UV9920V4 – Dissertation Research and Writing for Doctoral Students in the Educational Sciences
Course description
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
The course is offered in collaboration with the research group “Curriculum Studies, Leadership and Educational Governance” (CLEG). The course is funded by the Research Council of Norway (UTNAM programme).
Responsible: Gita Steiner-Khamsi, Teachers College, Columbia University, and Professor II, University of Oslo, and Berit Karseth.
The course is meant for doctoral students who are currently working on their dissertation research. It guides doctoral students through the various stages of a dissertation by discussing, step by step, the five aspects/parts of a (dissertation) research project:
- formulating research questions and relevance of research
- preparing a literature review and choosing an interpretive framework that matches the research question
- designing the research methods section, including decisions on data sampling, collection and analysis methods
- presenting findings (both in qualitative and quantitative research) in an interesting manner
- drawing conclusions, identifying own contribution to research, and defining agenda for further research
We will discuss both examples that Professor Gita Steiner-Khamsi will bring to the course as well as work in progress of the participating students.
Doctoral students at all stages of the dissertation, including at the very beginning or the very end of the process, are invited to participate.
Admission
PhD candidates at the Faculty of Educational Sciences will be given priority, but it is also possible for others to apply for the course. Applicants must have at least a Master's degree.
Candidates admitted to the PhD Programme at the Faculty of Educational Sciences should apply through Studentweb
Other applicants may apply using this application form
Registration deadline: April 15, 2020.
Teaching
The research seminar consists of 4 sessions, held over Zoom.
Dates: May 4, 11, 18, 25, 2020 (11 a.m. - 1 p.m.)
You will find the schedule and literature on the semester webpage for this course.
Work format: Seminar
The seminar itself lasts 2 hours on each Monday in the month of May. In addition, Professor Gita Steiner-Khamsi will meet with each participating student (30 minutes) over Zoom to discuss the student’s work in progress and provide detailed feedback on the student’s dissertation research. Additional sessions may be scheduled upon request.
In advance, each doctoral student submits a 2-page dissertation outline in which the dissertation topic and methodology are briefly explained. The descriptions should be submitted no later than April 24, 2020. Students who have already submitted the 2-page summary do not need to resubmit the summary unless they have made changes to the dissertation topic or methodology.
Students are also welcome to submit additional material (concept, literature review, notes; 5000 - 6000 words) related to the dissertation for which they will receive feedback.
Active participation in class is required, but no additional paper needs to be written after the class (unless doctoral students wish to receive feedback after the course). 80% attendance is required.
The 2-page dissertation outline and the preliminary work on the dissertation should be submitted in Canvas.