Professional doctorates - A better route for researching professionals?
Authors: Fenge, L.A.
Journal: Social Work Education
Volume: 28
Issue: 2
Pages: 165-176
eISSN: 1470-1227
ISSN: 0261-5479
DOI: 10.1080/02615470701865733
Abstract:This paper explores the model of professional doctorate (D.Prof) as a route for those immersed in professional practice but who wish to undertake research at the doctoral level. One definition of the professional doctorate given by the United Kingdom Council for Graduate Education (UKCGE) describes it as 'a programme of advanced study and research which, whilst satisfying the university criteria for the award of a doctorate, is designed to meet the specific needs of a professional group external to the university'. Central to the heart of the D.Prof is professional practice. It has been described as developing 'researching professionals' rather than 'professional researchers', and as part of the move towards the knowledge economy in higher education, can be seen as part of the transformation from 'autonomous scholar' into 'enterprising self'. This paper explores my choice of a professional doctorate over a traditional PhD, and the role that reflection and reflexivity have in informing the research focus, methodology and practice development aspects of my study. It is argued that as social work is a practice based discipline, and one in which research is aimed at providing practice improvement, models of doctoral study which have at their heart the centrality of professional practice are more appropriate vehicles for those practitioners who wish to become 'scholarly professionals'.
Source: Scopus
Professional Doctorates – a better route for researching professionals,
Authors: Fenge, L.
Conference: Joint Social Work Education Conference
Dates: 11-13 July 2007
Source: Manual
Preferred by: Lee-Ann Fenge