PhD Students’ Perceptions of Research Seminars in Doctoral Education: A Case Study

Figures & data

Table 1. Examples of Themes, Sub-themes, and Participants’ Narratives

Theme	Sub-theme	Example of narratives	Participant
Positive Perceptions of Research Seminars in Doctoral Education	Space for constructive advice	It is a platform to receive constructive suggestions through feedback which enhances and improves the quality of the student’s thesis. Seminars should help to advance scholarship	P4
	Space for varied views	Seminars enable students to get varied feedback which could enhance their research and theses.	P11
Negative Perceptions of Research Seminars in Doctoral Education	Space for discrediting students’ work	PhD seminar is an invitation for lecturers to criticize the work of students.	P9
	A Space for ‘Muffling’ Students’ Voices	The whole seminar process is set up as a time to critique the work of an amateur and a novice researcher and where their (students) voices are not recognized	P7
Students’ Perceptions of the Usefulness of Research Seminars in their Learning	Research and thesis writing	They have impacted my work positively. Seminars have enabled me refine, fine tune and change ideas and objectives and sometimes overhaul completely some unsuitable methods and approaches. For example the topic for my study was changed severally to provide a better focus.	P1
	Presentation skills	Generally they have been helpful with regard to my presentation skills. I now know how to organize my presentations properly and also how to connect with the audience when presenting	P5
	Confidence	Through the seminars, I have gained confidence to advance my academic position as a doctoral student. I am able to articulate my views because I know that some faculty members may support my ideas.	P8