Part time EdD student:

I was offered the opportunity of presenting my research ideas at the University of Bristol's School of Education  virtual conference that took place on the 5th and 6 the June and even though I didn't feel that aspects of my research were ready to present I took this opportunity to at least attempt a presentation.  My research is looking at the marketisation of the UK higher education system, neoliberalism and the effects that this may be having on the teaching and learning experience. My initial focus was to consider how students are experiencing education but through my job working with academics on research funding opportunities, I am becoming more exposed to how academics are feeling about so many chances, mechanisms and demands on their performance. I am now leaning towards designing my research project in a way that focuses on academic identities but more on that as it unfolds over the coming couple of months, then years.  I presented on Michel Fouc...

When contemplating applying for a PhD I was pretty set on the fact that my research would have to be quantitive in terms of data-heavy, or qualitative where I only considered interviews as a source of data. Without being either of these, how could my research possibly contribute to existing knowledge and be of any value to both the academic and wider societies? Having been on my EdD course for almost two years I have been exposed to a wide range of methods for data collection and this has really inspired my thinking as I develop my own plans for my research. I am also in a lucky position to be working at a university where I interact with academics on a regular basis and I hear a lot about their research and the methods that they use in data collection and this, combined with my studies has really opened my eyes to vast opportunities available in conducting research. My most recent study-block on the EdD course introduced a number of methods for data collection and all of these methods...

I get weirdly hung up on aspects of my experience of my PhD and one thing that continuously worries me and pops into my head making me evaluate how I am progressing is how I organise my literature and ensure that it is easily found again when it comes to writing up my thesis. Now I wouldn't say there is one key way of doing this as there isn't. It will very much depend on you as a person and your preference for your working methods. Before settling on my current method of working, I tried to find a number of options that other academics had used successfully and I found that no two people seem to do this the same way and this frustrated me as I was hoping for maybe 3 or 4 good options for doing this. In a previous post all about reference management software , I talk about Zotero  and I also give some useful tips on using this programme.  I would say it's not important what reference management software you use but it is important to learn the functions and limita...

For me, practical skills, as well as tips and techniques for succeeding, are vital for me to feel comfortable doing something properly. This is one area where I have scoured the internet looking for blog posts, articles or even Youtube videos (many of which have helped) with clear tips in progressing through a doctoral degree. I understand that a PhD journey is supposed to be experienced through being neck-deep in literature and in throwing yourself into various theoretical perspectives but I don't feel comfortable in doing that unless I have a process for achieving that successfully. I need a step 1, step 2, step 3 kind of process to follow in order for work to become habit-forming. that's what makes me comfortable and what helps me to succeed. The problem with providing this information is that everyone does things differently and depending on the focus of your research, tips and tricks may not suit every area of expertise. The first few months of my doctorate I felt re...

so I haven't posted for a couple of weeks as I have just been up to my ears in deadlines for both work and study and in order to make these deadlines something had to be dropped and the blog got it. this morning I was reading through some blog posts on Pubs and Publications  and I came across a post that was focused on the journey of the PhD and that all-encompassing feeling of being overwhelmed and perhaps out of your depth? I signed up to my EdD  in 2018 and the initial feeling of excitement was quickly replaced with a feeling of inferiority, inexperience and incapability and I sat down one night to read and wondered whether I had made the right choice in actually going through with my plans to gain my doctorate. My free time was being taken up with reading papers that felt above my reading levels and the intellectual discussions that were taking place on various subject areas really just made me feel even more isolated from the doctoral journey. it was over coffe...

At the moment Covid 19 is spreading globally with many people working from home as countries go into lockdown. This pandemic is horrific and the news in the UK feels like its scaremongering rather than delivering facts. Many are feeling fed up, bored and pissed off with being housebound and unable to get on with their normal lives. I totally get all of these feelings. But at the same time, I am feeling more productive when it comes to my studies as there isn't much else to do.  Many TV channels have stopped filming new episodes of programmes and channels are either filled with repeats or news updates that are needed but also really depressing. So I have got myself into a really good routine that is helping distract my brain from this terrible pandemic but is also progressing my research and planning for my research project.  During the day I am working from home in the living room while my two-year-old is in the room watching tv, playing and enjoying taking ce...

Follow my blog with Bloglovin A massive part of being a doctoral student is independent study, research and the learning of study skills and tips to make things easier. It's not all handed to you on a plate.  Not to worry though as there are plenty of blogs, websites, twitter feeds etc to offer quick and easy solutions to make you feel like you're winning. One key tool you'll need is reference management software and there are a few different options to consider. Your university may recommend a particular software but it doesn't mean you have to use that or stick to that one. My university recommends  RefWorks , but I tried it for a few weeks and just couldn't get into using it successfully. So I googled and found other options   EndNote ,  Mendeley , and  Zotero . a lot of the information I was finding was leading me to believe that Zotero was probably going to be most suitable for me as its compatible with mac and I use apple products. I r...