Methodological becoming: Doctoral students’ perceptions of their methodological journeys

Clark, Timothy; Clark, Tim

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate and illustrate the potential relationships between doctoral students’ life histories and educational experiences and their methodological understanding and assumptions. Design/methodology/approach: The qualitative research design consisted of life-history interviews with nine doctoral researchers in the UK in disciplines relating to the social sciences. Findings: The study indicated that the students’ methodological assumptions may be understood as a socially constructed product of their life histories and academic experiences. Experiences of postgraduate research training were presented as having the potential to unlock the methodological consciousness required to re-frame these experiences, improve understanding and resolve methodological conflict. Originality/value: This paper provides an insight into the complex nature of the development of methodological understanding and a provocation for considering methodological becoming through the lens of socialisation. This may have utility for both doctoral students and educators.

Citation

Clark, T., & Clark, T. (2022). Methodological becoming: Doctoral students’ perceptions of their methodological journeys. Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education, 13(1), 36-53. https://doi.org/10.1108/SGPE-12-2020-0076

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 23, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Sep 13, 2021
• Publication Date: Mar 23, 2022
• Deposit Date: Aug 24, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 14, 2021
• Journal: Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education
• Electronic ISSN: 2398-4694
• Publisher: Emerald
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 13
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 36-53
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/SGPE-12-2020-0076
• Keywords: philosophy of research; reflexivity; research methodology; doctoral education; postgraduate education; methodological journeys Keywords -methodological journeys; philosophy of research; reflexivity; research methodology; doctoral education; postgraduate e
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/7676778
• Additional Information: Currently being processed for publication on Emerald 'Early Cite'. Instructions for Self-archiving from publisher:; ; 23-Aug-2021; ; ; Dear Clark, Timothy,; ; ; “Methodological Becoming: Doctoral Students’ Perceptions of Their Methodological Journeys”; ; Effective from September 2017, Emerald has removed the embargo period across all journals for the self-archiving of the Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM). This enables all of our authors to make their article open access via a ‘green’ route. The full text of the article may therefore become visible within your personal website, institutional repository (IR), subject repository, SCN signed up to the Voluntary STM Sharing Principles as soon as the final version has been published in the journal. It may also be shared with interested individuals, for teaching and training purposes at your own institution and for grant applications.; ; Please refer to the terms of your own institution to ensure full compliance.; ; The date your article was accepted for publication was: (23-Aug-2021); ; If you are required to deposit your article in your institution’s repository, you will need to:; ; • Either, manually deposit the accepted manuscript attached to this email or a version from your own records (it must be the version accepted for publication by the journal’s Editor) into your repository; • Or if applicable, forward your accepted manuscript to your institution’s Repository Manager.; • If you are unsure which option is applicable to you, please refer to your institutional or departmental publication policy;; ; To deposit your AAM, you will need to adhere to the following conditions:; • You must include the DOI (10.1108/SGPE-12-2020-0076) back to the official published version of your article within https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emeraldinsight.com%2F&data=04%7C01%7Ctim.clark%40uwe.ac.uk%7C443e754a235b4744088a08d96664de24%7C07ef1208413c4b5e9cdd64ef305754f0%7C0%7C0%7C637653407424661110%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=XPTJaICz%2F5dV%2FHD%2FTE054kfYRFiXzMSC7CXrOPRImZ8%3D&reserved=0;; • Include all of the relevant metadata (article title, journal name, volume, issue no. etc.).; • The AAM must clearly indicate where the article was published, or where it is forthcoming;; • Include a clear licensing statement (see below).; ; Deposit licences; ; Emerald allows authors to deposit their AAM under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial International Licence 4.0 (CC BY-NC 4.0). To do this, the deposit must clearly state that the AAM is deposited under this licence and that any reuse is allowed in accordance with the terms outlined by the licence. To reuse the AAM for commercial purposes, permission should be sought by contacting [e-mail].; For the sake of clarity, commercial usage would be considered as, but not limited to:; o Copying or downloading AAMs for further distribution for a fee;; o Any use of the AAM in conjunction with advertising;; o Any use of the AAM by for promotional purposes by for-profit organisations;; o Any use that would confer monetary reward, commercial gain or commercial exploitation.; Emerald appreciates that some authors may not wish to use the CC BY-NC licence; in this case, you should deposit the AAM and include the copyright line of the published article. Should you have any questions about our licensing policies, please contact [e-mail].; ; • Include the article abstract (see below).; ; Purpose - To investigate, and illustrate, the potential relationships between doctoral students’ life histories and educational experiences and their methodological understanding and assumptions.; Methodology/Design - The qualitative research design consisted of life history interviews with 9 doctoral researchers in the UK in disciplines relating to the social sciences.; Findings - The study indicated that the students’ methodological assumptions may be understood as a socially constructed product of their life histories and academic experiences. Experiences of postgraduate research training were presented as having the potential to unlock the methodological consciousness required to re-frame these experiences, improve understanding and resolve methodological conflict.; Originality - This paper provides an insight into the complex nature of the development of methodological understanding and a provocation for considering methodological becoming through the lens of socialisation. This may have utility for both doctoral students and educators.; ; ; Please note that the full text of the AAM must only appear in the IR once the final version of the article has been published in the journal.; ; If you have any questions about Emerald’s repository policy, please contact [e-mail]; ; ; Thank you for choosing to publish with Emerald.; ; Kind Regards,; Laura Wilson; Head of Rights, Emerald Publishing