The PhD and apprenticeship

A decade ago, two PhD students from Aceh province in Indonesia wrote and presented a paper on their PhD 'apprenticeship' process (Habiburrahim et al., 2012) which I find very interesting.

Using self-narrative as their method, they formalised and flowcharted what they found to be their learning process. Shown accompanying this post (Figure 1: The PhD Learning Journey Model; based on Callaghan, 2009; Habiburrahim et al., 2012, p. 74), the model charts their process: from their beginning in the Australian academic higher degree by research (HDR) programme; to their journey to PhD completion. Along the way, the model shows the importance of PhD supervision with a 'master' and the dialogue around questioning, joint-discovery, and information sharing; concluding with the graduate outcomes of knowledge-creation, critical reflexivity and research.

The model Habibarrahim et al. (2012) formalised draws upon the foreword to a text on what comes after the doctorate (Callaghan, 2009). This discusses the learning process, talking about the "humility in learning", "being vulnerable and open" and the "benefit of the master’s experience being challenged by the apprentice’s fearless questioning" (p. iii). As PhD students we need to learn to be fearless so we can make our original contribution to knowledge; our SOCK (Brabazon, 2018).

It is fascinating to read these two international student views on being fearless: they come from "a culture where teachers are highly respected and students obey their teachers. To say ‘no’ to our teachers is considered rude" (p. 77). Yet they are undertaking HDR education in Australia which "is student-centred with students encouraged to engage in independent learning, to question, criticise, and [to] develop critical thinking" (Habiburrahim et al., 2012, p. 73). What is also very interesting is that these PhD students are teachers in Aceh: they are respected where they come from; they have entered a process where they go back to the beginning, becoming 'children' - apprentices - again in order to make their contribution.

I like the model they have formalised from the work of Callaghan (2009; Habiburrahim et al., 2012). While it could be better graphically designed (for example, showing that supervision begins at candidature not just at the 'conducting research' phase being the main failing), it highlights a relevant aspect of the PhD: that it is a journeyman piece. This is the mahi we do to meet our entrance into an elite club: that of becoming/being accepted as an academic researcher.

We return to our childhood to discover our own mastery.

Sam

References:

Brabazon. T. (2 June 2018). Vlog 115 - SOCK (Significant original contribution to knowledge!) [video]. Office of Graduate Research Flinders University. https://youtu.be/7QnSIE5msx8

Callaghan, P. T. (2009). Foreword. In C. Denholm & T. Evans (Eds.), Beyond doctorates downunder: Maximizing the impact of your doctorate from Australia and New Zealand (pp. iii-iv). ACER Press.

Habiburrahim, H., Fadliadi, F., & Bartholomaeus, P. (2012). Our unique journey in pursuit of a PhD. In the 10th Quality in Postgraduate Research Conference: Narratives of Transition - Perspectives of Research Leaders, Educators and Postgraduates, 17-19 April 2012, Australian National University Centre for Higher Education and Teaching, Adelaide Australia.