Master's Thesis Writing from a Narrative Approach

Abstract

Thesis writing as the final phase in achieving the master's degree has been identified both as a culmination of university studies, providing students with a bridge from the world of study to the world of scholarship, and as a severe problem associated with drop-out, lengthening of the duration of studies and personal anxiety of students. In this article, thesis writing and the problems involved in it are approached from a narrative perspective. The study is based on focused interviews with 72 students from four disciplines at one Finnish university. From students' accounts of their study experiences, four cultural core narratives are constructed: the heroic, tragic, businesslike and penal stories. In each type of story the meaning of thesis writing, the relationship between student and supervisor, and study problems are experienced in an essentially different manner. It is suggested that, in order to improve academic teaching and thesis supervision, it is important to analyse and critically reflect on the kinds of stories students are living by, and how these narratives are sustained in the disciplinary cultures into which they are socialised during their studies.