Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://elar.urfu.ru/handle/10995/111865
Title: Doctoral Journey During COVID-19: Reflections from a Collaborative Autoethnography
Authors: Andal, A. G.
Wu, S.
Issue Date: 2021
Publisher: Informing Science Institute
Informing Science Institute
Citation: Andal A. G. Doctoral Journey During COVID-19: Reflections from a Collaborative Autoethnography / A. G. Andal, S. Wu // International Journal of Doctoral Studies. — 2021. — Vol. 16. — P. 633-656.
Abstract: Aim/Purpose: This paper identifies and examines cross-cutting experiences from the perspec-tive of two doctoral students, whose research was affected by the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). Background: The COVID-19 pandemic continues to be challenging for higher education scholars in terms of proceeding with their research and how the pandemic sets the scene for changes in higher education's future. Due to increased anxiety lev-els because of uncertainties, the paper provides a reflection of doctoral experi-ences from two students - one in Russia at the data collection stage, and one in China (enrolled in New Zealand) at the proposal stage. Methodology: Through collaborative autoethnography and joint-reflection, we analyze our ex-periences as doctoral students focusing on methodological adjustments, ethical dilemmas, adaptation strategies and supervisor-supervisee relationships. Con-ducting a collaborative autoethnography provides a richer analysis of the inter-play between perspectives, compared to a traditional autoethnography. Collabo-rative autoethnography also provides conditions for a collective exploration of subjectivities of doctoral students through an iterative process. After providing separate individual accounts, we discussed our experiences, analyzed them, and engaged in a joint-reflection from our consensual interpretations. Contribution: Our work aims to contribute to existing discussions on how COVID-19 im-pacted on doctoral students' coping strategies during the pandemic. The paper encourages doctoral students to further discuss how they navigate their doctoral experiences through autoethnography and joint-reflections. Findings: Three main themes transpired in our analysis. First, we encountered roadblocks such as interruptions, frustrations and resistance to adapt our doctoral studies in the pandemic context, which align with the recent literature regarding education during the coronavirus pandemic. Second, we faced a diversity of burdens and privileges in the pandemic, which provided us with both pleasant (opportunity to create change) and unpleasant (unknown threats) situations, thereby enabling us to construct and reconstruct our stories through reflection. Third, we experi-enced a shared unfamiliarity of doing doctoral studies during the pandemic, to which the role of the academic community including our supervisors and doc-toral colleagues contributed to how we managed our circumstances. Recommendations for Practitioners: We speak to our fellow doctoral students to dare navigate their doctoral experi-ences through collaborative reflections. In practice, by reflecting on our experi-ence, we recommend that new doctoral students remain flexible and mindful of their doctoral journeys and recognize their agency to deal with the unexpected. We thus encourage the view of doctoral studies as a process rather than out-come-oriented, as we gain experience from processes. Recommendations for Researchers: We recommend using both collaborative autoethnography and joint-reflection as an instructive tool for qualitative research. Such engagements offer important discussions towards further communications and exchange of ideas among doc-toral students from various backgrounds. Impact on Society: More broadly, this work is an invitation to reflect and provoke further thoughts to articulate reflections on the impact and various ways of thinking that the pandemic might bring to the fore. Future Research: Doctoral students are welcome to contribute to a collectivity of narratives that thicken the data and analyses of their pandemic experiences in higher education to reinforce the role of doctoral researchers as agents of history in the trying times of a pandemic. © 2021 Informing Science Institute. All rights reserved.
Keywords: COLLABORATIVE AUTOETHNOGRAPHY
COVID-19
DOCTORAL STUDIES
HIGHER EDUCATION
REFLECTION
URI: http://elar.urfu.ru/handle/10995/111865
Access: info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
SCOPUS ID: 85123085740
PURE ID: 29477189
ISSN: 1556-8881
Appears in Collections:Научные публикации, проиндексированные в SCOPUS и WoS CC

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