There are three elements to data collection for student participants in my research into transitions into PTPG studies.  The first is a questionnaire, collecting mainly quantitative data about students who are new to PG studies, their course (and their reasons for selecting it), and their expectations of their course at the very beginning (either during induction or shortly afterwards).  The main purpose of this questionnaire is to facilitate the selection of an interview sample.  It takes 10-15 minutes to complete.

Participants who are selected for interview then take part in two further interviews.  The first interview takes place after completion and submission of the first taught module, but before a grade and feedback have been issued.  The exact timing of this interview will depend on when assessments are submitted, but it is envisaged that these interviews will take place between December 2016 and February 2017.  The second interview takes place after feedback has been received on the second module.  Again, the precise timing of this interview will depend on assignment submission, but it is anticipated that this will be between March and May 2017.  Experience of the pilot programme  and initial interviews suggests that each interview takes approximately 45 minutes.

So, those people who take part are committing a maximum of two hours in total of their lives spread across period of up to nine months.  Because the EdD is a professional doctorate, it will need to deliver both a contribution to knowledge, and a contribution to practice.  As I mentioned in a previous post, the contribution to practice will be to identify ways and interventions to better support new students into and through PTPG studies.  This will help to optimise successful outcomes and minimise stress for future PTPGstudents.

In the immortal words of Eddie Reader (question for self: should I own up to knowing the words of a Fairground Attraction hit?), “it’s got to be worth it”………