ERIC Number: EJ1393493
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: EISSN-2331-186X
PhD Students' Perceptions of Research Seminars in Doctoral Education: A Case Study
Addae, David; Kwapong, Olivia A. T. F.
Cogent Education, v10 n1 Article 2183701 2023
There is no doubt that supervision plays a significant role in doctoral education. Supervisors have a fiduciary responsibility for guiding their supervisees throughout their doctoral research and theses writing journeys. In recent times however, many doctoral education programmes have adopted a collegial support system for doctoral students by introducing students' research seminars to supplement traditional supervision. Research seminars offer both students and faculty the opportunity to engage in scholarly dialogue aimed at improving the former's research and thesis. Although such seminars have become commonplace in many doctoral education programmes worldwide, little research exist on students' perceptions of research seminars in doctoral learning. In this paper, we contribute to the literature by exploring the perceptions of 12 PhD students from a University in Ghana about research seminars and their usefulness in doctoral education. The findings indicate that the students perceived research seminars in doctoral education as "spaces" evoking manifold purposes--constructive advice; discrediting students' work; varied views; and "muffling" students' voices. Furthermore, the students' perceptions of the usefulness of research seminars in their learning were trifocal in scope--research and thesis writing, presentation skills, and confidence-building. The paper makes some recommendations for improving research seminars in doctoral education for the purpose of enhancing collegial learning.
Descriptors: Doctoral Students, Student Attitudes, Supervision, Doctoral Programs, Doctoral Dissertations, Collegiality, Seminars, College Faculty, Teacher Student Relationship, Universities, Research Training, Foreign Countries
Cogent OA. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Ghana
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A