This project will explore the experiences of societal groups who have not typically engaged in doctoral education, e.g. racialised minorities, women in science and technology, older applicants, those with disabilities and those from working class backgrounds, looked after young people.
Over the past decade, the policy drivers have been on the doctorate as a means to produce the workforce with the skills to solve the complex, multifaceted challenges of this century, using knowledge- and technology-based approaches (Nerad, 2014; Smith McGloin, 2019). Doctoral education has been consistently tied into innovation and economic development in the UK at a national level (Warry 2006; Smith et al. 2010) in terms of education and skills. Doctoral researchers have frequently featured as a mechanism for better knowledge exchange in the research and innovation policy canon (Lambert 2003; Sainsbury 2007; Wilson 2012; Witty 2013; BIS 2015).
Policy interventions at national and supra-national level have sought to reposition the doctorate as a driver of economic prosperity (EUA, 2009) and there is some evidence of a direct link between doctoral education and overall national development (Cloete, Sheppard and Bailey 2015). Whilst there has been a substantial growth in the number of PhD graduates internationally the focus for many universities has been on admitting a homogeneous community of ‘low-risk’ doctoral candidates from higher-ranked institutions with top degree classifications, rather than considering the future potential of applicants from more diverse backgrounds with potentially greater and more complex support needs who may require more faculty efforts and departmental resources to be successful and to complete their doctorates within the required timeframe (Chiappa and Perez Meijas 2019).
There does remain, however, some recognition of the potential that doctoral education has to enable a fairer and more just society (Hannover Recommendations, 2019; Deem, 2020). The global pandemic has highlighted the significant impact of the complex systemic social inequalities linked to ethnicity, gender, class, age and disability upon different groups. In the UK, research has shown that access and participation work at undergraduate level has pushed inequalities up to higher education levels (Wakeling and Laurison 2017). Data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency continues to show lower levels of diversity in doctoral education than at any other point in the education process.
Despite the political, social and economic importance of understanding barriers to participation in doctoral education, there is currently relatively little robust empirical data tracking participation and experiences of these under-represented groups at doctoral level; and, in particular, the variables and decision processes which shape individual journeys.
In the context of the global Black Lives Matter campaign, the existing systemic inequalities highlighted by the global pandemic and the increasing awareness of a lack of diversity within the research community, Nottingham Trent University recognises the strategic importance of taking urgent action to address inequalities in doctoral education. Despite recent attention to this issue, there remains significant work to achieve a better understanding of the experiences of under-represented groups in doctoral education in the UK, and the structural and personal issues they face, in order to facilitate the development of more inclusive practice in doctoral education.
There is flexibility in terms of the focus you may take including discipline area, societal groups and/or intersectionalities, as well as components of the doctoral journey for example, recruitment and admissions, progression and participation, examination and transition to employment. The project could follow qualitative, quantitative or mixed-method design depending on the interests, of the researcher and the context of the research. The theoretical framing that this research may adopt (e.g. political, sociological) is to be defined. You may choose to engage with elements of critical race theory, social identity theory, critical disability theory and feminism, amongst others.
There should be a commitment to developing policy and practical implications arising from the research.
The successful candidate/s would be supported by a supervisory team comprising, Dr Rebekah Smith McGloin and Dr Katherine Friend and would be based in the Education Policy and Practice group in the NTU Institute of Education. This research group promotes and facilitates research, knowledge exchange, evaluation and consultancy across a wide range of education settings and organisations. Our research considers some of the fundamental questions surrounding education in an increasingly controlled high-profile policy environment.
Entry requirements
Applicants for PhD should normally hold a first or upper second class honours degree from a UK university or an equivalent qualification, or a lower second class honours degree with a master’s degree at Merit level from a UK university or an equivalent qualification.
Applicants for Professional Doctorates will be well-qualified in their chosen field and will normally have already gained a related master’s degree or equivalent qualification, together with sufficient professional experience in the relevant field.
How to apply
This studentship is open to full-time and part-time applicants to start on 1 October 2021. For a step-by-step guide and to make an application, please visit NTU's how to apply page.
The application deadline is Friday 16 July 2021 at 11:59 pm.
Interviews will take place from Monday 26 July 2021 to Wednesday 28 July 2021.
Continue with Facebook
