Feedback as a space for academic social practice in doctoral writing groups

Chakraborty, Deya; Soyoof, Ali; Moharami, Mehdi; Utami, Ade Dwi; Zeng, Shaoru; Cong-Lem, Ngo; Hradsky, Danielle; Maestre, Jacky-Lou; Foomani, Elham Mohammadi; Pretorius, Lynette

doi:10.1080/20590776.2021.1972764

Cited by 17 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…Consequently, we recommend that practitioners consider establishing writing groups that allow PhD students to learn in a more collaborative environment that is less limited by power imbalances (such as those found in the student-supervisor relationship). Other researchers have described a variety of writing group formats (see, e.g., Haas, 2014), as well as the challenges in establishing effective doctoral writing groups (see, e.g., Chakraborty et al, 2021). The challenges identified usually relate to time, resourcing, quality of facilitation, and group membership (Chakraborty et al, 2021).…”

Section: Implications For Practitionersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other researchers have described a variety of writing group formats (see, e.g., Haas, 2014), as well as the challenges in establishing effective doctoral writing groups (see, e.g., Chakraborty et al, 2021). The challenges identified usually relate to time, resourcing, quality of facilitation, and group membership (Chakraborty et al, 2021). In terms of pastoral care, we believe the most important characteristics are the quality of facilitation and the membership of the writing group, as these are particularly relevant to the creation of a safe space that fosters belonging.…”

Section: Implications For Practitionersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This helps to ensure that all members feel that their contributions will be valued in the group. An example of such a code of conduct can be found in Chakraborty et al (2021). It is important to note, though, that this should be done carefully, so as not to impose a sense of power upon the facilitator, thereby hindering the development of a safe space for students to learn collaboratively.…”

Section: Implications For Practitionersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Model the provision of clear and constructive feedback. Provision of feedback, as well as an understanding of how to interpret and use feedback, are skills that are not innate but need to be taught (Chakraborty et al, 2021). In our experience, this can take quite a bit of time, so facilitators should factor this into the time allocated to establishing an effective writing group.…”

Section: Implications For Practitionersmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pastoral Care in Doctoral Education: A Collaborative Autoethnography of Belonging and Academic Identity

Hradsky

Soyoof

Zeng

et al. 2022

IJDS

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Aim/Purpose: It is increasingly recognized that doctoral education programs should better support doctoral students. In particular, it has been noted that students experience significant isolation during their PhD, which negatively affects their educational experiences and their personal wellbeing. Doctoral writing groups are collaborative learning communities that have in recent years received increasing attention to address this issue. This collaborative autoethnography explores the affective benefits (i.e., benefits associated with emotions and feelings) of these doctoral writing groups, particularly focused on the pastorally supportive nature of these learning communities. Background: Writing groups have been shown to promote academic writing skills and build reflective practice, personal epistemology, and academic identity. We have found that a much more significant benefit of our writing groups has been the pastoral care we have experienced, particularly in relation to the turbulent emotions often associated with academic writing. This should, perhaps, not be surprising since it is clear that academic writing is a form of identity work. There is, therefore, a clear need to better support doctoral students, particularly with regard to the more affective components of academic writing. This prompted us to write this collaborative autoethnography to showcase what we consider to be the primary role of doctoral writing groups: pastoral care. Methodology: We employ a collaborative autoethnographic methodology to integrate our personal reflections into the existing literature in the field. Contribution: We argue that doctoral writing groups are vehicles of pastoral care as they promote wellbeing, foster resilience, provide academic care, and build social capital. Findings: We demonstrate that doctoral writing groups foster students’ sense of belonging through self-reflection and the sharing of experiences in a safe space, which builds perceived self-efficacy and self-awareness. Furthermore, through the self-reflection and discussion that is inherent in doctoral writing groups, students also develop a better understanding of themselves and their place within the academy. Recommendations for Practitioners: Our research highlights that writing groups may be designed to teach academic communication skills, but they provide an affective benefit that cannot yet be quantified and which should not be underestimated. Incorporating writing groups into doctoral education programs can, therefore, have a positive influence on the educational experiences of PhD students and improve their overall wellbeing. This paper concludes by providing practical suggestions to help practitioners implement writing groups into doctoral education programs, particularly focused on how these groups can be made more pastorally supportive. Recommendation for Researchers: This paper also extends the theoretical understanding of pastoral care by providing a framework for pastoral care within the doctoral writing group environment. We show how pastoral care can be conceptualized as the promotion of self-awareness, self-efficacy, reflection, and empowerment of doctoral students through nurturing communities where all members are valued, encouraged, guided, and supported. Our experiences, which we have integrated throughout this paper, also highlight the importance of relationship-building within the educational community, particularly when these relationships are characterized by mutual respect and shared responsibility. Impact on Society: The poor well-being of doctoral students has now been well-established across the world, but strategies to improve the academic environment for these students are still lacking. This paper provides evidence that implementing writing groups as a strategy to embed pastoral care in a doctoral education environment helps doctoral students flourish. Ultimately, this can lead to an improved academic research culture into the future. Future Research: Future research should explore other methods of better integrating pastoral care interventions into doctoral education programs in order to reduce isolation and promote student wellbeing.

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Section: Implications For Practitionersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Implications For Practitionersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Implications For Practitionersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Implications For Practitionersmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Pastoral Care in Doctoral Education: A Collaborative Autoethnography of Belonging and Academic Identity

Hradsky

Soyoof

Zeng

et al. 2022

IJDS

Self Cite

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show abstract

“…There are many educational strategies that help foster community, including collaborative learning. Writing groups, as a type of collaborative learning community, have been shown to foster students' academic identity, sense of belonging, academic writing skills, and ability to learn through purposeful re ective practice (Cahusac de Caux et al, 2017;Chakraborty et al, 2021;Hradsky et al, 2021;Lam et al, 2019). I have found that my writing group students often develop signi cant friendships and that these friendships become supportive academic networks when the students graduate.…”

Section: Insights and Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“I realised that, if I am dead, I cannot finish my PhD!”: A narrative ethnography of psychological capital in academia

Pretorius

2022

Preprint

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Despite the increasing quantitative evidence that there is a mental health crisis in doctoral education, there is a lack of qualitative research that highlights the voices of individuals experiencing mental illness. This study highlights the experiences of a second-year PhD student as she discovers that she is mentally unwell. The participant’s experiences are interwoven with the reflections and experiences of the researcher, a doctoral educator. Through the use of narrative ethnography, this study highlights the need for doctoral educators to build an environment that fosters students’ psychological capital by helping them develop efficacy, optimism, hope, and resilience. In this way, doctoral education environments can become more welcoming, compassionate, inclusive, and growth-focused. This study also demonstrates the benefits for educators of employing narrative ethnography as a methodology to improve their own pedagogical practices by better understanding their own lived experiences as well as those of their students.

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Academic Motherhood in Times of Pandemic: Finding Silver Linings

Yip¹,

Maestre²

2022

Research and Teaching in a Pandemic World

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Feedback as a space for academic social practice in doctoral writing groups

Cited by 17 publications

References 53 publications

Pastoral Care in Doctoral Education: A Collaborative Autoethnography of Belonging and Academic Identity

Pastoral Care in Doctoral Education: A Collaborative Autoethnography of Belonging and Academic Identity

“I realised that, if I am dead, I cannot finish my PhD!”: A narrative ethnography of psychological capital in academia

Academic Motherhood in Times of Pandemic: Finding Silver Linings

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