Dissertation
Sowing seeds in the rain: a narrative Inquiry into the lived experiences of three graduate student writers
University of Iowa
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
Spring 2023
DOI: 10.25820/etd.007084
Abstract
This dissertation study explores the lived experiences of three graduate writers. Using narrative inquiry and ethnographic methods, I collected and analyzed data that focused on how three graduate writers, in two PhD programs housed within the same college of education, perceived and experienced their writing projects and themselves as writers. The graduate writers in this study expressed ongoing adaptive challenges related to what constitutes evidence in the academy, the divide between theory and practice, and the degree to which their voices and selves are permitted or denied in academic spaces.
In addition to challenges within the academy, the writers encountered external and internal conflicts in their social and emotional lives that frequently created barriers in both their writing processes and products. These writers’ experiences highlight an institutional lack of transparency in graduate programs, gaps in guidance and mentorship, assumptions about who graduate students are when they enter a program and what their goals are for their writing and future careers. Further, through feedback from advisors, professors and others in their academic communities, these writers perceive messages that their unique voices and perspectives are not respected in academic work, thus undermining their confidence, and influencing their writing choices.
In this study I tell the stories of three graduate writers to call attention to the need for human-centered approaches to graduate student wellness and mentorship. The implications of this study relate to issues of equity in higher education and pertain to graduate support programs, professors, and advisors; I ask them to question their assumptions about what skills and experiences graduate student writers have when they enter a program, increase transparency in the norms and expectations for writing, and provide discipline specific writing instruction.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Sowing seeds in the rain: a narrative Inquiry into the lived experiences of three graduate student writers
- Creators
- Tamar Bernfeld
- Contributors
- Bonnie S Sunstein (Advisor)Carol Severino (Committee Member)Carolyn Colvin (Committee Member)Erika M Johnson (Committee Member)
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
- Degree in
- Teaching and Learning (Language, Literacy, and Culture)
- Date degree season
- Spring 2023
- Publisher
- University of Iowa
- DOI
- 10.25820/etd.007084
- Number of pages
- x, 130 pages
- Copyright
- Copyright 2023 Tamar Bernfeld
- Language
- English
- Date submitted
- 04/17/2023
- Date approved
- 04/19/2023
- Description illustrations
- illustrations, tables
- Description bibliographic
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 122-126).
- Public Abstract (ETD)
- The opportunity to pursue a graduate degree has become an option for more people than solely those who aspire to white-collar jobs or aim to become college professors. Individuals with different experiences and goals now enroll in a variety of graduate programs. However, despite an increase in diversity among graduate students, the expectations, ways of being, and ways of writing at the graduate level are not transparent. The traditional norms are taken for granted and the processes hidden, creating barriers for many graduate students. In particular, the expectations for graduate student writing are not explicitly stated or taught. Therefore, graduate writers frequently experience challenges navigating the enormous writing tasks required in graduate school. In this dissertation study I report on conversations I had with three graduate writers over the course of one semester. From these conversations, I learned of their struggles understanding what counts as evidence in their academic writing contexts, how they felt their experiences were not valued in academia, as well as how feedback they received on their writing either enabled or disabled them in terms of productivity and self-efficacy. Through the stories of three graduate student writers, I draw attention to the need for advisors, professors, and graduate support programs to consider their assumptions about what skills and experiences graduate student writers have when they enter a program, increase transparency in the norms and expectations for writing, provide discipline specific writing instruction, and emphasize the need for a human-centered approach to graduate writing support.
- Academic Unit
- Teaching and Learning
- Record Identifier
- 9984425199602771
Metrics
2 File views/ downloads
15 Record Views