Reflective Practice Adopting a Foucauldian Lens

Elizabeth Nassem

A version of this article is published in: G. Hill and S. Vaughan (eds.) (2019) Ten ways to investigate your research supervision practice. SEDA Special 43, July. London: SEDA, pp. 15-16.

Introduction

This chapter will discuss how I established a thesis mentoring program to provide an additional layer of support for research students. My development of this program adopted a Focauldian perspective. I will discuss the Provenance of the thesis mentoring, how I investigated this aspect of my research supervision practice, and how it improved my supervision skills.

Provenance

My doctoral inquiry used a Foucauldian lens to examine where bullying exist in children’s everyday experiences of school (Nassem, 2012). My exposure to supervision was through my candidature of this research degree. Throughout my doctoral inquiry, I employed reflective practice (Schon, 1983) that involved my reflecting on my own motivations for researching bullying and children’s experiences of bullying. Following my doctoral conferral and concurrent with starting to supervise research students, I undertook a practitioner inquiry on establishing a thesis mentoring program to compliment a student’s research supervision.

Investigating my thesis mentoring

The thesis mentoring program I explored was based on a program devised by Dr Kay Guccione (University of Sheffield). My program involved one hour sessions on a weekly basis about specific topics such as techniques with writing and conversations about theory, followed by a one hour open forum to support students with their specific questions. The conversation between students created open dialogue around issues relating to writing a thesis. Providing the infrastructure supported students to talk about their writing and helped them to develop the appropriate skills and exercise their voice.

As with my doctoral inquiry, I adopted reflective practice to reviewing my practice, using Schon’s (1983) approach to both reflecting on action, and in action. The discussions with students helped me to reflect upon my supervision practices and learn more about the particular areas for which students required support. Students were encouraged to exercise their power by sharing what they needed to know the most about, such as developing a theoretical perspective and analysing data in-depth. This modelled collaborative teaching, a contrast to the traditional forms of teacher-student dialogue that can restrict the learning and development of both students and teachers. Consequently, the students and I exercised our power productively where we resisted traditional forms of teacher-student dialogue which may restrict the learning and development of teachers and students. Students were provided with opportunities to ask any questions relating to the doctorate studies and I provide them with detailed and supportive answers.

I adopted Brookfield’s (1998) four lens framework inviting reviewing my practice from:

  1. My autobiography as a learner;
  2. The lens of learners;
  3. The lens of colleagues; and
  4. The theoretical and philosophical lens of research literature.

Thesis mentoring particularly focuses on the learner lens.The lens of colleagues was provided by my engaging in a community of practice around research supervision that drew my attention to the ways in which supervisors supported their students. These insights prompted me to adopt a Foucauldian (1979, 1980) lens to thesis mentoring and explore power relations in research supervision, which drew my attention to the ways in which conforming to standards and regulations operates as a disciplinary power. I helped students resist this power of ‘accepted’ discourses through gaining knowledge about them. ;I explored strategies for empowering the students and helping them exercise their power through dialogue rather than traditional teaching. The power may be enforced through the assessment of their work and normalisation where they are expected to conform to norms of what a thesis should look like. On the other hand, there are expectations to make an original contribution to knowledge. By providing students with guidance on what standards are expected and helping them learn how to fulfil the requirements whilst also teaching them how they can conduct original and rigorous research, I helped them resist disciplinary power and exercise their power productively.

Findings

Powers of normalisation can rank and divide students and operate alongside supervision where those who do not meet the standard requirements expected of them can be marginalised and perceived as aberrant However, some students supported each other with advice and feedback which broke down traditional power relations commonplace in academia. They resisted the disciplinary power that operated over them by engaging in open and reflective dialogue with their peers and mentor. This collective dialogue enabled students to enhance their knowledge as they articulated their ideas and developed their research. My experiments with power showed me how to break down traditional hierarchies between supervisors and students, by empowering students with additional knowledge, guidance and support.

Through the thesis mentoring, students who were having difficulties were provided with support and advice on how to progress rather than feeling segregated from their research community. This is particularly prevalent for the cohort of students who research Education at Birmingham City University; often females from working-class backgrounds, many of whom are mature students who do not resemble the typical white-middle class knowledge base from which disciplinary power traditionally operates. Students reported that they felt the sessions were helpful and motivating, and felt supported to develop their doctoral studies. The relationships, communication and shared understanding developed between the students and myself. I am more aware of the different ways different students may require support based on their own prior learning and educational background.

The thesis mentoring program helped me realise the benefits of having in-depth conversations and communication with students to learn their strengths and particular areas they need more guidance with. I have become aware of how students’ needs and growth can change across the journey of studying their doctorate and can recognise when to adjust the support based on this Thesis mentoring has shown me how having regular contact with students to support their progress and working collaboratively with students can help them more fully achieve their potential without this being a threat to their formal supervision.

I have learnt about the common issues students typically want support with in issues such as when it is appropriate to write in the first person, and how a thesis ties together, for example, what content should go in what chapter. I assumed that students had more knowledge of these areas than they did, so I now discuss these important areas with students. I have recognised how to support the different skills and abilities of research students.