University Teachers as Guides and Master’s Students as Aspirant Researchers: An Exploratory Case Study of Teaching Research Methods

Many students find the process of doing their dissertations to be highly problematical (Ahern and Manathunga, 2004; Cassell, 2013; Wagener, 2018). They are confronted with learning various overarching research philosophies and a plethora of new techniques and information concerning how they should go about the research process. Crucially, they are expected to be largely autonomous in their choice of research topic and their subsequent work, albeit they will usually have some time allocation with research supervisors. Dissertations thus present a major shift in increased students’ autonomy, signifying them becoming much more pro-active learners crossing new ‘thresholds’ and encountering ‘troublesome knowledge’ (Meyer and Land, 2005). Thus, it is hardly surprising that many students find the whole dissertation process daunting in both cognitive and affective terms. Research supervisors face the realities of individual stressed students in the limited time they spend with them; yet the scale of the problem cries out for a more strategic way of tackling the situation from the beginning within the classroom, with groups of students. Therefore, the aims of this thesis are to address both the cognitive and affective difficulties of students as they become aspirant researchers through their dissertation journeys, and how this may be achieved through supportive teacher - student relationships on a journey of joint becoming, in which they are aspirant researchers and their teacher is their guide. It does this through a research intervention conducted by the researcher/ teacher with a group of his Master’s business students. Taking an exploratory, qualitative research approach it focuses upon two complementary aspects: the first relates to how students might benefit cognitively through teaching activities that bring meaning to research methods through the use of guided activities . These utilise personal experience and biographical data in class. The other, and arguably more important way (given the emotional demands placed upon them) aims to build a supportive teacher-student relationship which pro-actively elicits and explores students’ concerns in the course of their dissertation journeys. Led by the researcher/ teacher, intent upon becoming a better guide himself, the emphasis is upon the broader understanding for students of how to be and become aspirant researchers; this understanding according to Heidegger (1962) is not essentially a cognitive act but something which develops through being with others whilst engaging in the relevant actions and in contemplating possible things that can happen. The results during the intervention show how students’ use of metaphorical imagery and critical incidents elicited and articulated a richness of inner thoughts and feelings; this allowed for deeper understanding of the research methods being taught through the guided activities, and a therapeutic discussion of thoughts and emotions with others (Fook and Gardner, 2007). Further, by engaging in all aspects of the intervention, the author/ researcher re-examined his own teaching practices and values, increasing his awareness of the symbiotic nature between teacher as guide and students as aspirant researchers. Finally, the implications of this research are discussed in the light of the need for further research into how research methods are taught in higher education (Lewthwaite and Nind, 2016), the importance of understanding emotions in higher education (Quinlan, 2016), and the consequences for teacher training at this level

The Oxford Handbook of 4E Cognition

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RVI-110

ABSTRACT This paper examines the extent to which China's entry into the World Trade Many promises were attached to the North American Free Trade Agreement (nafta) between Mexico, the United States and Canada. In Mexico and the United States (the two nafta countries focused on in this paper), there was no lack of rosy predictions of export, employment and gross domestic product (gdp) growth for each country. Indeed, traditional theory predicted such an outcome, with the agreement allowing each nation to specialize in those sectors where each had a comparative advantage. Such an arrangement would create new winners and losers, but most predictions had the winners winning more than the losers would lose, thus holding out the possibility of the winners compensating the losers and all members being better off. However, the models assumed, among other things, that trade arrangements outside of nafta would remain constant. In 1994, none of the analyses or models reflected concern that China might enter the World Trade Organization (wto) in 2001 with comparative advantages in a handful of sectors that were dear to both the United States and Mexico. This paper analyses the extent to which China's rise has posed a competitive threat to United States-Mexico trade and nafta as a trade bloc. The paper is divided into five sections, including this brief introduction. Section II reviews the literature on nafta and its expected effects on the region's economy. Section III presents a quantitative analysis of the extent to which China has penetrated nafta members' import markets in Mexico and the United States. Section IV presents the results from two case studies, one in the yarn, textiles and garments commodity chain and the other in the autoparts and automobile chain. The final section summarizes our main findings and makes suggestions for further research and policy efforts. I Introduction II Review of the literature nafta has been a source of controversy for over 20 years. In general, it was predicted that the agreement would bring economic gains to all parties, with relatively larger benefits for Mexico (usitc, 1992). For the United States, Mexico's geographical proximity and existing level of integration made an agreement very attractive At the time it was signed, nafta was expected to impact both Mexico and the United States in a number of other ways. First, most analyses assumed that nafta would have general positive effects on Mexico's exports in the long run, specifically those to the United States, based largely on the argument that free trade has positive and automatic effects on growth. Second, some authors stressed that Mexico would require a number of general and sectoral adjustments in the short and medium run and that there could be negative effects for Mexico in specific sectors. The authorities of some nations outside nafta also expressed concern liberalization of imports and capital flows-there was a widespread consensus that Mexico's manufacturing sector would benefit from nafta in terms of exports, employment, wages and productivity growth. 2 Other authors highlighted that Mexico's socioeconomy would shift even more towards maquiladora processes Only a few authors suggested that both countries could see a negative general impact on employment, business creation and competitiveness as a result of naft