Locating the doctoral study in the ‘paradigm skirmishes’: Challenges and prospects for adopting a paradigm cradle

It is important to understand the thought patterns of students and supervisors that underlie the choice of paradigm and determine the progression of doctoral studies as an integral part of articulating scholarship at the doctoral level and subsequently, to completing the research. This paper traces...

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Main Authors: Rose Ruto-Korir, Carien Lubbe
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of the Free State 2010-09-01
Series:Perspectives in Education
Subjects:
Online Access:http://196.255.246.28/index.php/pie/article/view/46
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author Rose Ruto-Korir
Carien Lubbe
author_facet Rose Ruto-Korir
Carien Lubbe
author_sort Rose Ruto-Korir
collection DOAJ
description It is important to understand the thought patterns of students and supervisors that underlie the choice of paradigm and determine the progression of doctoral studies as an integral part of articulating scholarship at the doctoral level and subsequently, to completing the research. This paper traces a student’s and a supervisor’s thought patterns in the contested space of paradigms by adopting Bryman’s (2007) phrase ‘paradigm skirmishes’ to explore their experiences of a doctoral research study. It analyses some of the contested issues in paradigm proliferation and juxtaposes the doctoral research journey within it. We observe that engaging within the paradigm ‘skirmish arena’ is a tricky process, but an inevitable part of the doctoral student’s academic discourse. The use of the term ‘cradle’ in this paper is a metaphor to imply the ‘nurturance’ and ‘upbringing’ that doctoral students might require to develop intellectual maturity in academic authority and voice. As a ‘written conversation of minds’ of supervisor and supervisee, this paper not only traces some of the tensions that doctoral students undergo, but also illustrates how some university structures and supervision are critical to nurturing originality and critical engagement with discourse, particularly during moments of uncertainty and intellectual exhilaration.
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spelling doaj.art-2ca62ef9f6a444a199d03e5529e126522024-03-18T11:12:24ZengUniversity of the Free StatePerspectives in Education0258-22362519-593X2010-09-0128310.38140/pie.v28i3.46Locating the doctoral study in the ‘paradigm skirmishes’: Challenges and prospects for adopting a paradigm cradleRose Ruto-Korir0Carien Lubbe1University of PretoriaUniversity of Pretoria It is important to understand the thought patterns of students and supervisors that underlie the choice of paradigm and determine the progression of doctoral studies as an integral part of articulating scholarship at the doctoral level and subsequently, to completing the research. This paper traces a student’s and a supervisor’s thought patterns in the contested space of paradigms by adopting Bryman’s (2007) phrase ‘paradigm skirmishes’ to explore their experiences of a doctoral research study. It analyses some of the contested issues in paradigm proliferation and juxtaposes the doctoral research journey within it. We observe that engaging within the paradigm ‘skirmish arena’ is a tricky process, but an inevitable part of the doctoral student’s academic discourse. The use of the term ‘cradle’ in this paper is a metaphor to imply the ‘nurturance’ and ‘upbringing’ that doctoral students might require to develop intellectual maturity in academic authority and voice. As a ‘written conversation of minds’ of supervisor and supervisee, this paper not only traces some of the tensions that doctoral students undergo, but also illustrates how some university structures and supervision are critical to nurturing originality and critical engagement with discourse, particularly during moments of uncertainty and intellectual exhilaration. http://196.255.246.28/index.php/pie/article/view/46Doctoral researchPostgraduate supervisionResearch supervisionGuided autonomyParadigmParadigm contestations
spellingShingle Rose Ruto-Korir
Carien Lubbe
Locating the doctoral study in the ‘paradigm skirmishes’: Challenges and prospects for adopting a paradigm cradle
Perspectives in Education
Doctoral research
Postgraduate supervision
Research supervision
Guided autonomy
Paradigm
Paradigm contestations
title Locating the doctoral study in the ‘paradigm skirmishes’: Challenges and prospects for adopting a paradigm cradle
title_full Locating the doctoral study in the ‘paradigm skirmishes’: Challenges and prospects for adopting a paradigm cradle
title_fullStr Locating the doctoral study in the ‘paradigm skirmishes’: Challenges and prospects for adopting a paradigm cradle
title_full_unstemmed Locating the doctoral study in the ‘paradigm skirmishes’: Challenges and prospects for adopting a paradigm cradle
title_short Locating the doctoral study in the ‘paradigm skirmishes’: Challenges and prospects for adopting a paradigm cradle
title_sort locating the doctoral study in the paradigm skirmishes challenges and prospects for adopting a paradigm cradle
topic Doctoral research
Postgraduate supervision
Research supervision
Guided autonomy
Paradigm
Paradigm contestations
url http://196.255.246.28/index.php/pie/article/view/46
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