B8 - Exploring the psychology of researcher development through the lenses of motivation and resilience
| Day | Day 1 |
|---|---|
| Session | B |
| Start time | 16:30 |
| Strand | Researcher developers |
| Code | B8 |
| Presenters |
Dr Janine Stockdale, Doctoral Researcher Development Lead, Ulster University Aline Giordano, Doctoral College Manager, University of Southampton |
Workshop overview:
Experts agree that high performance is directly related to the intricate relationship between the goals that individuals choose to adopt (motivation) and how they feel (affective), think (cognitive), behave (perform) and optimally learn as they interact with the goal-achieving environment. It therefore follows, that if the performance environment is not designed to psychologically support learning and development, then optimal goal achievement and performance is less likely to occur.
Using this theoretical position as a backdrop, this workshop reports on the diagnostic phases of two independent investigations that aimed to explore motivation (Ulster University) and affect (Southampton University), as indicators of how doctoral candidates experience the researcher development environment.
Workshop topics covered:
- Identifying the importance of generalisability of design, this special session will:
- Briefly introduce the complexities associated with designing a high performance environment
- Describe the investigative processes
- Report on the findings of the investigations (motivational and affective perspectives)
- The session will end with an open discussion with the expert audience, in relation to the validity and potential indication of the generalisability of the findings.
Themes covered:
Research into researcher development
Workshop outcomes:
By the end of the workshop, participants should:
- be able to identify and describe the key complex problems around non-academic support for doctoral researchers
- have shared good practice with each other
Format:
Workshop, including presentations and group discussion
