Dear Ken, and all,

Thank you for your useful reply to my post on the aims of education. Although the three aims I identified in my original post were conceived for general education, I believe they also provide a useful conceptual framework with which to map the inter-concept conflicts within doctoral education. 

Ken, your reply helpfully identified the limitations of transferring the knowledge-individual-society conceptual framework from general education to doctoral education. Furthermore, your reply identified particular intra-concept tensions, for example within knowledge development between creating new knowledge and preserving past knowledge, and within socialization between professional specialization and the need to educate citizens. I think there are good reasons to believe that the individual development aim also applies to doctoral education in design and, furthermore, that there are intra-concept tensions with this aim.

Trafford and Leshem (2009, p. 311) argue that when a doctoral candidate can demonstrate “doctorateness” it indicates they have accumulated learning about the processes that are involved in doctoral-level research, which shows they are thinking like a researcher. Trafford and Leshem (2009, p. 312) argue that until a candidate acquires understanding of “doctorateness” they may experience being stuck, feel self-doubt, or be unable to make progress. Acquiring “doctorateness” is a threshold concept that leads not only to transformed thought but to a transformation of the candidate’s identity into a researcher (also see: Meyer & Land, 2005). As I see it, Trafford and Leshem’s research illustrates the educative aim of individual development in doctoral education.

Hockey and Collinson have published several papers on identity change in doctoral candidates in art and design (Collinson, 2005; Hockey, 2003; Hockey & Allen-Collinson, 2005). Hockey and Collinson describe the sense of shock some students encounter when they enter the domain of research. The candidates may struggle not only with acquiring training in research skills, but also in the shift in their identity as a practitioner and their new identity as a researcher. Hockey and Collinson’s research points to the intra-concept tension within the educative aim of individual development in doctoral education in art and design. Burland et al. (2017) link Hockey and Collinson’s research on practitioner-researcher identity change and the concept of “doctorateness”. 

In my original post I asked whether the aims of doctoral education in design are compatible. This discussion has been useful in testing the knowledge-individual-society conceptual framework. Not only are there inter-concept conflicts between the three aims, there are also intra-concept tensions within each aim. These conflicts and tensions are useful for understanding the debate on doctorates in design.

Regards,
Luke


Burland, K., Spencer, M., & Windsor, L. (2017). Exploring, enhancing and evaluating musical 'doctorateness': perspectives on performance and composition. In F. Nilsson, H. Dunin-Woyseth, & N. Janssens (Eds.), Perspectives on Research Assessment in Architecture and the Arts: Discussing Doctorateness (pp. 114-128). London: Routledge.

Collinson, J. A. (2005). Artistry and analysis: student experiences of UK practice based doctorates in art and design. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 18(6), 713-728. doi:10.1080/09518390500298196

Hockey, J. (2003). Practice-Based Research Degree Students in Art and Design: Identity and Adaptation. International Journal of Art & Design Education, 22(1), 82. 

Hockey, J., & Allen-Collinson, J. (2005). Identity Change: Doctoral students in art and design. Arts and Humanities in Higher Education, 4(1), 77-93. doi:10.1177/1474022205048759

Meyer, J. H. F., & Land, R. (2005). Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge (2): Epistemological considerations and a conceptual framework for teaching and learning. Higher Education, 49(3), 373-388. doi:10.1007/s10734-004-6779-5

Trafford, V., & Leshem, S. (2009). Doctorateness as a threshold concept. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 46(3), 305-316. doi:10.1080/14703290903069027



Luke Feast, Ph.D. | Industrial Design | Senior Lecturer | Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies | Auckland University of Technology | New Zealand | Email [log in to unmask] |


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