Generalizations 7# Maksimovic, T., & Kobayashi, S. (2018)

At the current stage this project is about finding statistical generalizations in qualitative, danish educational research. That is to check my assumption that there is a tendency to make statistical generalizations on the basis of observations which cannot support such generalizations.

I will be posting excerpts from all those studies which to me seem problematic. This post is part of that and this is a link to the first post in the line.

Maksimovic, T., & Kobayashi, S. (2018)

Reference:

Maksimovic, T., & Kobayashi, S. (2018). Experiences of International PhD Students in Denmark as Quest Stories. Dansk Universitetspædagogisk Tidsskrift, 13(24), 69–81. https://doi.org/10.7146/dut.v13i24.96987

Abstract:

This article explores how the metaphor of quest can be used to conceptualise PhD experience and be employed in PhD supervision practice. As part of a small-scale study of the PhD experience of international students in Denmark, whose numbers have significantly increased in recent years, we conducted narrative interviews with nine doctoral students. They were asked to select and describe up to five photo-graphs that represent what they will remember about their PhDs. These narratives were first analysed inductively and then deductively organised using the quest met-aphor. The findings indicate that the quest metaphor can capture the complexity of the PhD experience and provide a starting point for discussion. However, it also presents certain limitations, so one direction for future studies might be to com-bine ‘quest’ with other metaphors.

 

Testable hypothesis?:

No: "...which leads us to the aim of this study – to explore how the quest metaphor can be used as a means to grasp the complexity of the experiences of international PhD students in Denmark." s71

 

Method/materials:

"The  criteria  used  to  select  participants  for  the  broader  study  were  that  they  were  international  (arrived in Denmark to study), that they were close to finishing their studies, and that they were willing to participate in interviews over the planned period (12-15 months). The total number of participants (nine  for  the  whole  of  the  study)  was  limited  because  of  the  in-depth  qualitative nature of the project and its narrative approach" s71

"The  interviews  were  conducted  during  the  final  – sixth –    semester  of  the  participants’  three-year-long  doctoral  studies.  As  part  of  our  narrative  approach,  one  segment  of  the  interview  in-cluded  participant’s  descriptions  of  photographs.  We  used  a  version  of  the  photo  elicitation  method  (Elliot,  Reid,  &  Baumfield,  2016),  in  order  to  vary  the  prompts  used  and  allow  the  stu-dents  to  reflect  on  the  material  they  had  themselves  chosen  in  advance.  They  were  asked  to  select 3-5 photographs, either created by them or others, that capture what they will remember their PhD by" s71

 

Statistical generalizations:

1) "We  believe  that  the  ‘quest’  metaphor  offers  an  interesting  way  to  conceptualise  the  experience  of  doctoral  students  and  that, with some limitations, it can be a useful tool in PhD supervision practice. Its elements pro-vide  a  structured,  yet  sufficiently  open  framework  within  which  to  view  the  story  of  a  doctoral education.  This  story  can  be  told  either  by  the  student  or  by  the  supervisor  and  help  both  gain  insight into the other one’s expectations from the process. In the case of international PhD stu-dents the category of ‘helpers’ can be particularly informative. However, any individual student’s story  of  their  PhD  ‘quest’  is  likely  to  change  at  different  points  of  the  studies  and  this  aspect  needs  to  be  taken  into  account. " s80

Comments:

I have flagged this study for generalizations of type 4 and 5 (see typology).

This is probably one of the most careful formulations i have encountered, to the point where it becomes detached from the study. The words "We believe..." do not require research to precede them. Nor does the half-sentence "... it can be a useful tool in PhD supervision practice.". In fact the wording seems to imply that no real knowledge was created. Therefore i include this as a case in this project. It can be considered one of two things. Either it is a conclusion that generalizes, although vaguely, the results of the study, or it is a conclusion that undermines the whole study.