The ‘Write’ Skills and More: A Thesis Writing Group for Doctoral Students

Diversity in collaborative research communities: a multicultural, multidisciplinary thesis writing group in public health

“…Therefore, it was crucial that the group be student driven, rather than relying on authority figures to drive it. Unlike the writing seminars reported on by Delyser (2003), Larcombe et al (2007), and Ferguson (2009), for example, that are actively led by academic staff with a set program, the idea here was for students to take responsibility for the ongoing existence of PHeW. I facilitated the first few sessions until the 'habit' of meeting was established, and then the group members took over.…”

“…This can mean that few people understand the intricacies of the argument, the subtleties of the experimental findings, the conceptual bases or, indeed, the language and vocabulary to discuss these projects. Secondly, an abiding myth appears to exist amongst academics that writing is a solitary process and must, by its very nature, be undertaken alone (Lee & Boud 2003), even though the basis of all academic research is peer review (Boud & Lee 2005;Aitchison & Lee 2006;Ferguson 2009). While isolation is a concern for all students, this can be a particular issue for international candidates arriving direct from their home countries to commence research doctorates.…”

“…Literature exploring doctoral writing groups ranges from reports on specific programs (Delyser 2003;Mullen 2003;Larcombe et al 2007;Cuthbert & Spark 2008;Maher et al 2008;Aitchison, 2009;Ferguson 2009;Parker 2009;Aitchison & Lee 2010), and the value of peer learning/mentoring and community building (Caffarella & Barnett 2000;Pyhalto et al 2009;Stracke 2010;McAlpine & Asghar 2010), to discussions of identities formed during writing (Lee & Boud 2003;Kamler & Thomson 2008). Without exception, the research demonstrates the positive value of writing groups in providing effective learning spaces for doctoral candidates.…”

A Good Supervisor–Ten Facts of Caring Supervision

“…The supervisor has a crucial role in creating a supportive atmosphere in the seminar and familiarizes PhD students with the research culture in their own field. Then, the students are socialized in the prevailing norms and standards in the field (Ferguson, 2009). …”

Performing Academic Practice: Using the Master Class to Build Postgraduate Discursive Competences

“…Instead, PhD researchers are expected, seemingly, to become competent discursive practitioners just by watching, mimicking or modifying how more established academics formulate and articulate questions, comments and observations. Given that such learning strategies are now seen to be inadequate for the development of postgraduate writing skills (Aitchison and Lee, 2006;Delyser, 2003;Ferguson, 2009;Larcombe et al, 2007;Lee and Kamler, 2008), it is strange that the development of discursive skills has been left largely untouched within formal PhD training programmes. One explanation for this absence, perhaps, is deficiencies in pedagogic repertoires.…”