Professionalising Ph.D
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Look Inside Get Access Find out how to access preview-only content Higher Education October 1996, Volume 32, Issue 3, pp 303-320 Professionalising Ph.D. education to enhance the quality of the student experience 24 Citations Abstract Ph.D. student numbers have been increasing in Australia as has government interest in the economic and social outcomes of graduate education (Moses 1994, Cullen et al. 1994). Yet the position of Ph.D. students can still be seen as marginal within universities and the institutional organisation of Ph.D. education as problematic. This situation can be related to the highly individualistic nature of research and supervision which is both a barrier to and part of the argument against efforts to examine and discuss in general the processes of research training and supervisory interactions across disciplinary and departmental boundaries. This article positions all Ph.D. students, in all fields of study, as learners in a form of professional education -a perspective which offers a way out of this apparent dilemma. Drawing on data from a study reported in Cullen et al. (1994) the following topics are explored: Ph.D. students as learners of the knowledge and skill of the professional practice of research and scholarship; the role of the supervisor in assisting students to become independent practitioners; and the complementary professional role of student participation in the academic community. Implications for policy and practice to professionalise Ph.D. education and enhance the quality of the student experience are discussed. Page %P Page 1
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Transcript of Professionalising Ph.D
Look Inside Get AccessFind out how to access preview-only contentHigher EducationOctober 1996, Volume 32, Issue 3, pp 303-320
Professionalising Ph.D. education to enhance the quality of thestudent experience
24 Citations
Abstract
Ph.D. student numbers have been increasing in Australia as has government interest in the economic and social outcomes of
graduate education (Moses 1994, Cullen et al. 1994). Yet the position of Ph.D. students can still be seen as marginal within
universities and the institutional organisation of Ph.D. education as problematic. This situation can be related to the highly
individualistic nature of research and supervision which is both a barrier to and part of the argument against efforts to examine
and discuss in general the processes of research training and supervisory interactions across disciplinary and departmental
boundaries. This article positions all Ph.D. students, in all fields of study, as learners in a form of professional education -a
perspective which offers a way out of this apparent dilemma. Drawing on data from a study reported in Cullen et al. (1994)
the following topics are explored: Ph.D. students as learners of the knowledge and skill of the professional practice of
research and scholarship; the role of the supervisor in assisting students to become independent practitioners; and the
complementary professional role of student participation in the academic community. Implications for policy and practice to
professionalise Ph.D. education and enhance the quality of the student experience are discussed.
Page %P
Page 1
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References (15)
1. Becher, T. (1994). ‘Freedom and accountability in professional curricula’, in Becher, T. (ed.), Governments
and Professional Education. Buckingham, Great Britain: SRHE and Open University, pp. 161–179.
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Press.
3. Bowen, W.G. and Rudenstine, N.L. (1992). In the Pursuit of the Ph.D.. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton
University Press.
4. Brown, G. and Atkins, M. (1988). Effective Teaching in Higher Education. London: Routledge.
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The European and American University Since 1800. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 263–
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Canberra: AGPS, and: http://uniserve.edu.au/uniserve/eip/Ph.D._sup/TableofContents.html
7. Elton, L. and Pope, M. (1992). ‘Research supervision -the value of collegiality’, in Zuber-Skerritt, O. (ed.),
Starting Researc-Supervision and Training. Brisbane: TEI, University of Queensland, pp. 69–85.
8. Moses, I. (1994). ‘Planning for quality in graduate studies’, in Zuber-Skerritt, O. and Ryan, Y. (eds), Quality
in Postgraduate Education. London: Kogan Page, pp. 3–13.
9. Parry, S. and Hayden, M. (1994). Supervising Higher Degree Research Students. Canberra: Australian
Government Publishing Service.
10. Pearson, M. and Cullen, D. (1994). Ph.D. study the student passage. A paper presented at the Annual SRHE
Conference: The Student Experience, York.
11. Phillips, E.M. (1992). ‘The concept of quality in the Ph.D.’, in Cullen D.J. (ed.), Quality in Ph.D. Education.
Canberra: ANU, pp. 11–21.
12. Phillips, E.M. and Pugh, D.S. (1994). How to get a Ph.D.. Milton Keynes: Open University Press.
13. Reason, P. and Marshall, J. (1987). ‘Research as personal process’, in Boud, D. and Griffin, V. (eds.),
Appreciating Adults Learning: From the Learners' Perspective. UK: Kogan Page,pp. 112–126.
14. Schon, D. (1983). The Reflective Practitioner. New York: Basic Books.
15. Schon, D. (1987). Educating the Reflective Practitioner. San Francisco, California: Jossey-Bass.
About this Article
TitleProfessionalising Ph.D. education to enhance the quality of the student experience
JournalHigher Education Volume 32, Issue 3 , pp 303-320
Cover Date1996-10-01
DOI10.1007/BF00138869
Print ISSN0018-1560
Online ISSN1573-174X
PublisherKluwer Academic Publishers
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Topics
Education (general)
Psychology, general
Authors
Margot Pearson (1)
Author Affiliations
1. The Centre for Educational Development and Academic Methods, The Australian National
University, A.C.T. 0200, Canberra, Australia
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