This study explores the application of the dialogue seminar method within a doctoral programme KTH Advanced Programme in Reflective Practice of the research area of Skill and technology at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm. In order to understand distinctive features of the dialogue seminar method the study starts with a survey of how the method and its spirit were affected by the history of ideas related to the research area, of which many were generated within the intellectual milieu gathered around the Dialogue seminar of the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm and cultural journal Dialoger. The dialogue seminar method stands for a well thought out idea about what the link between skills, literature, philosophy, history of ideas, art and science is made up of. This idea is expressed in the way the dialogue is conducted; various topics are explored through associations, digressions and deviations form the subject. This indirect approach to reflection is called analogical thinking in contrast to the thinking based on deduction or induction. Analogical thinking prevails in judgement and action. It is also of great significance in e.g. development projects, in arts, all sorts of problem-solving, and those phases of research that call for inventiveness and imagination. The Dialogue Seminar’s Research Milieu brings up new questions about the possibilities of pursuing scientific or methodological reflection by means of analogical thinking and about the status of classical humanistic readings within the post graduate education. / QC 20100629

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This study is situated within a context of the changing role and value of the university, particularly in terms of a renewed focus on the importance of 'practical' research. It seeks to explore candidates' experiences of the culture of three doctoral research degrees in the School of education, RMIT University. The degrees in question are the Doctor of Philosophy by thesis, the Doctor of Philosophy by project and the Doctor of Education. The research sought to problematise and contest current understandings of doctoral candidates' experiences by highlighting complexities in the process and identifying differences and similarities between each of the three degrees. The main research question is 'How do candidates perceive the respective cultures of traditional, practice-based and professional doctoral education?' A nested, multiple-case study of the three doctoral modes was used to address three sub-questions, which focused on the norms and practices of candidates ; the extent to which their needs and expectations were met; and differences in their notions of research and practice. Differences and similarities between the degrees are analysed, leading to answers to the fourth sub-question which sought to identify what can be learned in terms of supervisor pedagogy and learning support. The research design was underpinned by a Bourdieuian epistemology and a critical theoretical perspective. Bourdieu's theory of practice with its conceptual tools of habitus, field, capital, agent and practice allowed analysis of candidates' experiences and the doctoral structures within which their practice resides through one critical lens. The data revealed many issues common to all doctoral programs. These include the importance of understanding the various habitus' and relative amounts of cultural capital of candidates, and the impact of a perceived lack of learning community. Other findings related to ambivalence regarding the types of cultural and social capital appropriate for do ctoral candidates not aiming to work in an academic environment where these are in conflict with the workplace. Three meta-themes were developed: tensions between and within the field; challenges to autonomous principles; and the importance of habitus and cultural capital in doctoral study. The study added to the literature aimed at increasing understanding of candidates' trajectories toward success in the doctoral field, thereby informing supervisor and learning support pedagogy. Five recommendations were proposed, aimed at producing a vibrant doctoral learning community with a deeper understanding of candidates' issues.

There is considerable body of research about adults navigating advanced degrees, but little regarding adults in graduate degree programs while in full-time educational careers. Guided by Mezirow's transformative learning theory, the purpose of this study was to develop a grounded theory (GT) that reflected the lived experiences of fulltime teachers within a school district as they progressed through advanced degrees. Fourteen adult learner participants were asked to talk about their experiences as both fulltime educators and graduate students. The constant comparative analysis method was employed to analyze the data to develop a theory entitled enduring driven succeeding. The theory explained stages that the participants underwent as they pursued an advanced degree. Four stages emerged from this GT study. Each stage represented behaviors one can expect in similar contexts: (a) visioning experiences in which the learner arrives at a clear mental picture the desired outcome; (b) investing experiences which occur when a learner decides on following a course of action towards the accomplishment of a goal; (c) clicking experiences in which learners begin to understand and apply their learning in meaningful ways; and (d) reflecting experiences which occur as adult learners reflect and rethink their successes and failures in order to move forward to pursue their goals. This theory can be useful in preparing university administrators, recruiters, or trainers to understand the challenges faced by fulltime working adult students as they navigate advanced degree programs. Extending this theory through the method of grounded action (GA) may also assist in providing good action plans for resolving the issues faced by adult learners as they pursue advanced degree programs.

Doctoral students and graduates of the program in Higher Education, Division of Higher Education, North Texas State University, enrolled during the summer semester of 1980 were selected as the sample for the study. The purpose of the study was to determine the effectiveness of the doctoral program by (1) determining doctoral students' and graduates' experiences and reactions to the program, (2) measuring the extent that perceptions about the program by students differ from or are similar to those of graduates, (3) comparing these findings to an earlier study by Brice (19 74), (4) presenting conclusions and recommendations based on the findings of the study which could aid in the administration of the doctoral program, and (5) providing information for planning new program policies or supporting those already in existence.

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This study identified the admissions criteria for selected doctoral programs in vocational-technical education in Oklahoma and Texas and investigated the relationship of these criteria to success in the doctoral programs. Success in the doctoral programs was identified in terms of cumulative doctoral grade point average. Data were obtained through a questionnaire designed to ©licit both general information concerning admissions criteria for vocational-technical doctoral programs at the selected institutions and to collect specific information on a random sample of twenty doctoral candidates from each of the four selected institutions. Factors considered included birthdates, gender, scores on admissions tests, grade point average in the masters program, the year the latest masters was completed, number of colleges attended, and cumulative doctoral grade point average. A statistical analysis using nine separate one-way analyses of variance determined that four of the nine factors considered proved to be statistically significant at the .05 level or better when correlated with the criterion variable (cumulative doctoral grade point average). Those factors were gender, Graduate Record Examination verbal and composite scores, and masters grade point average. The results of the study basically parallel findings of research concerning admissions criteria and success in graduate programs in other areas. Additional research efforts should address the issue of determining the most appropriate decision logic model for making admissions decisions in programs at the graduate levels.

Doctoral graduates of the program in Higher Education, Division of Higher Education, North Texas State University, from the fall of 1969 through spring, 1973, were selected as subjects for an evaluation of the program. To appraise the effectiveness of the program, the evaluation attempted to: (1) determine how the graduates viewed various aspects of their doctoral program and experiences at North Texas State University; (2) appraise the effectiveness of the doctoral program in Higher Education in light of the career goals and needs of the graduates and how the program served those needs; (3) present conclusions and recommendations based on the findings of the study which could aid in the administration of the program, provide information for planning new programs and policies, or in supporting those already in existence. A questionnaire was developed and used as the data-gathering instrument, after being revised according to suggestions given by a jury. The questionnaire was mailed to graduates on August 17, 1973, and a follow-up letter was mailed on September 19, 1973, to those non-respondents who could be identified. Of the total number of graduates who received the questionnaire, 69 (71 per cent) responded. Data contained in the questionnaires were numerically coded and recorded on keypunch worksheets. With the aid of the staff from the N.T.S.U. Computing Center, print-outs were produced from the worksheets which contained tabulated data. Tables were made from the data for analysis and interpretation. Analysis of the data led to the following conclusions. The program is producing graduates who have a marketable education with most of them teaching in four-year colleges and universities. The emphases on college teaching and administration are major strengths of the program and graduates rate a strong degree of satisfaction with the major program components, structure and curriculum. Competencies gained in educational research and statistics and the residency requirement are considered valuable by graduates. When compared to other programs in Higher Education, the program at N.T.S.U. is rated above average to outstanding by 77 per cent of its graduates. Most graduates were dissatisfied with the amount and variety of financial assistance that was available and felt that the internship experience was under-utilized. Recommendations for further research included replication of the study after a number of years, evaluation of other programs with similar methodology, and program appraisal using a different sample, such as the graduate's employer.

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