Undertaking a Dissertation from Start to Finish: The Process and Product

Harrison, Margaret; Whalley, W. Brian

doi:10.1080/03098260701731173

Cited by 26 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…For example, we found that students' high workload affects their motivation, which is supported by previous studies (Brew & Jewell, 2012;Harrison & Whalley, 2008;Wenderholm, 2004). Students give priority to courses with a schedule and regular activities and are thus less motivated to work on the research projects unless there is a clear structure.…”

Section: Student Motivationsupporting

confidence: 67%

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About the Challenges in Undergraduate Research Projects: An Explorative Case Study in a Sri Lankan National University

Peiris¹,

Barbutiu²,

Hansson³

2018

IJLTER

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Abstract.Conducting research and writing a thesis about it is regarded as a distinctive pedagogy (learning through inquiry) within higher education which brings new challenges to all parties involved. To complete a thesis, students should select a problem, make a systematic plan, implement the plan and, finally, write a report of the process and findings. Students do have a supervisor to guide and support them, but it is the student who plays the key role in the whole research process. The present study is a qualitative, explorative case study to understand the challenges related to research projects within undergraduate management degree programmes in a Sri Lankan national University. Data have been collected using interviews and focus group discussions in six-degree programmes, with around 40 participants in total. The study focuses on identifying problematic areas and creating a general picture of why students' research projects are not progressing favourably. Six main challenges were identified: student motivation, student-supervisor relationships, skills and knowledge, students' workload, the structure of the research project course, and resources and ICT tools. These problematic areas are complex and multidimensional. Therefore, further studies are required to truly understand the complex interrelatedness of these areas.

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Section: Student Motivationsupporting

confidence: 67%

“…Studies show that students have problems with time management, planning of their studies, coping with their workload, and organising group work (Brew & Jewell, 2012;Harrison & Whalley, 2008;M. Todd, Bannister, & Clegg, 2004;Wenderholm, 2004).…”

Section: Previous Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

About the Challenges in Undergraduate Research Projects: An Explorative Case Study in a Sri Lankan National University

Peiris¹,

Barbutiu²,

Hansson³

2018

IJLTER

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“…With regard to the importance of topic selection, Harrison and Whalley [4] stated the following in the light of their survey results on undergraduate research:…”

Section: Introduction and Aimmentioning

confidence: 99%

SciPro Matching: ICT Support to Start a Quality Thesis

Hansson¹,

Moberg

Peiris

2015

Int J on Adv. in ICT for Emerging Countries

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Abstract-This article focuses on how to empower the initiation stage in the thesis supervision process with information and communication technology. Starting a large number of theses with available resources based on creative ideas is a challenging task. Another challenge is to connect student's theses with industry's interests. The SciPro ICT support system for thesis supervision was developed over a five-year period. The most important task in the thesis initiation stage is matching students, supervisors, and ideas. Business partners and administrative staff are other stakeholders who should interact in this process. Although the choice of an idea is the responsibility of students, and seems simple, it in fact requires a series of academic and administrative support processes. There is a lack of IT systems specifically address thesis supervision, especially the initiation stage. The SciPro system was constructed to bridge this gap. The initiation stage is the foundation of a quality thesis, and it highly affects the quality of a thesis. The research approach was based on a design science method. Prototyping, testing, demonstrations, and user evaluations were conducted throughout. Data collection methods for user evaluations included interviews, observations, focus-group discussions, and log data. This paper presents the SciPro IT system, which was developed to support the start of quality theses. This system adds value, saves time and increases the quality of the thesis initiation stage. The process implemented rewards supervisors and students by providing a high degree of freedom, control, and selection of relevant topics. It enables both automatic processes for previously timeconsuming work and qualified manual operations which can be controlled by administrators according to their needs. SciPro can also be used to improve industry-university collaboration on thesis production.

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“…The undergraduate research project in the UK and Ireland generally culminates in a written dissertation that is read only by the student, the supervisor and the second marker (Harrison & Whalley, 2008). In contrast, the concept of radical collegiality encourages widespread communication, with students informing each other and their faculty of their research findings.…”

Section: Changing Product?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Various studies indicate that undergraduates believe themselves to be recipients of rather than producers of research (Jenkins et al, 1998;Zamorski, 2002;Brew, 2006). While Harrison and Whalley (2008) highlighted a number of positive issues around dissertations, they also reported concerns about a wide range of aspects of the process, noting that: "As a consequence, the quality of the dissertation is often less than it could have been" (Harrison & Whalley, 2008, p. 407).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Re-framing the Geography Dissertation: A Consideration of Alternative, Innovative and Creative Approaches

Hill

Kneale

Nicholson

et al. 2011

Journal of Geography in Higher Education

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This paper reviews the opportunities and challenges for re-framing the purpose, process, product and assessment of final-year geography dissertations. It argues that the academic centralities of critical thinking, analysis, evaluation, effective communication and independence must be retained, but that the traditional format limits creativity and innovation. Re-imagining capstone projects has implications for students, faculty, departments and institutions, but greater diversity could enhance its relevance to students and employers, better aligning the student experience with the academic interests and future career demands of the 21st century graduate.

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Undertaking a Dissertation from Start to Finish: The Process and Product

Cited by 26 publications

References 13 publications

About the Challenges in Undergraduate Research Projects: An Explorative Case Study in a Sri Lankan National University

About the Challenges in Undergraduate Research Projects: An Explorative Case Study in a Sri Lankan National University

SciPro Matching: ICT Support to Start a Quality Thesis

Re-framing the Geography Dissertation: A Consideration of Alternative, Innovative and Creative Approaches

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