Making Sense of Theory: A Doctoral Student’s Narrative of Conceptualizing a Theoretical Framework

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14288/bctj.v2i1.271

Keywords:

Theory, Theoretical Framework, Conceptualization, Autoethnography, Narrative

Abstract

Making sense of theory plays an essential role in the life of a doctoral student. This autoethnographic study explores how I made sense of educational theory while conceptualizing the theoretical framework for my PhD proposal. A diary that I kept while designing the proposal serves as the data source to examine how my thinking about theory evolved. Findings demonstrate that the development of my thinking was a complex and circular process that progressed through nine phases. A particular challenge of conceptualizing a theoretical framework was the tight timeframe in which the proposal needed to be completed in order to start collecting data for my doctoral research. The paper concludes with a discussion about implications for language teacher educators and PhD supervisors.

Author Biography

Michael Burri, University of Wollongong

Lecturer (TESOL) in School of Education (Faculty of Social Sciences) at University of Wollongong

Downloads

Published

2017-10-22

How to Cite

Burri, M. (2017). Making Sense of Theory: A Doctoral Student’s Narrative of Conceptualizing a Theoretical Framework. BC TEAL Journal, 2(1), 25–35. https://doi.org/10.14288/bctj.v2i1.271

Issue

Section

Articles