Nurturing Students’ Academic Research writing through Experiential Learning: Work-based Teaching for Research Skill Development

Abstract

Experiential or work-based learning is deemed essential for the completion of formal higher education qualifications, in particular postgraduate degrees. The aim of these research degrees is to develop the intellectual capacity of individuals to become independent researchers. This target is achieved by teaching courses on research methods. The current study is exploratory in nature that aims to explore change in the knowledge and skills of students through the experiential instruction method. Thirty students from a doctoral program were included as a sample of the study. Continuous feedback was taken from students through social media tools. The focus of feedback was targeting the dimensions of engagement of students in the research course. The discourse analysis of WhatsApp chat was used to analyze the data. In addition to this, further interviews were carried out to understand the progression and improvement in research skills.