Postgraduate Science Research Articles

Postgraduate students’ perceptions of the 360-degree approach to feedback

A study was conducted on postgraduate health science education students’ participation in a 360-degree feedback exercise, in which students received comment from the lecturer as assessor, a peer and a writing centre consultant. Students found the experience of receiving feedback from multiple sources useful. The kinds of feedback they described were analysed within the categories: lessons learnt; interaction; and the affective domain. Many of the key trends in the literature on feedback were affirmed. However, several prevailing assumptions, for example that academics do not comment on language or the use of writing conventions, were called into question by the study. The key differences between the three different sources of feedback were found to be the forms of interaction, and what these different ways of communicating and interacting made possible with regard to student learning. Recommendations for further study regarding feedback and the collaboration between disciplinary specialists and writing centre consultants are made.

Delivering education about sexual violence: reflections on the experience of teaching a sensitive topic in the social and health sciences

Sexual violence is a serious and prevalent violation that is experienced by as many as one in three people worldwide. Professionals working in areas of health, social work, law, policy-development and other fields engage with survivors of sexual violence. Their knowledge of this issue is an important determinant in how they react towards survivors and the quality of care they provide. It is essential that third-level students in the health and social sciences receive education on this topic; however, in Irish third-level education, instruction about sexual violence is often absent or minimal within these curricula. In this article the authors advocate for the inclusion of education about sexual violence within undergraduate and postgraduate social and health science programmes. They draw from their experience teaching about sexual violence in Irish third-level education to highlight the challenges and barriers in providing such instruction and provide practical pedagogical approaches and examples of how risks for students and lecturers can be mitigated and barriers reduced.

Examining the Reference Management Practices of Humanities and Social Science Postgraduate Students and Academics

An examination of Library and Information Studies literature about scholarly communication reveals that less attention has been paid to the outcomes of reference management instruction in academic libraries than on comparisons and evaluations of reference management software (RMS) and surveys of levels of its use. While there are studies examining the reference management practices of academics and students, the practices of those not using RMS have remained largely unexplored. This article reports on the findings of a small-scale applied research project aimed at understanding the reference management practices of postgraduate students and academics in the Arts Faculty at Monash University. A questionnaire was completed by 81 students and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 8 students and 13 academics in the Faculty. Analysis shows that the reference management practices detailed in this study are individual and personal, and do not always involve the use of RMS. The reasons for adopting these...

Learn to Write Badly: How to Succeed in the Social Sciences

Modern academia is increasingly competitive yet the writing style of social scientists is routinely poor and continues to deteriorate. Are social science postgraduates being taught to write poorly? What conditions adversely affect the way they write? And which linguistic features contribute towards this bad writing? Michael Billig's witty and entertaining book analyses these questions in a quest to pinpoint exactly what is going wrong with the way social scientists write. Using examples from diverse fields such as linguistics, sociology and experimental social psychology, Billig shows how technical terminology is regularly less precise than simpler language. He demonstrates that there are linguistic problems with the noun-based terminology that social scientists habitually use - 'reification' or 'nominalization' rather than the corresponding verbs 'reify' or 'nominalize'. According to Billig, social scientists not only use their terminology to exaggerate and to conceal, but also to promote themselves and their work.

Using corpus-based research and online academic corpora to inform writing of the discussion section of a thesis

This paper shows how corpus-based research on academic writing has been used to inform a variety of concordancing activities designed to help postgraduate science and engineering students write the Discussion section of their theses. The concordancing tasks were integrated into a two-part workshop and made use of a freely-available corpus of research articles. In Part 1 of the workshop students first analyzed printed extracts of discussion sections from theses and identified prototypical move structure patterning. These top-down, genre-based pen-and-paper activities were followed by more bottom-up corpus tasks designed to familiarize students with search strategies for identifying useful lexico-grammatical patterns for particular rhetorical functions. In Part 2 of the workshop students were introduced to variation of move structure patterning in the Discussion section. Concordancing tasks focused on problematic areas identified in students' drafts of the discussion sections of their own theses. The corpus enquiries were also designed to familiarize students with more sophisticated searches to exploit the functionality of the software used. In the last section of the article, I suggest a range of freely-available corpora and tools that are suitable for use in second-language academic writing programs for advanced-level students.

Flexible Pedagogies for Part Time Learners: Guiding the learning journey of part-time postgraduate social science research students

Flexible Pedagogies for Part Time Learners: Guiding the learning journey of part-time postgraduate social science research students

An Empirical Study of Online Discussion Forums by Library and Information Science Postgraduate Students using Technology Acceptance Model 3

E-learning is an important trend globally that is believed to enhance the acquisition of knowledge by students within and outside the classroom to improve their academic pursuit. The Online Discussion Forum (ODF) is one of the tools that are used for e-learning in Nigerian universities. It facilitates interaction among postgraduate students as they can communicate and share information sources with one another to promote learning. However, the optimum use of this forum is determined by anchor factors in TAM 3 such as computer self-efficacy, perceptions of external control, computer anxiety and computer playfulness. A conceptual model based on TAM 3 was proposed and empirically tested. Using a survey research design and an online questionnaire for 121 Library and Information Science (LIS) postgraduate students, the paper demonstrated that computer self-efficacy, perceptions of external control, computer anxiety and computer playfulness have significant influence on the use of ODF. The paper therefore proposes that Online Discussion Forums should be encouraged for learning in postgraduate education.

Environmental Awareness among Postgraduate Students

Present study relates to the environmental awareness among postgraduate students of Arts and Science streams of C.C.S. University, Meerut. A sample of 100 postgraduate students, out of which 50 Science students and 50 Arts students were selected by stratified random sampling technique. For obtaining the data, environmental awareness test by Praveen Kumar Jha was used. The findings of the study suggest that female postgraduate Arts students are having better understanding and awareness regarding environmental awareness than male Arts postgraduate students and the male postgraduate Science students were having better environmental awareness than the female postgraduate Science students where as the postgraduate students of Science and Arts stream are having equal levels of environmental awareness.

Teacher Approaches to Introducing Indigenous Knowledge in School Science Classrooms

Recognition of the critical role of indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) in science in the new South African national curriculum for schools affirms the importance of IKS, particularly in the natural, physical and life sciences, as they are included in its policy. This paper explores the question of how teachers implement IKS in their science teaching when provided with the opportunity to do so. The study draws on a theoretical methodological framework developed for researching educational possibilities that take account of the current situation, the imagined situation for introducing IKS in science, and an arranged situation created to study ‘what is not yet but could be’ in science classrooms. Drawing on a range of data sources that began with a survey of teachers taking a postgraduate science education module, followed by IKS-related task analysis and interviews, three teachers from diverse science classrooms were selected for observations and further interviews. The analysis revealed three approaches to engaging IKS, which may be characterised as: an incorporationist approach that brings selected indigenous knowledge into science by seeking how ‘best IKS fits into science’; a separatist approach that holds IKS ‘side-by-side’ with scientific knowledge; and an integrationist approach that makes ‘connections' between IKS and science.

Design and Development of a Low-Cost Embedded System Laboratory Using TI MSP430 LaunchPad

In this paper, we present a series of experiments starting from Hello World!, up to project-based experiments using Texas Instrument (TI) MSP430 LaunchPad, which is an inexpensive kit from TI, USA. Two dedicated boards are designed and developed to perform experiments described herein, which are an outcome of the author’s experience in teaching computer architecture and embedded systems in theory. These experiments can be introduced to the under-graduate students of engineering: electrical, electronics and communication, computer science, and post-graduate science students specialized in electronics. The salient feature of experiments presented in different modules is that, each experiment is explained by its hardware description, software development which includes the dumping of program on to the microcontroller’s flash memory, leading to a hands-on experience. Our experience with the conduct of a 120 min-end of semester practical examination show that, with the chronological increase in hardware design, the student exhibited the confidence in designing new stand-alone systems with fairly complicated hardware and software. Setting up a laboratory of this type is easy with the material described in this paper. A small alteration is suggested on MSP430 LaunchPad.

Emerging Talents? International Students Before and After Their Career Start in Denmark

ABSTRACTInternational students are seen as prospective skilled workers in the globalising competition for talent. However, little is known about the connections between international students' decisions to study abroad and their perspectives on continuing their career in the host country after graduation or subsequently settling there for a longer term. This paper addresses this research gap by examining international students' and graduates' perspectives on the study‐to‐work transition in Denmark. The analysis is based on interviews with international students enrolled in postgraduate science and technology programmes at universities in the Copenhagen metropolitan region and with recent international graduates who stayed on in Denmark as foreign workers after their studies. The paper considers how variegated combinations of personal factors and contextual circumstances have an impact on the ways in which individuals from diverse national backgrounds navigate through the study‐to‐work transition process. Denmark is a relatively new entrant into the global competition for talent. This makes it an interesting case of an evolving host‐country context where international students' status transition represents a challenging process, both for policy‐making and from the perspective of the individuals concerned. The results draw attention to the diversity of constraints and opportunities that shape individual student migrants' perspectives and trajectories. In conclusion, the paper contributes to a better understanding of the link between talent and student mobility by interweaving insights from compartmentalised bodies of literature, and by enriching empirical knowledge on the connection between factors that attract and retain international students in the host country. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

La robótica como materia integradora en los estudios universitarios de informática. La experiencia de la Universidad de Almería

Este trabajo presenta una visión global del papel de la robótica en los estudios de informática, fundamentalmente en estudios universitarios. La justificación de la presencia de la robótica en estos estudios se sustenta en cuatro pilares: la robótica permite poner en práctica conocimientos propios de la informática, es una herramienta multidisciplinar que permite completar la formación de cualquier estudiante de informática, facilita la puesta en práctica y adquisición de competencias básicas del ingeniero (como por ejemplo la de trabajo en equipo), y existe un mercado amplio y emergente para cubrir puestos de trabajo relacionados con ella. Estas ideas se describen y discuten desde la experiencia adquirida en la Universidad de Almería en los estudios de Ingeniería Técnica en Informática, Ingeniería en Informática, Grado en Informática y Postgrado en Informática.

The Social Space of Metadata: Perspectives of LIS Academics and Postgraduates on Standards-Based and Socially Constructed Metadata Approaches

This article aims to contribute to the discussion on user-generated metadata. It presents the perspectives of eleven purposefully selected library and information science (LIS) academics and postgraduates on optimality of standards-based versus socially constructed metadata approaches and develops conceptual themes that emerged, which include the obsolescence of the Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) in relation to web search engines, the preference of users for searching versus browsing, and the proliferation of extant metadata standards resulting in interoperability challenges. This study also reveals the role ascribed to Web 2.0 and to semantic web technologies in libraries and the importance of enriching information objects with metadata that better conveys the various perspectives of users. Finally, the importance of underpinning metadata decisions with sound theoretical foundations is identified.

Postgraduate Transnational Education in Nonbusiness Subjects: Can it Fit Conceptualizations of Curriculum Internationalization?

The issue of teaching and learning in transnational education has increasingly received attention through studies about “curriculum internationalization.” To date, many of the examples and theorizations about curriculum internationalization are provided by business courses. This is largely a function of trade and commercial activities being inherently amenable to globalization forces, and hence facilitating the business subjects to adopt an international focus in curriculum planning and design. This article argues that curriculum internationalization also has significance for postgraduate science and social science programs delivered across borders, citing pharmacy and education as examples. However, the objectives of curriculum internationalization in these two are not narrowly focused on the functionalist notion of employability and performance as is found for business programs. Rather, they are considered to contribute toward the convergence of professionalization process of pharmacists worldwide for a postgraduate clinical pharmacy program, and the extension of a community of researchers to novice student researchers located overseas in the case of a professional doctorate in education. This difference in objectives calls for the construction of a more robust model of curriculum internationalization to guide international educators in their practice.

Building confidence: An exploration of nurses undertaking a postgraduate biological science course

This study aimed to explore the impact of studying biological science at a postgraduate level and how this impacted on nursing practice. The term biological sciences in this research encompasses elements of physiology, genetics, biochemistry and pathophysiology. Method: A qualitative research study was designed, that involved the dissemination of a pre- and post-course semi-structured questionnaire for a biological science course, as part of a Master of Nursing programme at a New Zealand University, thus exploring the impact of undertaking a postgraduate biological sciences course. The responses were analysed into themes, based on interpretive concepts. Results: The primary themes revealed improvement in confidence as: confidence in communication, confidence in linking nursing theoretical knowledge to practice and confidence in clinical nursing knowledge. Conclusion: This study highlights the need to privilege clinically-derived nursing knowledge, and that confidence in this nursing knowledge and clinical practice can be instilled through employing the model of theoryguided practice.

Pragmatic support for taxonomy‐based annotation of structured digital documents

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop support for the annotation of educational resources within a digital library and their subsequent integration with distance learning course materials in a virtual learning environment.Design/methodology/approachA toolset for supporting the annotation of structured course materials was developed in participation with subject librarians, lecturers and library cataloguers.FindingsThe transparency of support provided by the system was found to be an important factor influencing the acceptance of the toolset. The approach was to facilitate rather than automate the annotation tasks of the subject librarians, lecturers and cataloguers.Research limitations/implicationsThe tools developed were used in two pilot applications: one for an undergraduate health and social care course, and the second for a postgraduate science communication course. The implications of the research are not limited to these domains, and further applications of this approach and the toolset would help to further generalize and refine the work done.Originality/valueThe value of the work described here is in identifying the benefits of transparent support tools for multi‐disciplinary teams involved in the production and deployment of online course materials. Here the benefits of metadata annotation are highlighted by enabling the subject librarians, lecturers and cataloguers to see how the annotations are made and the consequences of those choices.

Using a problem-based approach to teach statistics to postgraduate science students: A case study

The standard approach to teaching statistics is teacher-centered in which the lecturer tries to impose his knowledge onto the students. This method forces a particular learning style and pace on students, and students often fail to make the connection of when various statistical methods are appropriate. Here we discuss a statistics course for non-specialist postgraduate students at Lancaster University that uses a problem-based learning approach.

Problems Encountered In Teaching/Learning Integrated Photosynthesis: A Case of Ineffective Pedagogical Practice?

In this article we recount our experiences of teaching photosynthesis in an integrated way to secondary school students and teachers, science undergraduates and postgraduates. Conceptual questions ...

Recent Research in Science Teaching and Learning

Recent Research in Science Teaching and Learning

Postgraduate science research skills: the role of creativity, tacit knowledge, thought styles and language

This paper analyses three crucial research skills: problem identification, data collection and hypothesis formation. It concludes that science research students should be taught about the creative process as they are under pressures that can inhibit creative thought. They should also be taught the importance of tacit knowledge for learning how to do research, as this will aid the process. Styles of thought and language allow researchers to identify and solve problems and limit what the latter can be. Students may benefit from further knowledge of these, so they can understand why their interpretations differ from others and how to create truly original hypotheses. The paper calls for further research into the relationship between language and hypothesis formation.