The Thesis and the Viva: Supporting students during the writing up phase Dr Dorothy Faulkner

Session structure Activity 1: Identifying key challenges for students writing up Institutional requirements and guidelines Activity 2: Characteristics of a well written thesis Video – advice on supporting academic writing Discussion: Supporting the writing process – what are your responsibilities Activity 3: Helping with students’ viva concerns (if time)

Activity 1 – Key challenges during writing up In groups or pairs – drawing on your own experience either as a supervisor or writing your own thesis, identify two or three key challenges that research degree students face during the writing up phase (3 – 5 minutes) Round table feedback and discussion (10 mins)

OU Institutional criteria for doctoral awards Discuss these with your student – they need to know what they are aiming for PhD – the thesis must: be of good presentation and style show evidence of being a significant contribution to knowledge demonstrate student’s capacity to pursue further research without supervision contain a significant amount of material worthy of publication. EdD – the thesis must show evidence of: good style and presentation demonstrate reflection on the relationship between theory and practice in education make a significant contribution to the theory and practice of education, show an ability to select and apply appropriate research methods, exhibit a high level of critical analysis

Characteristics of a well-written thesis Working in 2/3 groups – on the flipchart paper capture all the characteristics of good academic writing that you can think of (5 minute) Groups feed back & discussions (5 mins each)

What experienced examiners look for Choice of examiners is important – experienced examiners will take an holistic view of the candidate and the thesis Evidence of potential to be an independent researcher Evidence of a repertoire of technical, intellectual and personal skills necessary to identify and tackle research problems Good presentation and style An original or creative approach to the topic Clarity and signposting in relation to the structure of the argument A coherent account of the theoretical and methodological perspectives A strong narrative Evidence of critical self-assessment by the student

Experienced examiners expect a thesis to pass and see the viva as formative! Questions they have in mind How would they have tackled the problem set out in the abstract & title? What questions would they like answers to? Do the conclusions follow on from the introduction? How well does candidate explain what s/he is doing? Bibliography – comprehensive & current? Are the results worthwhile? How much work has actually been done? Intellectual depth & rigour? Is this actually research – is there an argument?

Novice Examiners Are more concerned with the summative dimension Pay more attention to institutional guidelines Tend to be uncertain about benchmarking/boundaries of good versus poor theses Have less supervisory experience and tend to draw on their own experience

First impressions count Examiners decide very early on in the assessment process whether a thesis is likely to be hard work or enjoyable The initial impression of quality is usually formed by the end of the second or third chapter (and sometimes after a couple of paragraphs, Lovitts, 2009) Across all disciplines the most common descriptor of a poor thesis is ‘Sloppiness’ (at all levels)

Benchmarks of good & poor theses Outstanding Elegant design, synthesis and execution of the research Very well written and organized Exhibits command and authority over the material Has strong, confident, independent voice Argument is focused, logical and rigorous Uses new tools, methods, and/or analyses Conclusion ties whole thing together Conclusion mirrors Introduction Excellent citation & referencing Lack of coherence Lack of theoretical understanding Lack of confidence/defensiveness Researches an inappropriate problem Mixed/confused theoretical and methodological perspectives Not able to explain at the end of thesis what had actually been argued in the thesis Poor citation & referencing

Supporting students academic writing Supporting the development of academic writing from Unit 5 – Supervising Doctoral Studies online courses: http://www.open.ac.uk/students/research/programmes/supervising-doctoral-studies See also ‘The Good Doctorate’ video – you might like to discuss discuss this with your students http://www.open.ac.uk/students/research/content/good-doctorate See also handout with references and helpful websites

Resources and websites Supervising Doctoral Studies online courses: Managing progress and Expectations and preparing for examination http://apd.open.ac.uk/content/supervising-doctoral-studies-online-course Examination Regulations in the Forms and Guidance section of the Graduate School Network http://www.open.ac.uk/students/research/ Online doctoral training section of the Graduate School Networkhttp://www.open.ac.uk/students/research/content/online-doctoral-training OU Library http://www.open.ac.uk/library/services/researchers http://www.open.ac.uk/library/help-and-support/referencing-and-plagiarism Vitae for Supervisors – you can access this useful site and resources through the Supervisor pages on the Graduate School Network http://www.open.ac.uk/students/research/services/supervisors

Students expectations and concerns Thinking back to your own viva, discuss with the person next to you: Any negative anticipations and feelings you had before your viva – where these came from or what informed these. Wellington’s (2010) research Negative anticipations & feelings: Fears about the outcomes – fear of failure Worries about themselves before, after or during the viva (mind going blank, not being able to respond to questions, not being able to express oneself eloquently, difficulties caused by language barriers – international students). Apprehensions relating to the examiners, their questions and comments Anxieties about post viva felings

Negative feelings – Some OU supervisors’ viva experiences Anxiety about the process; no idea what to expect; viva a completely unknown experience Anxiety about differences of opinion between examiners Anxiety that examiners’ views on the thesis might be radically different to those of the supervisors’ Lack of understanding/information about the process, particularly amongst supervisors who were part-time doctoral students Fear of experiencing personal rejection: Given the intellectual and personal investment in the research and thesis, it is a fear of rejection at all levels Anxiety about personal ‘performance’, not being able to answer the examiners’ questions and also not knowing which areas of the research they will focus on Fear of failing completely – not knowing whether the work is good enough Fear that the work is not good enough and that they will finally be ‘found out’ – imposter syndrome Uncertainty about the time scales involved [for corrections] and hearing ‘horror stories’ about the process and its aftermath from peers and colleagues.

What we sometimes forget! The thesis is only one of the formal elements of the MPhil/PhD/EdD examination Defending the thesis and ‘passing’ the Viva is the second.

Understanding how vivas are conducted Its not an interrogation! What you can do to help Discuss the selection of examiners Read the penultimate draft as if you were the examiner – check 1st & last chapter for coherence; Explain what examiners are looking for & identify questions & areas that requiring a robust defense A good explanation of things that didn’t work demonstrates progression and learning Explain the viva examination process; Coach your student and encourage them to rehearse answers to likely questions. Arrange a mock viva

Skills – preparing students for academic verbal exchange Skills – preparing students for academic verbal exchange. Supervisors can: Facilitate access to appropriate academic research cultures by encouraging students to: Attend conferences Attend internal and external seminars Give presentations Model appropriate forms of academic verbal exchange during supervisions - your questions should encourage students to defend their research!

Knowing and navigating the content What students can do: Re-read the thesis before the viva Prepare a ‘road map’ of the thesis (one page summary of each chapter, prepare a concept map relating key arguments to chapters and chapter sections etc.) Write a one page summary of the key arguments, findings and conclusions. Ask themselves (and rehearse) long, medium & short answers to the questions such as: What is its central argument/finding? What contribution does it make? How does the research approach and/research findings differ from those of other key players in the field? Where could you go from here? What are the key strengths and weaknesses? What might have been done differently? A mock viva can be a useful dress rehearsal.

Vitae Viva Preparation checklist I know my thesis thoroughly I have written a one-page summary of each chapter I have continued to work with my thesis after submission or have begun to prepare a conference paper or publication I am able to explain how my thesis fits into the big picture I have kept up to date with relevant literature I know what the implications of my research are to both theory and practice I have had a mock viva with my main supervisor I have asked my peers to quiz and challenge me about my thesis I have explained my thesis to friends and family who are not familiar with it I have investigated the backgrounds and publications of my examiners I have looked at my institution's guidelines for vivas I have produced a list of likely questions I have identified areas of my thesis that are likely to be challenged I have marked up my thesis to help me refer to it in the viva.