academic practices in preparing a research dissertation (Shaw & le Roux, 2017). In the process of designing research, the novice researchers in our study went through ups and downs, and their agency was influenced by personal commitments, self-identities, academic socialization, and the ecological system.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…The lack of academic writing experiences and the insufficient capability in scholarly English writing seemed to undercut students’ agency in presenting their thoughts about their research in trying to produce a research proposal. As demonstrated by Shaw and le Roux (2017), coursework master’s students’ reading and writing practices are crucial in their transition from professional work practice and coursework to dissertation research.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning to Design Research: Students’ Agency and Experiences in a Master of Education Program in Hong Kong

Yang

Zhou

et al. 2020

ECNU Review of Education

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Purpose: Learning to do research has been understudied in the context of professional development in postgraduate programs. This exploratory study investigated the agency and experiences of five Chinese students who learned to design their research project in a Master of Education program at an English-medium university in Hong Kong SAR. Design/Approach/Methods: We obtained the data from semi-structured interviews and documents to establish data triangulation. Findings: The findings revealed that (1) the students’ agency in research design and proposal writing was associated with their personal/professional backgrounds, (2) their English proficiency affected their agency in the proposal writing, (3) the supervisors’ feedback would stimulate students’ agency in changing/refining their research design, and (4) ineffective supervision and learning resources would impede students’ achievement of agency on their way to creating a robust research design. Originality/Value: This study adds empirical evidence to the field of research training through the lens of learner agency. It demonstrates the applicability of using the ecological framework of agency in theoretically interpreting the contextual facilitators and constraints in making postgraduate students active agents.

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“…With a systems approach, we can draw on the concepts of emergence and relationships to think about the transformation process and its outcomes. 12 Therefore, this paper sought to answer the research question: How do mechanisms present within work placements operate to facilitate or hinder growth in the students’ occupational competency and self-efficacy? The answer to this question is significant as it deepens understanding of work placement and facilitates work placement practices that focus on elements of work placements experiences that have the most influence on students’ occupational competency and self-efficacy.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceived influence of mechanical engineering students’ work placement experiences on their occupational competency and self-efficacy

Ngonda

Shaw

Kloot

2020

International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education

Self Cite

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This paper proposes a qualitative systems dynamics model that explains how students’ work placement experiences either enhance or hinder the growth of their occupational competency and self-efficacy. The model is developed from qualitative analysis of work placement experiences of mechanical engineering students from a South African university of technology. Findings from the analysis show that students’ occupational competency and self-efficacy could be considered emergent outcomes of interactions of the learning environment, mentor posture, mentor capacity, mentor availability, meaningfulness of work, scope of work, agency, doing work, co-participating, participation trajectory and performance trajectory. The explanation of the factors and social mechanisms that influence students’ occupational competency and self-efficacy that is offered by the qualitative systems dynamics model would enable the implementation of work placement programs in a manner that would promote rather than hinder the growth of these two indicators of student employability.

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From Practitioner to Researcher: Designing the Dissertation Process for Part Time Coursework Masters Students

Cited by 7 publications

References 24 publications

The thinking behind the action (learning)

The thinking behind the action (learning)

Learning to Design Research: Students’ Agency and Experiences in a Master of Education Program in Hong Kong

Perceived influence of mechanical engineering students’ work placement experiences on their occupational competency and self-efficacy

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