Transdisciplinary qualities in practice doctorates

ABSTRACT

Doctoral programmes in which candidates research their own practice can be characterised as having transdisciplinary (TD) qualities. While most of the emphasis in the literature and in policy on TD is on research in teams, we argue for an expansion of the scope in the conception and understanding of TD research to include the way it can be articulated and assessed in practice-led and practice-based doctorates. In this sense, it is worth exploring instances of doctoral programmes that potentially allow doctoral researchers to undertake projects that have TD qualities. In these doctoral projects, researchers draw from a variety of perspectives, for example from their work practices, the theorisation of those practices, experiential learning, multiple disciplinary knowledge and approaches as well as communications and networking with appropriate stakeholders. Drawing from previous scholarship of TD in other fields we analyse and evaluate the TD qualities of a particular doctoral programme. This analysis reveals a set of qualities recognised by the literature as TD and relevant to doctoral researchers: Researching collaboratively with stakeholders; Diversity of disciplinary expertise and assessment criteria; Integration of different methodologies; Situating the research in multiple contexts; Impact on the ‘situation’ through novel procedures or products; Ethics and the importance of trust; Reflection/reflexivity. The paper posits a convergence between practice doctorates and TD research and demonstrates how TD qualities help doctoral candidates to situate their research at the interface between academia and their professional work and develop projects that have creative and beneficial relevance for practice.

KEYWORDS:

• Practice-based doctorate
• transdisciplinarity
• doctoral research
• curriculum design

Notes on contributors

Carol Costley is a Professor of Work Based Learning (WBL) and Director of the Work and Learning Research Centre at Middlesex University. She has a particular interest in Professional Doctorates and has written about the development of Work Based Learning as a field of study, especially multi and trans-disciplinarity, diversity, pedagogy, ethics and practitioner-researcher issues. She works internationally as a researcher and in the development of WBL and doctorates.

Nicola Pizzolato is a Senior Lecturer in Work Based Learning at Middlesex University. He has published in the history of Labor and Employment Relations, Critical pedagogy, and Professional Doctorate. He is the author of Challenging Global Capitalism (2003) and the co-editor of Antonio Gramsci: A Pedagogy to Change the World (2017).

Notes

1 See https://docs.google.com/document/d/156PeKmVzvJ4CU6wP8QslW7eQdxAmbgIoWeXv5-4MSAo/pub for an indication of the range of titles and approaches undertaken in DProf projects.