Research methodology in international education
The deadline for 2012 Doctoral College Studentships has now passed.
The Brighton Doctoral College is pleased to welcome applications from self-funded or externally sponsored students for programmes of research in this or a closely related area, beginning from September 2012. Applications are welcome from students wishing to study full time or part time, and applications are welcome from students in employment who have the support of their employers.
- Based in the Faculty of Education and Sport
- Supervisors: Professor David Stephens; Dr Carol Robinson.
Application deadline
The university cannot guarantee that students can start at their requested date unless deadlines are met.
- UK/EU students: The deadline for the university to receive applications for an entry date of October is the 1 August, for January entry it is the 1 November and for May it is the 1 March.
- International students: The deadline for the university to receive applications for an entry date of October is the 1 June, for January entry it is the 1 September and for May it is the 1 January.
The doctoral fellowship will focus on the development of research methodology in particular qualitative approaches to researching international and comparative education that employ biographical and narrative approaches.
These approaches range from meta-narratives of International Education to micro-narratives and biographies of teachers in the field. The supervisory team are also interested in research approaches that privilege research participant voice. The topic of the fellowship will relate to the candidate’s intellectual area demonstrated at Master’s level, and will contribute to applied research in the field of teacher professional development and understanding of the quality of student experience in formal and non-formal educational settings in diverse cultures and contexts. The topic will link to the ERC research themes ‘Narrative, Voice and Identity’, and ‘International Education and Development’ which contribute to the University Research Themes of ‘Society’ and ‘Culture’. The topic is also linked to the ESRC Research Topics of ‘Culture and Identity’.
Supervisory team and networks
The principal supervisor will be Professor David Stephens, who has a world-leading reputation for his research in international education and the development of narrative approaches to research methodology. He is currently writing two books on ‘Conceptualising Narrative Research: Geographies of Self-hood’, and ‘International Education: A Narrative Approach’, undertaking fieldwork in South Africa. He has wide experience of doctoral completions and examination. The supervision team will include Dr Carol Robinson, a Principal Research Fellow with a high international research rating, whose research expertise lies in student voice and experience in national and international contexts. As the director of the Professional Doctorate (EdD), Carol is very experienced in recruitment, supervision and methodological support for doctoral students.
References
Robinson, C (2010) Learning about journal publication: the pedagogies of editing a ‘special issue’ (with P. Thomson, Byrom and L. Russell) in Publishing pedagogies for the doctorate and beyond. Eds: C. Aitchison, B.Kamler and A Lee, London: Routledge Robinson, C (2010)
Robinson, C (2010) Learners’ voices and the personalisation of learning, in Learning to Teach in the Primary School, second edition, Authur, J., Cremin. T. and Wray, D., London: Routledge
Robinson, C. and Taylor, C. (2007) ‘Theorising Student Voice: Values andnPerspectives’, Improving Schools, Vol. 10, No. 1, pp.5 – 17.
Taylor, C. and Robinson, C. (2009) ‘Student Voice: Theorising Power and Participation’, Pedagogy, Culture and Society, Vol. 17, No. 2, pp.161 – 175
Stephens, D (2013 forthcoming) International Education and Development: A Narrative Approach Routledge: London
Goodson, I. F, Loveless, A., & Stephens, D. (Eds.) (2012) Explorations in Narrative Research. Rotterdam Boston and Taipei: Sense Publishers
Stephens, D (2012) ‘The Role of Culture in interpreting and conducting research’ in Research Methods in Educational Leadership & Management 3rd Edition edited by Ann Briggs et.al.Sage: London
Stephens, D (2009) Qualitative Research in International Settings: A Practical Guide.nRoutledge/Falmer. London.
Stephens, D (ed.) (2009) Higher Education and International Capacity Building: 25 years of Higher Education Links. Symposium Books: Oxford
Stephens, D (2007) Culture in Education and Development: Principles, Practice and Policy. Symposium Books. Oxford
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