ERC Workshops

• Thursday, 02 September 15:30 - 17:00 CET (Geneva) time

Organised by:

• Shosh Leshem (Kibbutzim College of Education, Israel and Research Associate, Stellenbosch University, South Africa)
• Vernon Trafford (Anglia Ruskin University, UK and Research Associate, Stellenbosch University, South Africa)

Presented by:

• Shosh Lesham

Evidence suggests that candidates in many countries are unclear of the criteria that examiners use to judge the scholarly merit of their submitted thesis/dissertation.  This affects the way in which they write their thesis/dissertation, prepare to defend it and defend it.

This workshop is informed by research that we have undertaken in this area.  Data from doctoral defences provide insights on the type of questions that examiners ask, the relative importance of those questions and the significance of categories of questions.  These data provide frameworks of questions and issues that candidates can use to guide and shape the planning and drafting of their thesis/dissertation.  In this way, candidates can align their doctoral study, personal scholarship and writing to accord with the summative expectations of their examiners.

The workshop will draw on our extensive research into the nature of doctorateness, numerous publications, international workshops for candidates and doctoral supervisors plus our experience as supervisors and examiners.  In this workshop participants will discuss issues from their own theses and identify critical issues that examiners look for when they assess a doctoral thesis.  Our data provide frameworks of questions and issues that candidates can use to guide and shape the planning and drafting of their thesis/dissertation.  In this way, they can align their doctoral study, personal scholarship and writing to meet the summative expectations of their examiners.

This session will contain three parts:

• Theoretical:  presentation on the predictable ~ types of ~ questions asked by examiners of candidates in doctoral defense / vivas;
• Practical:  small group activity relating examiners’ questions to how theses/dissertations are ‘being drafted’ by participants;
• Putting it together:   a feedback plenary to identify how anticipating likely questions and possible answers can be used to improve the scholarly quality of submitted theses/dissertations.

• Friday, 03 September 10:30 - 12:00 CET (Geneva) time

Organised and presented by:

• Victoria Showunmi (UCL, United Kingdom)
• Andrea Abbas (University of Bath, United Kingdom)
• Carol Taylor (University of Bath, United Kingdom)

Background
Over many years feminist and gender researchers have sought to challenge dominant knowledge production processes (Hooks 1989; Abu-Lughud Soziologin 1991; Kandiyoti 2002; Narayan 1993; Skeggs 1997; Smith 2012;). Critical feminist research, in particular, has had a long-standing goal of challenging the essentialism, power hierarchies, and concepts of difference embedded in the research process.  Feminists who take intersectional approaches to their research aim to develop theoretical lenses and methodological approaches that integrate an understanding of the complexities of gender, ethnicity, sexuality, disability, social class and other inequalities into the process of research and knowledge generation.  They also put gender at the heart of their analysis.

The Gender and Education Network invites Early Career Researchers to engage in a two-part workshop. The first part will engage participants in career focused conversations regarding how gender and other aspects of diversity have/have-not impinged on their research career and research foci. This reflexive approach will enable us to explore the biases embedded in research and academic careers. The second part will focus on analysis of some data pertaining to academic careers that will help illustrate a critical feminist and intersectional approach to data analysis.  

This workshop aims to (i) provide an opportunity to share our own intersectional journeys as gender based researchers (ii) utilise critical and methodological perspectives (iii) build peer-networks for mutual learning and future collaboration.

Content and Structure
The session will begin with a brief Introduction to Gender and Education Network as a space to create professional networks, support structures and academic communities. 

The workshop will focus on analysing academic careers using a gendered lens. This will facilitate participation as all that is needed is some experience of studying or working in an academic context.

Pre-session Discussion Questions
In order for you to get the best from the discussion and workshop it would be helpful if you could do some pre-session thinking about your research journey before attending the discussion and workshop.

Suggested Format
Discussion - We will begin the session by illustrating a reflexive approach to our own careers by having critical conversations have influenced our experiences and engagement with academia.  We will be asking you to identify one or two aspects of your own career that have been shaped by intersecting gender inequalities.  Victoria Showunmi, Andrea Abbas and Carol Taylor will each introduce two or three career defining moments that have been shaped by intersecting inequalities and will show how it has shaped an aspect of their career or their academic work. 

Workshop – Inthe workshop, groups of participants will be given some data relating to academic careers and will be guided through an exercise which support an intersectional analysis.  (Using biographical material on academic careers provided by Andrea, visual data provided by Carol and ethnographic data provided by Victoria.

• Friday, 03 September 13:00 - 14:30 CET (Geneva) time

Organised and presented by:

• Paolo Landri - EERJ Editor (CNR-IRPPS (Fisciano) , Italy)
• Dr Sotiria Grek - EERJ Editor (University of Edinburgh, UK)

This session will discuss the purposes of research publications and its audiences, the process of journal selection, manuscript preparation and the issue of (blind) review procedures. The session will also include information about good practice in Open Access policy publishing and advice about the new problem of fake journals and how to avoid them.

Part of the session will be about the European Educational Research Journal (EERJ) as a medium for publishing about the changing landscapes of educational research across Europe and how to 'write' for a European audience.