Page 22 - Innovative Professional Development Methods and Strategies for STEM Education

The Role of the Professional Doctorate in Developing Professional Practice in STEM Subjects

The concept of a cohort has been integral to the operation and success of the programme (Smith
et al., 2009a; Smith, Walker-Gleaves, Fulton, & Candlish, 2009b; Smith et al., 2011) and each cohort
has come together with core staff from the programme every two months for formal learning sessions.
These sessions have delivered key material on reflective practice, and research methodology. They have
also given the candidates the opportunity to discuss their project work with their peers and to offer each
other support.
Most of the current students are based in the UK, with some students coming from Ireland. All
students meet current admissions requirements; at least an upper second class honours degree, Masters
degree, or equivalent. All students are required to be working within their profession and, through their
job; they must have the opportunity to make a contribution to their profession and to practice.
The programme aims are (Smith et al., 2011):

• Develop students as reflective practitioners to enhance their professional practice and enable them
to innovate, and make informed judgements.
• Develop within students the ability to synthesize ideas, concepts and approaches from their pro-
fession with relevant theoretical frameworks to create solutions, drive change, innovate and make
a difference within their workplace
• Develop within students the ability to select appropriate research approaches from a range of
research methods and to apply these to issues and dilemmas which they encounter in their own
professional practice, and hence by doing so making a contribution to the practice within their
profession
• Provide opportunities for personal fulfilment, professional development and career enhancement.

METHODOLOGY

The authors have undertaken a series of studies of the students of the programme and have reflected
upon their own experiences to date in running the programme (Smith et al., 2009a, 2009b, 2011; Sand-
ers, Kuit, Smith, Fulton, & Curtis, 2011; Sanders, Kuit, Smith, & Fulton, 2012; Fulton, Kuit, Sanders, &
Smith, 2012a; 2012b; Thompson, Smith, & Cooper, 2012). This chapter presents a mixed methods study
incorporating a survey, student focus groups and narrative accounts from tutors and students. The aim
of the study was to explore student and tutor perceptions of the doctoral programme, in order to better
understand student motivation, the impact which the programme has on students, to identify common
themes and to use these themes as a basis for future development. The evaluation framework was based
on the use of mixed methods for expansion; to “increase the scope of inquiry by selecting the methods
most appropriate for multiple inquiry components” (Greene, Caracelli, & Graham, 1989).
For the survey, an online questionnaire was set up and all students on the DProf programme were
asked to complete it. The questions were designed to explore the perceptions and expectations that the
students had of the doctoral programme. In this study, 54% of students choose to complete the survey.
In addition to the questionnaire, four focus group sessions were held with 6-10 students in each group.
These were used to further explore some of the themes which emerged from the questionnaire. Finally,
students and tutors were asked to write narrative accounts of these experiences. The authors analyzed
the data from the survey, the focus groups and the narrative accounts, identifying a number of themes,
using the thematic analysis approach of Fereday & Muir-Cochrane (2008) which recommends a hybrid

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