Research education ontologies: exploring doctoral becoming

Barnacle, Robyn

doi:10.1080/07294360500062995

Cited by 80 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 4 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…To date this discussion has not connected Deleuze and Guattari's rhizome model to research cultures and academic identities; in particular, this paper explores how academic and researcher identities, or "academicity" (Petersen, 2007), in rhizomatic research environments can be developed during doctoral studies, in particular through participation in writing groups (Barnacle, 2005;Barnacle & Mewburn, 2010;Devos, 2004). Through this approach, I seek to consider what kinds of identities, what characteristic ways of thinking and behaving, today's research students can take up that will position them to operate effectively in the research cultures of tomorrow.…”

Section: The Rhizome Seemed a Useful Concept With Which To Explore Thmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rhizomatic Research Cultures, Writing Groups and Academic Researcher Identities

Guerin

2013

IJDS

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

As interdisciplinary research becomes increasingly common in universities, new types of research culture appear to be developing. The doctoral students undertaking studies in this research climate are themselves increasingly diverse (Gardner, Jansujwicz, Hutchins, Cline, & Levesque, 2012;Pearson, Cumming, Evans, Macauley, & Ryland, 2011), coming into their studies from nontraditional pathways, from a variety of disciplinary and professional backgrounds, as well as from a range of cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Informed by interview data collected from members of doctoral writing groups, this article outlines the academic researcher identities these diverse students need to develop in order to operate effectively within rhizomatic research cultures. By considering this through the lens of Deleuze and Guattari's (1980/1988) model of rhizomatic knowledge structures, we can begin to understand how the contemporary research environment values heterogeneous, non-hierarchical, networked styles of work on research projects. The article proposes that multidisciplinary doctoral writing groups offer experiences that enable researchers to embrace the qualities of flexibility, multiplicity, collegiality, and connection and that these qualities will be of benefit to students in the current research environment.

show abstract

Section: The Rhizome Seemed a Useful Concept With Which To Explore Thmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rhizomatic Research Cultures, Writing Groups and Academic Researcher Identities

Guerin

2013

IJDS

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Like many others, Pearson (1996) had doubts about the training model being applied to research degrees in the mid-90s and still in wide use today (see also Barnacle, 2005). Some time ago, in the turn toward professional skills development within research degrees, she perceived the potential for researchers to develop a greater capacity for self-evaluation and reflection, borrowing from Schön's strategy of reflection-inaction.…”

Section: Re-engaging With the Practice Of Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Research degrees as professional education?

Barnacle

Dall’Alba

2010

Studies in Higher Education

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract:There is an increasing trend within higher education and, more specifically, in higher degrees by research, to treat a professional skills set as a desirable graduate outcome. The increasing value that is being placed on a professional skills set in large part reflects growing interest around the world in the role of research degrees in labour markets and economic prosperity. Some have seen this shift as an opportunity to re-situate higher degrees by research as a form of professional education in the practices of research and scholarship. This raises a number of important issues for research education, which we aim to identify in this article. While a range of scholars has previously noted several of these issues, we draw together key issues for interrogating the notion of research degrees as a form of professional education. In doing so, we point to ambiguities in expectations about what is produced through higher degrees by research programs.Some university programs have a relatively long history of being perceived as professional degrees by virtue of their discipline, such as medicine, architecture and law. Increasingly, however, graduates of all university degrees are seen as possessing a professional skill set when compared with others, such as those in trades. This trend is also evident in higher degrees by research. The increasing value being placed on a professional skills set in large part reflects growing interest around the world in the role of research degrees in labour markets and economic prosperity (Chambaz, 2008;; Department of Education, Science and Training, 2003;; Roberts, 2002). So-called generic skills, such as communication, teamwork, problem solving, lifelong learning, intercultural understanding, entrepreneurship and leadership, are often deemed necessary to professionals and are considered favourable to the needs of a globalised knowledge-based economy. Scholars such as Margot Pearson have seen this shift as an opportunity to re-situate higher degrees by research as a form of professional education in the practices of research and scholarship, with the aim of assisting candidates to become "…autonomous professional practitioners for the future " (1996: 304). This raises a number of important issues for research education, which we aim to identify in this article. These issues include questions concerning what constitutes a profession, the status of professional knowledge, the role of generic skills in the higher degrees by research curriculum, the value and potential contribution of the research degree, diversity in researcher careers, and how to re-engage with the practice of research. While a range of scholars has previously noted several of these issues, as we acknowledge below, we aim to draw together key issues for interrogating the notion of research degrees as a form of professional education. Our analysis of knowledge generation will draw primarily on the work of scholars such as Donald Schön to address how higher degrees by research candidates learn to engage in r...

show abstract

“…Haigh, 2012;Hopwood, 2010). In such cases, learning is conceptualized as participation (González-Ocampo et al, 2015) and learning outcomes are studied in terms of becoming a researcher, emphasizing not only the technical, but also the personal nature of learning to do research (Barnacle, 2005). "Transitioning […] to the role of researcher is not as simple as acquiring a new set of skills and expanding one's knowledge of scholarship" (Hall & Burns, 2009, p.53).…”

Section: Learning To Do Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Challenges and learning outcomes of educational design research for PhD students

Bronkhorst

Kleijn

2016

FLR

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Educational design research (EDR) is described as a complex research approach. The challenges resulting from this complexity are typically described as procedural, whereas EDR might also be challenging for different reasons, specifically for early career researchers. Yet, challenging experiences may be noteworthy in the process of learning to do research and becoming a researcher. To explore this issue further, we engaged in a collaborative self-study, and conducted a narrative cross-case analysis of two PhD candidates' experiences of engaging in EDR, focusing on challenges and learning outcomes. We find indications that the challenges of EDR might be related to EDR's relatively new and minority position in educational sciences and the role a (early career) researcher needs to assume in EDR. Retrospectively, the challenges appear closely related to learning outcomes, which are described in terms of a more profound understanding of research (quality) and of oneself as a researcher. As such, insights gained by self-study of research practices provide a complementary perspective to existing literature on EDR and becoming a researcher.

show abstract

Research education ontologies: exploring doctoral becoming

Cited by 80 publications

References 4 publications

Rhizomatic Research Cultures, Writing Groups and Academic Researcher Identities

Rhizomatic Research Cultures, Writing Groups and Academic Researcher Identities

Research degrees as professional education?

Challenges and learning outcomes of educational design research for PhD students

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About