Report R2.22 Options and Choices in the Doctoral Research Process Seminar Leader: Jaydeep Mukherjee jmukherjee[at]mdi.ac.in The decision of an individual to take up doctoral studies is the result of the complex interplay of a number of factors. Some of the most commonly cited reasons include: * The desire to be recognized for one’s original contribution to a field * The aspiration to belong to a community of scholars working in a particular field * The desire to have a wider array of career options as a result of the doctoral qualification * The desire to engage in a profession with reasonable degree of operational freedom (typically academic careers) Some find the day-to-day drudgery of work overbearing and believe that an exploration of the frontiers of new ideas can stimulate them. Others view doctoral research as a way of resolving a perceived inconsistency between their theoretical understanding and practical experience. Often doctoral studies act as a device for managing anxiety caused by various situations and events. It was pointed out that such drivers of one’s decision might not easily be evident even to oneself. Personal and group interaction with others including one’s guide can help in recognizing these. The choice of a guide most often depends on a good match of the expectations that the potential researcher and the guide has of each other. Varied practices of research guidance exist. It was pointed out that the possibility of the guide’s biasing influence on the researcher’s work couldn’t be discounted. Often, there is the need for a balance between constant guidance and creative non-interference so that the scholar develops critical skills such as those associated with choosing a research problem. The program often proceeds in cycles of intense and moderate activity. Apart from one’s principal guide, there is the need for good sounding boards to sharpen one’s ideas. In this context, the impact of specific research programs that follow specialized research traditions and practices was discussed. These tend to serve the above purpose by nurturing the researchers and enabling them to place themselves in a supportive community. In such situations, research stages such as problem selection and definition tend to be completed comparatively faster. The rigours of a structured doctoral programme tend to impose a certain extent of discipline on the researcher by setting restrictions. This facilitates better control of the research process especially in the initial stages such as the pinpointing of a researchable problem without drifting unrestrainedly. On the other hand, institutional pressure to meet deadlines might also lead to compromises on the part of the researcher. Reported by Jacob D. Vakkayil, with inputs from Jaydeep Mukherjee. Copyleft Xavier Institute of Management, Xavier Square, Bhubaneswar 751013, India Research World (ISSN 0974-2379) http://www1.ximb.ac.in/RW.nsf/pages/Home |
