You are here

A Survival Kit for Doctoral Students and Their Supervisors
Share

A Survival Kit for Doctoral Students and Their Supervisors
Traveling the Landscape of Research



March 2016 | 192 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
A Survival Kit for Doctoral Students and Their Supervisors offers a hands-on guide to both students and supervisors on the doctoral journey, helping make the process as enjoyable as it is productive. Drawing on research from peer learning groups, contributed narratives, and their own programs, the authors emphasize the value of the doctoral partnership and the ways in which shared knowledge can facilitate a rewarding journey for students and their advisors. Grounded in theoretical and empirical material, the book helps participants navigate the doctoral process with personal stories and examples from a variety of researchers. A discussion of common challenges and the inclusion of practical tips further enhance the book’s diverse range of helpful resources.

 
Chapter 1: Theoretical Basis of the Book
An Apprenticeship Perspective

 
Why Apprenticeship?

 
Things Elites Can Teach Us

 
What Is Apprenticeship In Research And What Can Be Learn From It?

 
The PhD Endeavour as a Journey

 
A Pedagogy of Doing

 
Moving Away From Pure Learning

 
Good Advice for the PhD Student

 
Good Advice for the Supervisor

 
Conclusion

 
 
Chapter 2: Matching Student and Research Community
Successful and Unsuccessful Matching

 
Why Research Talent Is Relationally Defined and Achieved

 
Relational Talents

 
Finding the Right Match

 
What Is Needed To Find The Match?

 
Mismatch

 
Finishing On Time?

 
Why Matching Can Be Difficult

 
Good Advice for the PhD Student

 
Good Advice for the Supervisor

 
Conclusion

 
 
Chapter 3: Originality and Contribution
Making an Impact

 
We Have To Work It Out Ourselves – But How?

 
Developing Voice

 
An Experiment of Disarmament

 
Dismantling Pretentious Scientific Language

 
Complying and Adjustment

 
Questioning the Research Question

 
Good Advice for the PhD Student

 
Good Advice for the Supervisor

 
Conclusion

 
 
Chapter 4: Making the Most of Obstacles
Research as a Creative Endeavor

 
How Can I Contribute and Do Creative Research?

 
Data on Deviations and Research in Everyday Life

 
How Can We Stumble Creatively?

 
Absorption and Deadlines

 
Forced Incubation

 
Apprenticeships and Quick Learning

 
The McDonaldisation of Research

 
Good Advice for the PhD Student

 
Good Advice for the Supervisor

 
Conclusion

 
 
Chapter 5: Peers and Masters Are Everywhere
Distributed Masters

 
Apprenticeship Writing

 
Writing and Identity Formation in Peer Groups

 
Writing Throughout the Journey

 
Networks

 
Writing Groups

 
Do I Have The Time … And The Courage?

 
Life Itself Is a Master

 
Be a Master Yourself

 
Good Advice for the PhD Student

 
Good Advice for the Supervisor

 
Conclusion

 
 
Chapter 6: Doing Supervision
Supervision as Process and Production

 
Co-Authorship as a Pedagogic Practice

 
The Co-Author Study

 
Inviting In—Unconditionally Accepting

 
Idea Testing and Getting the Student to Work

 
Theoretical Framing

 
Focused Asking For Advice and Making Structural Adjustments

 
Fine Tuning and Some Deletions

 
Sharing Completion

 
Extending the Radius of the Research Community

 
A Pedagogy of Doing

 
Good Advice for the PhD Student

 
Good Advice for the Supervisor

 
Conclusion

 
 
Chapter 7: Feedback – Part of Making It Work
A Range Of Options

 
A Good Writer Is Not Necessarily a Good Writing Teacher

 
Feed-Back from an Apprenticeship Perspective

 
Formative Apprenticeship

 
Writing for ‘Real’ and ‘Blind’ Reviewers

 
The Necessity of Untidy Texts

 
The Circularity of Knowing

 
‘People Think by Acting’

 
Retrospective Preparation?

 
Learning from Giving Feedback

 
Good Advice for the PhD Student

 
Good Advice for the Supervisor

 
Conclusion

 
 
Chapter 8: ‘Get a Life’ or Simply ‘Live Your Life’
Putting an End to Uncertainty?

 
Moving Fast or Learning to Live a Researcher’s Life?

 
In Search Of a Researcher Identity

 
Always In the Middle

 
It Is Good To Be Part of Something

 
There Is Always Work To Do

 
Always Heading Somewhere

 
‘Let’s Start Before We’re Ready’

 
Stepping Stones for a Future Career

 
Good Advice for the PhD Student

 
Good Advice for the Supervisor

 
Conclusion

 

"I see this text as different in the sense of looking at the audience, the process, and the adviser relationship from a much more positive perspective. This text takes a more personal, softer look at the dissertation process and serves more to inspire and motivate rather than instill fear.”

George W. Semich
Robert Morris University

“…[S]uggestions for both the student and guide at the end of each chapter offer some practical ideas that faculty members and doctoral students will find extremely useful.”

LaVerne L. Ludden
Indiana Wesleyan University

“This is a quality piece of work, and I believe many future scholars will benefit from this for years to come.”

Algerian Hart
Western Illinois University

“I believe [this book] offers a broad coverage of topics that doctoral students need for research direction.”

William Figg
Dakota State University
Key features

KEY FEATURES:

  • A focus on the actual process and value of shared learning is emphasized with the inclusion of research from peer learning groups, contributed narratives, and the authors’ own programs.
  • Inclusion of themes such as joy, experimentation, and creativity serve as guideposts for doctoral learning and ease anxieties regarding performance.
  • End-of-chapter lists of practical tips summarize the main learning points that can be drawn from each chapter.
  • Cross-disciplinary applicability makes the book appropriate for use in such fields as education, political science, and business administration. 

Sample Materials & Chapters

Chapter 4

Chapter 8


For instructors

Select a Purchasing Option


Rent or Buy eBook
ISBN: 9781483379456

Paperback
ISBN: 9781483379449
$68.00

This title is also available on SAGE Research Methods, the ultimate digital methods library. If your library doesn’t have access, ask your librarian to start a trial.