Past Event

Writing and Doctoral Supervision 

Dr. Anthony Paré  http://www.mcgill.ca/edu-dise/about/academicstaff/pare/ [Link removed 29 April, 2015]
Professor (Integrated Studies in Education)
(McGill University)

Although writing development has been widely studied in undergraduate education, writing development in doctoral education has remained largely under examined. Increasingly, though, as knowledge moves center stage in all sectors of society, doctoral education has been declared a vital infrastructure issue by governments around the world. At the same time, trends toward growing competitiveness in higher education have added more pressure on doctoral students and their supervisors for timely degree completion and a strong early publication record.

These trends raise new questions about writing development in doctoral education. For example, what writing demands and pressures do doctoral students and supervisors identify? How do they solve the writing problems they experience? What effect does the supervisory relationship have on success? Are supervisors and students given the institutional support they need?

Drawing on survey data, interviews, and transcripts of supervisory meetings, this presentation considers the challenges supervisors and students face during the dissertation writing process, and examines as well as some of the successful strategies they develop.

About the Presenter

Anthony Paré is a professor in the Department of Integrated Studies in Education, McGill University. His research examines academic and workplace writing, situated learning, school-to-work transitions, and the development of professional literacies. He teaches graduate courses in literacy, discourse theory, response to literature, and writing (theory, research, and practice). His publications include books, chapters, and articles on topics related to the study and practice of academic and professional communication.