How do we make sense of the process of legitimising an educational action research thesis for the award of a PhD degree? a contribution to educational theory

Abstract

The authors have worked together in different ways in relation to an educational action research PhD – ‘Action planning and assessment in guidance contexts: how do I understand and support these processes whilst working with colleagues in Further Education Colleges and a Careers Service?’ (Hughes, 1996). In this article they intend to share their own learning arising from the process of legitimating an educational action research thesis. Hughes indicates how examiners' judgements made in relation to her PhD thesis assisted her in gaining a greater understanding of: the process of judging and the importance of developing appropriate standards of judgement in relation to action enquiries such as her own; the ways in which such enquiries may be supported and the contribution her research makes. Denley outlines what he learnt in his supervision of Hughes’s action research programme about the difficulties of ensuring a high level of technical competence, whilst encouraging the originality of the researcher in creating her own description and explanation of her own educational development. He also examines his response to the examiners' rejection of the initial submission. Whitehead outlines what he learnt about the creation of living educational theories, about the inclusion of ‘I’ in claims to educational knowledge and about the politics of educational knowledge in responding to Hughes’s request for support in a resubmission