From Life-Vests to Catalysts: Collaboration as the Key to Becoming Researchers

Authors

Ingunn Skjesol Ph.D., Faculty of Nursing and Health Science, Division of Public Health and Community Participation, Nord University, Bodø, NorwayFollow
Krisitn B. Ørjasæter Ph.D., Faculty of Nursing and Health Science, Division of Public Health and Community Participation, Nord University, Bodø, NorwayFollow

Abstract

Ph.D. students report that doctoral work is challenging, with tight deadlines and extensive individual demands. In our duoethnography we reflect on and interrogate how collaborating in a structured way supported the development of our research competence during our doctoral work. Our analysis draws on a range of data: emails, Outlook calendars, work notes, manuscripts with reviewing comments, audio recordings of workshops, memories and research diaries. This article presents two concepts: (1) the phasing of doctoral work, showing our journey from life-vests to catalysts, and (2) a structured model for collaboration, built on shared engagement and mutual commitment. Further it argues that there is an unrealised potential in peer collaboration in doctoral work, suggesting the benefit of establishing systematic approaches to collaboration as an integral part of doctoral training. This article contributes to the theoretical development of the pedagogical field of research education and seeks to inspire other Ph.D. students as well as academics and leaders within higher education that are interested in jointly developing research competence.

Keywords

communities of practice; peer learning; peer support; doctoral work; research education; duoethnography

Author Bio(s)

Ingunn Skjesol is an Associate Professor in Social Science at the Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences, Nord University, where she also serves as the Head of the Health and Community Division. Her research and teaching focus on low-threshold services that support families, interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation in health and welfare services, service-user involvement, social inequality, and collective learning processes. She emphasizes the importance of research informing practice and has worked with municipalities across Norway as well as nationally and internationally. Please direct correspondence to ingunn.skjesol@nord.no

Kristin Berre Ørjasæter is an Associate Professor in Mental Health at the Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences, Nord University, where she also serves as the Head of the Mental Health Research Group. Her research and teaching focus on qualitative research methods, mental health recovery, citizenship, arts and health, and youth work. In recent years, Ørjasæter has successfully secured several research grants related to recovery narratives, social preparedness for youth, and medication safety.

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the contributions of Professor Jonathan Tritter, who inspired us to systematically record our sessions. Without your patience to read and re-read manuscripts contributing with insightful comments and edits this work would have never been published.

Publication Date

7-13-2025

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2025.7188

Recommended APA Citation

Skjesol, I., & Ørjasæter, K. B. (2025). From life-vests to catalysts: Collaboration as the key to becoming researchers. The Qualitative Report, 30(6), 3845-3868. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2025.7188

ORCID ID

orcid.org/0000-0003-4989-2233