Promoting creativity in PhD supervision: Tensions and dilemmas

In this paper we argue that the processes of collaborative creativity are just as important within the sociocultural context of PhD supervisory practice, as they are in other organizational and educational settings. In order to test this claim a series of interviews with supervisors and students were undertaken to uncover the pedagogic processes used to encourage and support creativity within supervision sessions. The findings from this small-scale study suggest that whilst the more formal instruction and monitoring processes that lead to the acquisition of transferrable research skills are both usefully and necessary aspects of doctoral training, the more open-ended and creative developments required at this level of study should be given equal weight. There needs to be space, time and encouragement for the types of interactions identified here (e.g. informal reflection, relationship building with peers and supervisor, playful exploration and risk taking) as well as mandatory skills development.     

Strategies and tactics in the supervision of UK social science PhD students

While there is a literature on PhD supervision, little research has been undertaken upon the intricacies of the actual relationship between the PhD student and supervisor. One particular facet of this relationship was examined, namely the strategies supervisors choose to implement when supervising social science students at this level. Two general overarching strategies were found to exist in this context: a relatively unstructured approach, giving students a large degree of intellectual freedom, and a much more structured approach within which close operational control was maintained by the supervisor. The selection and implementation of these two strategies, and associated tactics, were found to be more effective in cases where supervisors were able to balance involvement with their students with a degree of professional detachment. Effective supervision was also found to be correlated with the possession of certain skills, including the ability to foresee the general direction of the student's research, to communicate clearly with the student about the supervisory relationship, and to facilitate that relationship intellectually and emotionally. Such skills were in turn found to hinge upon the possession of particular qualities, such as flexibility and sensitivity.     

恭维言语行为的性别差异研究

恭维语作为一种维护和改善人际关系的社会言语行为,吸引了许多研究者的关注.在日常言语交际中,男性和女性在恭维语的使用方面存在着一定的差异,了解这些差异,男性和女性的言谈交际才能得以顺利进行.     

Informality,power and relationships in postgraduate supervision: supervising PhD candidates over coffee

A great deal of literature in recent years has focused on the supervisory relationship, yet very little has been written about the nature or content of supervisory meetings, beyond commenting on the frequency and length of meetings. Through semi-structured interviews, informal discussions with colleagues and students, a critical review of literature and personal reflection, this paper explores the salience of coffee for postgraduate supervision. This paper locates supervisions over coffee in reference to contemporary debates about the supervisory relationship (models, styles, tasks and dimensions). Using the concept of ‘third places’ and Misztal's theorisation of informality, it is argued that supervision over coffee conveys a particular supervisory relationship to postgraduate students: one that is incompatible with expert-disciple models or styles of supervision. Instead, supervision over coffee is on neutral territory and on a more informal footing. Finally the paper concludes with discussion about finding a balance between formality and informality in supervision and the development of personal and institutional trust.     

Literacy development in successful men and women with dyslexia

To investigate how, when, and under what conditions individuals with dyslexia manage to develop high literacy levels, an interview and literacy assessment study was conducted with 60 highly successful men and women with dyslexia and 10 peers without dyslexia. The sample with dyslexia included a Nobel laureate, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and leaders in a variety of fields requiring extensive reading (i.e., medicine, law, business, and the arts and sciences). For both males and females with dyslexia, interest-driven reading was key to the development of high literacy levels. Results showed distinct groups of successful professionals with dyslexia: a compensated group and two partially compensated groups. In each group, literacy development was augmented by avid reading in a content area of passionate personal interest, along with systematic phonics instruction. Through avid reading on a specific topic, the individuals with dyslexia developed knowledge of the specialized vocabulary, typical text structures, concepts, themes, and issues of a particular field. Extensive reading about a favorite subject enhanced the background knowledge of these individuals and enabled them to gain reading practice, which in turn, fostered the development of reading fluency and increasingly sophisticated skills. Although topics and genres of personal interest varied, fascination with a subject area was a common theme among those interviewed. In the literacy assessment, the 60 men and women with dyslexia demonstrated most of the salient characteristics of Chall’s (1983) Stage 5, the highest level of reading development. All participants comprehended sophisticated text, but some, with partially compensated dyslexia, showed continuing lags in basic, lower level “print” skills. Individuals with partially compensated dyslexia fell into two groups: one group showed specific deficits only in spelling, whereas the other group had difficulty in spelling, word recognition, and oral reading. Many, but not all, of the participants with dyslexia showed ongoing lags in reading rate. Gender differences were most apparent in topics of personal interest reading and in mentoring patterns. The study explores how adults with dyslexia, who may continue to lack strong integration of lower level “print” skills, succeed in constructing higher order “meaning” skills. This analysis underscores the need for a balanced approach to literacy instruction that includes both “print” and “meaning” aspects. It emphasizes the need to integrate solid interest-based approaches as a centerpiece of instruction.     

Recruitment of men and women as academics by Australian universities

Entry of men and women to an academic career was studied through a survey of 230 men and women who in 1991 held a full-time appointment at lecturer level or above in Arts and Science disciplines in an Australian university. The women more often than the men had learned about the position they obtained from a source inside the department in which the job was being filled, had been encouraged by senior members of the department to apply, and had gained a position that was filled without advertisement. However, these differences arose because more of the women than the men had been a tutor in the department where they gained a lectureship. There were no differences in terms of how men and women had been recruited when allowance was made for this factor and whether a person had been residing within Australia immediately prior to appointment. The results are discussed with reference to why men have in the past and now do substantially outnumber women among academics in Australian universities. Although the survey suggests men and women who gained positions were recruited on similar bases, successful applicants need to be compared with unsuccessful applicants to obtain comprehensive understanding whether selection practices have disadvantaged women.The survey reported in this article was undertaken while Ray Over held an appointment as Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Education at Griffith University.     

Childhood sexual experiences among substance-using non-gay identified Black men who have sex with men and women

This study explored potential variations in childhood sexual abuse (CSA) by examining qualitative accounts of first sexual experiences among non-disclosing, non-gay identified Black men who have sex with men and women (MSMW). We analyzed data from semi-structured qualitative interviews with 33 MSMW who described first sexual experiences with male and female partners. Thematic analysis revealed four patterns of first sexual experiences including: unwanted sexual experiences with a male or female consistent with definitions of childhood sexual abuse; consensual sex with an older male or female; bodily exploration with another male or female child; and consensual sex with a peer-age female. Most of the experiences described by participants as consensual with an older male or female, however, met criteria for childhood sexual abuse found in the extant literature. Several men discussed childhood sexual experiences (CSE) relative to their experiences with alcohol, drugs, and same-sex behavior as adults. Findings suggest that the relationship between CSE and risk-taking behavior may be shaped by whether men perceive their experiences as abusive or consensual, and have implications for researchers, treatment providers and counselors.     

Assessing supervision requirements of PhD students: The case of construction management and engineering in the UK

There is an acknowledged problem with high non-completion rates of PhDs in the UK. Studies show that one of the major reasons for this is deficiencies in the supervision received. However, the unique and one-to-one nature of student/supervisor relationships makes it difficult to investigate the extent of these deficiencies. This article proposes a framework to evaluate the supervision requirements from the students' perspective. The supervision is divided into three elements: personal, indirect research-related and direct research-related help. The perceived short falls between expected and provided supervision for each element are then identified. A questionnaire survey is designed to act both as a test of the framework and to assess supervision requirements and their provision for PhD students in the construction management and engineering discipline in the UK. In addition, the student population is characterized and selected attributes; age, sex, industrial experience, full- or part-time status, nationality and funding sources, are compared with their supervision requirements. The results showed that the biggest discrepancy between expected and provided supervision was in direct research-related help. The framework is most valuable at individual level and for the framework to be effective communication is seen as being critical.     

Retention of men and women engineering students

After 1.5 years of college, men and women engineering students in a population of 42 schools had different retention rates in engineering at their original schools. Based on a sample of students at 16 schools, the estimated population retention rates were 73.3% for men and 67.8% for women. This report discusses student characteristics that were related to retention for men or women, as well as the destinations of students who left engineering at their original schools.     

PhD by Publication: innovative approach to social science research,or operationalisation of the doctoral student … or both?

ABSTRACT

The PhD by Publication offers doctoral students an opportunity to focus on publishing during their candidature. A considerable body of literature has explored questions of legitimacy, consistency and quality of this model of scholarship, while students have reflected on how this approach helped build a publishing track record and develop skills associated with writing scholarly articles [Jackson, D. (2013). Completing a PhD by publication: A review of Australian policy and implications for practice. Higher Education Research & Development, 32(3), 355–368; Robins, L., & Kanowski, P. (2008). PhD by publication: A student’s perspective. Journal of Research Practice, 4(2), 1–20]. However, there is a need to explore how this approach both shapes and reflects the student experience of doctoral studies. This auto-ethnographical article analyses my own experience of the PhD by Publication. On the one hand, this method suited my multidisciplinary research topic and approach to research and assisted the flexibility and creativity of my research. On the other, I began to view my value as a researcher and the value of my research, in terms of the quantitative performance metrics of research in output, citation counts and h-index. Concept of performativity, I analyse how the PhD by Publication potentially reshapes what it is to be a doctoral student, and how the value of doctoral students is construed by themselves and others within their university.     

一个沉重的文学主题--对男女平等、妇女解放的思考

从社会，宗教和几个人物形象自身等方面对男女平等，妇女解放这个沉重的学主题的原因进行了探讨。     

Predicting continued participation in college chemistry for men and women

The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of a cognitive motivational model of course selection patterns to explain the continued participation of men and women in college science courses. A number of cognitive motivational constructs were analyzed in a path model and their effect on students' intention to continue in college chemistry was determined. Variables in the model included self-perceived ability in science, future expectations, level of past success, effort expended, subjective interpretations of both past success and task difficulty, and the intention to continue in college chemistry. The results showed no sex differences in course performance, the plan to continue in chemistry, perceived ability in science, or past achievement in science courses. The path analysis did confirm the usefulness of the cognitive motivational perspective to explain the intention of both men and women to continue in science. Central to that process appears to be a person's belief about their ability. Students who had confidence in their ability in chemistry expected to do well in the future and were more likely to take more chemistry. Ability ratings in turn were dependent on a number of past achievement experiences and the personal interpretation of those experiences.     

Views and perspectives of women’s studies: a survey of women and men students

In this article we draw on data from a completed project entitled Why Do Women’s Studies? involving five English Universities. However, the data reported here focuses on a single institution. The data were collected through questionnaires which combined quantitative and qualitative questions and we have the views of three distinct groups of students: students taking women’s studies as a degree; students taking other degrees but including women’s studies modules and students with no experience of women’s studies. After detailing our method and reflecting on some methodological issues we present and debate our data which shows that although many of the conventional stereotypes regarding women’s studies remain in common discourses they seem to be agreed with less than they are reported to have been heard. Yet, the power of these discourses remains a danger to women’s studies as evidenced by its demise as an undergraduate course in many English institutions.     

Early career patterns of men and women in British universities

The early career paths of 436 men and 162 women who took up lectureships in British universities in English, modern languages, or psychology in 1971–1973 were identified. Proportionately fewer women (61 percent) than men (80 percent) held a full-time post in a British university ten years after their initial appointment. Among those retaining a university appointment, relatively fewer women (8 percent) than men (18 percent) had advanced to the level of senior lecturer, reader, or professor. Factors that may have served to restrict the career development of women in British universities are discussed. There now is a higher proportion of women than in the past in the pool of graduates who are qualified for academic posts. However, the end to university growth makes it unlikely that the sex ratio of academics will shift substantially in the 1980s or the 1990s. Since promotion has become more competitive than it was in the past, the current sex ratio at senior levels of appointment may also remain relatively unchanged.This study was supported by funding under the Australian Research Grants Scheme. Unless stated otherwise, the university statistics cited in this article were derived from the analyses published annually by the Department of Science and Education. I am grateful to Sandra Lancaster for her assistance in data analysis.     

中国古代诗歌中"男子作闺音"现象的六幅面孔

“男子作闺音”作为中国古代诗歌创作的独特现象应该引起关注,本文介绍了男子作闺音现象的六基本类型。     

Sources of information-seeking on sexually transmitted infections and safer sex by older heterosexual Australian men and women

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have risen among older people in Australia and other countries. To guide future initiatives, we examined sources of information that older people use or are willing to use for knowledge about safer sex and STIs, including whether there are any gender differences. A total of 2137 Australian adults aged 60+ years completed a nationwide survey. Analyses focused on participants who were at risk of an STI (n = 686; 220 women and 466 men). Overall, information-seeking on STIs in the last year was low (18% men; 15% women). When sought, common sources included general media outlets (e.g., magazines, TV), healthcare providers (HCPs), and the Internet. HCPs were the most relied upon source among both women and men. Brochures, websites, and HCPs were rated highest as future sources; however, women indicated they were more willing than men to have information provided by brochures and websites. STI information-seeking was generally low, but there was willingness among both men and women to use a range of sources for gaining future information.