Positivism
Individual Research 2007 - 2013
Presenting the chronological account of the events that occurred during my entire doctoral journey is essential in order for the reader to comprehend the time, effort, persistence and hardship involved in a process of production of innovative practical knowledge and its introduction into the academy. In fact, this comprises an investigation into the practical feasibility of such a goal.
During the first period of the doctoral journey, I was part of a group of Israeli students, and my DOS resided in Israel and was available for regular telephone conversations and face to face meetings. My original supervisors supported me as I achieved the basic skills and understandings of an academic researcher. They taught and encouraged reading concerning ontology, epistemology and academic methodologies and methods. Furthermore, the EdD staff at that time held that doctor of practice research was pivotally important to both the development of professional practice and the academy, and accordingly were the founders of the program. Their attitude towards this type of research, and the desire of the staff to identify experienced practitioners who possess significant practical knowledge is evident in the timeline of correspondence with them.
In light of this, and being aware of my difficulties, my supervisor directed me to compose three essays pinpointing the main aspects of my practice approach, which could comprise anchors for the elevation of knowledge into an academic dissertation. By July 2012, I had composed the drafts of two essays, one related to my practice approach and another about my ideas concerning theories of psychotherapeutic practice, which I submitted to my DOS and he read these with interest. These articles are presented below. However, in July 2012 my DOS left his role at the University, and by this time, the other founders of the program had also retired from their roles.
And so it began
Internal correspondence between members of the University staff in 2012, which was later sent to the OIA discuss how the EdD program staff should relate to my Israeli group of students sensitively at this time. This was due to the delicate predicament for the student, of becoming detached from the supervisor who had actively supported their research in their own country and would now have to be supervised by staff in the UK.
However, in practice, the attitude towards us was insensitive and degrading. In the summer of 2012, all the members of the Israeli group of students received letters that their studies had been terminated each for a different reason. When we tried to query our position, at first we were unable to achieve any response, and later were informed that nothing could be done to change their decision. Only a letter of appeal to a large number of University staff, eventually led to us being reinstated on the program.
In an attempt to understand the academic environment of doctoral researchers at Derby University at the time, and the difference in status between PhD and EdD students, in October 2012, I conducted a historical investigation into philosophical and practical knowledge and research in each domain. I composed an essay on this subject entitled RO Knowledge evolution which also described my understandings related to epistemology and methodology, and ended with a suggestion for a collaborative research methodology involving a cohort of philosophical and practical researchers. I presented the essay to my new supervisors in an attempt to initiate communication with them on the subject and elaborate on it for the purpose of my research.
Unfortunately, the content of this article was ignored by my supervisors, who insisted upon a methodology chapter and I was unable to achieve adequate communication with them on both academic and administrative issues which could enable progress on my research.
My research framework proposal led me to begin to construct a computer application, an interface for the operating system for conducting independent, collaborative academic research, open access publishing and utilisation of its derivatives in industry and Higher Education. This operating system facilitates conducting academic research, for collaborative study projects in schools and Universities.
