I have your words in my head!: A collaborative autoethnography depicting the story of a PhD student’s journey
Location
1052
Format Type
Event
Format Type
Paper
Start Date
January 2018
End Date
January 2018
Abstract
The student-teacher relationship is oftentimes studied in terms of academic gains or impact on student progress. However, at the doctoral level, the student-professor relationship and furthermore, the dissertation committee relationship is even more complex.
In 2001, JP Gee argued that language is tied to people’s experiences in their respective worlds. This idea emerged from what he terms the family of “situated cognitive scholars”. Gee argues that all language carries meaning that goes beyond the verbal representation. These scholars ascribe to Vygotsky’s argument that language is the most important cultural mediator of human scientific growth.
This collaborative autoethnography is situated within these neo-Vygotskyan ideas as it examines how a professor’s words mediate a PhD student’s academic learning and growth as she develops into a qualitative researcher. In keeping with the concept of autoethnography and based on Connelly and Clandinin’s (1990, 2000, 2006) observation, “we all live storied lives”, this study uses re-storied accounts of shared experiences to highlight the doctoral student – professor relationship. Text and images are included to further enrich and illustrate the re-storied narratives.
Data has consisted of both student and professor reflective narratives; these narratives have been themed and coded to highlight shared understandings of their relationship.
Findings have to date pointed to the student’s desire to fit in with the positivistic paradigm although her conflicting ontological and epistemological stance resulted in tensions and conflicts as she developed as a researcher. Implications of this research question the role of the professor in the work of the PhD student.
I have your words in my head!: A collaborative autoethnography depicting the story of a PhD student’s journey
1052
The student-teacher relationship is oftentimes studied in terms of academic gains or impact on student progress. However, at the doctoral level, the student-professor relationship and furthermore, the dissertation committee relationship is even more complex.
In 2001, JP Gee argued that language is tied to people’s experiences in their respective worlds. This idea emerged from what he terms the family of “situated cognitive scholars”. Gee argues that all language carries meaning that goes beyond the verbal representation. These scholars ascribe to Vygotsky’s argument that language is the most important cultural mediator of human scientific growth.
This collaborative autoethnography is situated within these neo-Vygotskyan ideas as it examines how a professor’s words mediate a PhD student’s academic learning and growth as she develops into a qualitative researcher. In keeping with the concept of autoethnography and based on Connelly and Clandinin’s (1990, 2000, 2006) observation, “we all live storied lives”, this study uses re-storied accounts of shared experiences to highlight the doctoral student – professor relationship. Text and images are included to further enrich and illustrate the re-storied narratives.
Data has consisted of both student and professor reflective narratives; these narratives have been themed and coded to highlight shared understandings of their relationship.
Findings have to date pointed to the student’s desire to fit in with the positivistic paradigm although her conflicting ontological and epistemological stance resulted in tensions and conflicts as she developed as a researcher. Implications of this research question the role of the professor in the work of the PhD student.
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Breakout Session F