Faculty mentor insights on dissertation literature reviews: Critical components and professional practices for scholarship.

摘要

This qualitative study utilized transcendental phenomenology to explore how PhD faculty mentors guide their doctoral research mentees in the development of their conceptual and theoretical frameworks for dissertation study. The mentoring relationship was framed as a social-cognitive apprenticeship, and a dissertation-writing journey. The method of sending email interview questionnaires was utilized with twelve PhD faculty participants, whose insights were sought on subtopics such as how they help their mentees with development of research questions, selection of relevant literature, the state of doctoral studies with online programs, and globalization of doctoral studies. The conceptual frame highlighted components of literature reviewing for finding a paradigm lens, theoretical frame, and philosophical views in literature that can be appropriate for one's literature review and building of an interpretive strategy. Four inferences were made by the researcher from the findings in support of the study's framework: a) that the iterative work of reviewing literature for a PhD dissertation results in a transformation of perspective from practitioner-scholar to scholar-practitioner; b) that the research and writing of the dissertation is a transcendental phenomenon which results in deeper critical thinking and scholarship practices; c) that the PhD mentoring relationship with the researcher is a social-cognitive apprenticeship; and d) that the dissertation-writing journey is inclusive of transformation of perspective, transcendental phenomenon, and social-cognitive apprenticeship.