Agency and Articulation in Doctoral Writing: Building the Messy Research Journey into a Well-Constructed Thesis

Abstract

The research journey is a messy one, full of surprises, difficulties, discoveries, hard work, beginnings and some form of closure. The thesis, whether a monograph or published/publishable articles and a theorised "wrap", is well organised and lucidly articulated; it evidences consistent theories and themes; asks questions and analyses findings; presents a coherent argument and story; and is readable, its points clear, its contribution original (enough), its quality publishable (Winter, 2000; Holbrook et al., 2006; Kiley & Wisker, 2011). In this chapter I am interested in exploring how doctoral students and supervisors transition in an iterative way between the messy rich journey and the well-built thesis, and how this well-conceptualised, well-articulated work is recognised by students, supervisors and examiners

EAP Pedagogies for Doctoral Students in Professional Fields

“…The idea of identity change during doctoral candidature is well-documented in the literature on doctoral writing. It has been figured as journeys (Barnacle & Mewburn, 2010;Wisker, 2016), transitions (Castelló, Iñesta, & Corcelles, 2013), transformations (Lassig, Dillon, & Diezmann, 2013) and "becoming" (Barnacle, 2005;Lee, 2010Lee, & 2011. Some of the key pedagogical perspectives on doctoral writing similarly connects writing to changes in identity: from student to scholar, from 2 novice to expert, or from practitioner to researcher.…”

Care Worker Perceptions of Recruitment and Retention in Adult Social Care Settings

“…This is something which all interpretivists should bear in mind, as there can be a negative assumption that interpretivism is less credible than positivism as there can be uncertainty in whether or not clear trends will appear (Aliyu et al, 2014). It is important to note that the research journey can be 'messy', no matter how prepared we are, and things do not always go as planned (Law, 2004;Billo and Hiemstra, 2013;Wisker, 2016). It was, therefore, important to continuously reflect on oneself as a researcher.…”