Ten Key Components of Doctoral Research: Maximizing Alignment and Significance: Volume 6 (Doctoral Research into Higher Education) - Softcover

Trowler, Prof Paul R

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1507630107 ISBN 13: 9781507630105

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2015

Synopsis

Please note there is also a new version with AI prompts and bespoke online resources. This book helps doctoral candidates design and write a thesis that hangs together with well-integrated components. In the social sciences doctoral research design has 10 key components which work together dynamically as the research is being done to create a whole finished thesis. They are:1.The research questions addressed2.The ontological position adopted3.The epistemological position adopted4.The domains of literature chosen for review5.The context/s of study selected6.The ‘sample’ selected from within the context or contexts7.The types and extent of data ‘collected’ and analysed8.The theoretical lens through which the data are viewed9.How the outcomes of data analysis are presented10.The conclusions drawn and claims madeThese form part of an empirically-based thesis and are carefully scrutinized by examiners. So, making a thesis “hang together” properly involves planning and implementing a research project which has internal coherence and congruence between the different components. They operate together to achieve the goal of a strong, low-risk thesis. There is a clear chain of evidence and argument which is assembled and deployed to answer the research questions, making claims which are robust and sustainable. A design which doesn’t hang together has internal disconnections; there are components which don’t mesh properly. This means that conclusions and claims are shaky, the research questions are not fully or convincingly answered and that that there is a failure in the logic connecting two or more of the components.That situation can be a disaster because when the thesis is examined and these flaws are identified there will be major changes needed to the very structure of the work: perhaps more and different data will be required; different research questions may need to be formulated and a fundamental reshaping of the claims made may be needed. In writing a research proposal and in planning research design generally, many doctoral candidates zoom in too quickly on the detail. They start writing parts of the literature review, or they get tied up in details of ‘sample’ selection. This rush to the ground level of detail is dangerous because it can blind candidates (and their supervisors/advisors) to internal dislocations in the logic of the overall design, approach and claims.The book's chapters give examples of bad and good alignment, inviting readers themselves to evaluate other examples and gives links to videos in which the author gives his own views on them for comparison.

About this title

About the Author

Paul Trowler is Professor in Higher Education, Lancaster University and Research Director of here@Lancaster (the higher education research and evaluation centre there). He has research interests which include: enhancing student engagement; academic 'tribes' and their disciplinary territories; planning and managing change in universities; the implementation of planned change particularly related to the enhancement of the curriculum, teaching, learning and assessment; higher education policy-making and environmental change; cultures in universities; and approaches to evaluation.

Edition details

• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1507630107
• ISBN 13: 9781507630105
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 69