My Journey

1
My Journey

• A PhD Students reflection on the first six
  months of research
• Tina Fanneran

2
Introduction

• My research project and I
• Highs Lows of being a PhD student
• Reflecting on my learning experiences
• Final Remarks

3
My Research Project and I

• Title
• A Critical Analysis of Adult Safeguarding
  Practices in NHS Mental Health Services
• Evidence suggests that some mental health
  services are failing to protect adults at risk of
  abuse and neglect

4
Continued.

• BSc (Hons) in Psychology and Counselling with 1st
  Class honours
• Early expectations of my role in the research
  process
• Authoring a PhD Doing a Literature Review
  Working for a Doctorate and How to get a PhD

5
Highs Lows of being a PhD student
Self Belief / Self Esteem
6
Supervision Encounters
My Concerns
Supervisors Reactions Comments
7
Initial Reaction to Supervision
Emotional Reaction
Action Taken Outcome
8
Reflecting on My Learning Experience

• Initially I felt I was thrown in at the deep
  end
• I now felt focused and was no longer experiencing
  the affects of non-productivity
• I collected valuable data that facilitated
  progression of my project to the next stage

9
Understanding My Learning Experience
David A. Kolb (1984)
Borzak (1981) Experiential learning involves a
direct encounter with the phenomena being studied
rather than merely thinking about the encounter
or only thinking about the possibility of doing
something about it
10
Understanding Continued

• My learning could be described as experiential as
  it is education that occurs as a direct
  participation in the events of life (Smith,
  2001)
• Reflecting on my supervisors reactions to my
  uncertainties leads me to believe that they were
  revealing their competence as professional
  researchers demonstrating their ability to think
  on their feet (Schon, 1991)

11
Final Remarks

• Reflecting on my learning experiences has allowed
  me to develop professionally and personally.
• I have developed an ability to understand how I
  learn and apply this understanding to new
  learning encounters.
• I have learned to understand my emotional
  reactions to my project and not allow them to
  impede its progress
• I have learned to trust my supervisors
  intuitions regarding my research