Adding dimensions to research student learning and research supervision
Sonesson, Anders LU
and Ahlberg, Anders
LU
(2009)
Postgraduate Supervision Conference: Research and Practice
- Abstract
- Research student learning and supervision has become an increasing concern for many stakeholders inside and outside the universities. As a result, universities are in different ways trying to enhance doctoral education, often through activities aimed at research supervisors.
In this paper we claim that research supervision and its relation to research student learning is poorly conceptualised in university discourse in general and in much popular literature on the topic. A too narrow or incomplete conception could lead to enhancing activities failing to do good, consuming time and money as well as goodwill. It could also actively reinforce conceptions and practices that are counterproductive for research student learning, and for... (More) - Research student learning and supervision has become an increasing concern for many stakeholders inside and outside the universities. As a result, universities are in different ways trying to enhance doctoral education, often through activities aimed at research supervisors.
In this paper we claim that research supervision and its relation to research student learning is poorly conceptualised in university discourse in general and in much popular literature on the topic. A too narrow or incomplete conception could lead to enhancing activities failing to do good, consuming time and money as well as goodwill. It could also actively reinforce conceptions and practices that are counterproductive for research student learning, and for research.
We will begin by criticising the popular but in our view incomplete conception of doctoral studies as an academic apprenticeship with its notions of a dyadic expert-novice relationship between supervisor and student, and of learning from immersion in practise. Instead we present an emerging model for research learning anchored in Dall’Alba and Sandberg’s theory for professional development. The model is comprised of three interdependent and overlapping dimensions of learning: skills development through experience of practice; understanding of, and in, practice; and meta-knowledge. From this model we then draw implications for supervision, supervisor skills, and for practice.
We will then turn to our experiences from discussions with more than two hundred research supervisors on a two-day workshop on supervision, and compare common descriptions of research supervision and practices with the above model and its implications.
On basis of our findings, we will finally propose some strategies for enhancement of research learning and supervision.
(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/4437872
- author
- Sonesson, Anders
LU
and Ahlberg, Anders
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2009
- type
- Contribution to conference
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Doctoral education, Doctoral supervision, Educational development
- categories
- Higher Education
- conference name
- Postgraduate Supervision Conference: Research and Practice
- conference dates
- 2009-04-27 - 2009-04-30
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- Department affilation moved from v1000887 (CED - Centre for Educational Development) to v1000942 (Division for Higher Education Development) on 2016-03-31 08:48:51.
- id
- b81f920d-e664-4a51-a355-a8834389b86d (old id 4437872)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-04 13:23:13
- date last changed
- 2018-11-21 21:13:37
@misc{b81f920d-e664-4a51-a355-a8834389b86d,
abstract = {{Research student learning and supervision has become an increasing concern for many stakeholders inside and outside the universities. As a result, universities are in different ways trying to enhance doctoral education, often through activities aimed at research supervisors.<br/><br/>In this paper we claim that research supervision and its relation to research student learning is poorly conceptualised in university discourse in general and in much popular literature on the topic. A too narrow or incomplete conception could lead to enhancing activities failing to do good, consuming time and money as well as goodwill. It could also actively reinforce conceptions and practices that are counterproductive for research student learning, and for research. <br/><br/>We will begin by criticising the popular but in our view incomplete conception of doctoral studies as an academic apprenticeship with its notions of a dyadic expert-novice relationship between supervisor and student, and of learning from immersion in practise. Instead we present an emerging model for research learning anchored in Dall’Alba and Sandberg’s theory for professional development. The model is comprised of three interdependent and overlapping dimensions of learning: skills development through experience of practice; understanding of, and in, practice; and meta-knowledge. From this model we then draw implications for supervision, supervisor skills, and for practice. <br/><br/>We will then turn to our experiences from discussions with more than two hundred research supervisors on a two-day workshop on supervision, and compare common descriptions of research supervision and practices with the above model and its implications.<br/><br/>On basis of our findings, we will finally propose some strategies for enhancement of research learning and supervision.<br/>}},
author = {{Sonesson, Anders and Ahlberg, Anders}},
keywords = {{Doctoral education; Doctoral supervision; Educational development}},
language = {{eng}},
title = {{Adding dimensions to research student learning and research supervision}},
year = {{2009}},
}