ERIC Number: EJ1221805
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1056-3997
EISSN: N/A
Changing the Doctoral Student-Dissertation Chair Relationship through the Article Dissertation Format
Ferrell, Elizabeth W.; Ensminger, David; Coleman, Elizabeth
Mid-Western Educational Researcher, v31 n2 p166-185 2019
In this article, we contribute to dialogue about the capstone for most doctoral programs: the dissertation. More specifically, we explore the mentorship between doctoral student and chair and assert that using a nontraditional dissertation format affords more fulfilling relationships for the mentee and mentor. Having recently completed three-article dissertations, we aim to further the discussion of doctoral capstone formats based on our experiences through autoethnographic methods and rooted in a relational mentorship framework (Ragins, 2012). We believe that the article dissertation format provided a vehicle for disrupting the typical power structure between dissertation chair and doctoral student by positioning the student as an expert writing for publication and the chair as a coach, learner, and peer-reviewer. Through sharing our co-constructed and personal narratives, we challenge readers to think about the dissertation format and its role in the critical mentoring relationship between doctoral student and dissertation chair.
Descriptors: Doctoral Programs, Graduate Students, Doctoral Dissertations, Power Structure, Department Heads, Writing for Publication, Role, Mentors
Mid-Western Educational Research Association. PO Box 702, Athens, OH 45701. Tel: 740-593-0880; e-mail: mwera.ed@gmail.com; e-mail: mwer1316@gmail.com; Web site: http://www.mwera.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A