Perceptions and career prospects of the distance doctor of education degree: voices from the mid-career ELT tertiary practitioners

Kung, Fan Wei

doi:10.1080/14703297.2015.1018919

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 7 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This study confirms many of the previous claims about online doctoral studies. As F. W. Kung (2017) suggests, online PhD students appreciate the convenience and accessibility of their programmes. Some participants also mentioned multiculturism, having an international cohort, as one of the strengths of the programme as ten out of thirteen interview participants are international students themselves.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our findings, however, provide counter-evidence that this social aspect of the programme can be an additional source of anxiety to those students who have never engaged in networked learning activities. Especially when part-time students are struggling to find time and resources to dedicate to their studies (F. W. Kung, 2017), these social components of the programme can be perceived as a burden. Thus, we need effective strategies to better orient students at the beginning of the programme and scaffold their social learning experiences -taking the part-timeness into account -rather than assuming their ability to communicate and collaborate online.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A number of studies have investigated the nature of students' experiences in online doctoral programmes. For example, F. W. Kung (2017) demonstrates that online doctoral students generally perceive their programme positively regarding its convenience and accessibility. They also appreciated the international nature of the programme fostering multiculturalism.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

A Phenomenological Exploration of the Student Experience of Online PhD Studies

Lee

2020

IJDS

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Aim/Purpose: This article investigates thirteen students’ lived experiences on an online PhD programme, aiming to develop a better understanding of the nature of doing a PhD online. Background: A large number of adult students with full-time professional roles and other social responsibilities have returned to universities to pursue their doctoral degree in order to advance their personal and professional lives. Online PhD programmes are now one of the viable choices for those who wish to combine their PhD study with other professional and personal roles. However, little has been known about students’ lived experiences of doing a PhD online, which are seemingly different from those of other doctoral students who are doing their studies in more conventional doctoral education settings. Methodology: The present qualitative study employs a phenomenological approach to develop an in-depth understanding of doctoral students’ lived experiences in doing their PhD studies online. The present study was conducted in an online PhD programme at a Department of Education in a research-intensive university based in the United Kingdom (UK). Thirteen students voluntarily participated in a semi-structured interview. The interview transcripts were analysed following Van Manen’s (2016) explanations for conducting a thematic analysis. Contribution: The paper presents seven themes that illustrate the essential nature of doing a PhD online, answering the two questions: (1)What are the lived experiences of online PhD students? and (2) What are the particular aspects of the programme that structure the experiences? Findings: The characteristics of online PhD studies are multifaceted, including different elements of PhD education, part-time education, and online education. Those aspects interact and create a unique mode of educational experiences. In a more specific sense, the journey of an online PhD – from the moment of choosing to do a PhD online to the moment of earning a PhD – is guided by multiple, often conflicting, aspects of different doctoral education models such as the professional doctorate, the research doctorate, and the taught doctorate. The present study demonstrates that experiential meanings of doing a PhD online are constructed by the dynamic interplay between the following six elements: PhDness, onlineness, part-timeness, cohortness, practice-orientedness, and independence. Throughout the long journey, students become better practitioners and more independent researchers, engaging in multiple scholarly activities. Recommendations for Practitioners: It is essential to understand the unique characteristics and experiences of PhD students who choose to pursue a PhD in online programmes. Based on the understanding, online doctoral educators can provide adequate academic supports suitable for this particular group. The study findings highlight the importance of supporting students’ adjustment to a new learning environment at the beginning of the programme and their transition from Part 1 to Part 2. Recommendation for Researchers: It is crucial to develop a separate set of narratives about online PhD education. Common assumptions drawn from our existing knowledge about more conventional doctoral education are not readily applicable in this newly emerging online education setting. Impact on Society: It is important for online PhD students and potential ones in the planning stage to better understand the nature of doing a PhD online. Given the growing popularity of doctoral education, our findings based on the reflective narratives of thirteen online PhD students in this paper can support their informed decision and successful learning experiences. Future Research: A comparative study can more closely examine similarities and differences among diverse models of doctoral education to capture the uniqueness of online PhD programmes. It is worthwhile to investigate students’ experiences in online PhD programmes in disciplines other than education. A more longitudinal approach to following an entire journey of PhD students can be useful to develop a more comprehensive and holistic understanding of an online PhD. Some critical questions about students’ scholarly identity that emerged from the present study remain unanswered. A follow-up phenomenological research can focus on the existential meanings of being a scholar to this group of students.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

A Phenomenological Exploration of the Student Experience of Online PhD Studies

Lee

2020

IJDS

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A relatively small number of researchers have investigated online doctoral students' learning experiences. Doctoral students who choose to pursue their doctorate online, as part-time students, tend to have multiple professional and social responsibilities (Kung 2017). Thus, they value the accessible and convenient nature of online doctoral studies (Lee 2020b).…”

Section: Situating the Autoethnography In Published Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Embracing Authenticity and Vulnerability in Online PhD Studies: The Self and a Community

Lee

2021

Online Postgraduate Education in a Postdigital World

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…In addition, most online doctoral students, who are also experienced professionals, come to an online doctoral programme with a considerable level of both real-life skills (accumulated through their working experiences) and academic knowledge (attained from their previous education). In order to maintain their motivation and will to learn, therefore, it is particularly important to help them situate their doctoral study in real-life contexts, making both their learning process and outcome meaningful (Kung 2017;Rockinson-Szapkiw et al 2016). In other words, it would not be possible to expect online doctoral students to engage in a meaningful learning process, simply by providing new knowledge and skills, which are disconnected from their real-life situations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Autoethnography as an Authentic Learning Activity in Online Doctoral Education: an Integrated Approach to Authentic Learning

Lee

2020

TechTrends

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Under the constructivist learning paradigm, which emphasises authenticity as a required condition for learning, distance educators have been striving to create authentic learning environments that reflect the real world. However, it is inevitably challenging to make an online learning environment authentic for learners when it is ultimately separated from their real-life contexts. Particularly, in online doctoral education, given the diversity among online learners, even defining "what is real and to whom" is a difficult task. This paper argues that the epistemological approach to authentic learning, based on the constructivist learning paradigm, is not sufficient to make online learning "authentically" meaningful. The paper introduces an alternative, ontological approach stemming from the transformative learning paradigm, and suggests autoethnography as one authentic learning activity that can effectively integrate the epistemological and ontological approaches to authentic learning in online doctoral education. Such a comprehensive conceptualisation of authentic learning, as an integrated process of both knowing and becoming, allows each doctoral student to become a more authentic self across their learning and living environments.

show abstract

Perceptions and career prospects of the distance doctor of education degree: voices from the mid-career ELT tertiary practitioners

Cited by 5 publications

References 7 publications

A Phenomenological Exploration of the Student Experience of Online PhD Studies

A Phenomenological Exploration of the Student Experience of Online PhD Studies

Embracing Authenticity and Vulnerability in Online PhD Studies: The Self and a Community

Autoethnography as an Authentic Learning Activity in Online Doctoral Education: an Integrated Approach to Authentic Learning

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About