Reflections of Doctoral Students' Creative Thinking Skills on Their Dissertation Preparation Process

Abstract

The importance attached to graduate education is increasing to meet the demands of preparing qualified manpower. Training researchers aims to build the skill sets of mastering scientific research and critical thinking, being an expert in a field while generating and grasping knowledge. Additionally, creative thinking skills are highly valued in producing original and authentic studies. In this respect, dissertations (for PhD) are reported to include more of these skill sets compared to the theses (for MSc). This research aims to examine how creative thinking skills of doctoral students are reflected in their dissertation preparation process. This case study investigates these processes experienced by five doctoral students who are in the stage of dissertation proposal submission. With a semi-structured interview, their reflection on their use of creative thinking skills in dissertation processes are comprehensively analyzed. It is concluded that these students utilize various strategies to produce original work by integrating creative thinking skills such as fluency, flexibility, elaboration, combinational and exploratory creativity to their dissertation processes. At the same time, personal, environmental, financial, and implementation related challenges that would adversely affect their creative thinking skills are reported along with the approaches of their advisors towards the originality and limitations of dissertations.

Keywords

• PhD studies
• Dissertation
• Creativity
• Creative thinking
• Originality

Ethical Statement

In this study, all the rules stated in the "Higher Education Institutions Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Guidelines" were strictly followed. None of the actions specified under the section titled "Actions Contrary to Scientific Research and Publication Ethics" in the guidelines were carried out.

Doktora Öğrencilerinin Yaratıcı Düşünme Becerilerinin Tez Hazırlama Süreçlerine Yansımaları

Abstract

Günümüzde ülkelerin nitelikli insan gücü yetiştirme stratejileri doğrultusunda lisansüstü eğitime verilen önem giderek artmaktadır. Bilim insanı yetiştirme süreci, bilimsel araştırma ve eleştirel düşünme yeteneklerini geliştirme, bir alanda uzmanlaşma ve bilgi üretme konularında beceriler kazandırmayı amaçlamaktadır. Aynı zamanda yaratıcı düşünme becerileri, özgün ve gerçek çalışmalar üretmede büyük bir öneme sahiptir. Bu doğrultuda, yüksek lisans tezlerinden çok doktora tezlerinden büyük bir beklentinin olduğu alanyazında belirtilmektedir. Bu araştırma, doktora öğrencilerinin yaratıcı düşünme becerilerinin tez hazırlık süreçlerine nasıl yansıdığının incelenmesini amaçlamaktadır. Nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden durum çalışması yönteminin kullanıldığı araştırmada, bir devlet üniversitesinde doktora eğitimi alan ve tez önerisini henüz vermiş 5 doktora öğrencisi ile çalışılmıştır. Öğrencilerin yaratıcı düşünme becerilerini tez hazırlık süreçlerine yansıtmalarının belirlenmesi amacıyla yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme formu kullanılmış, bu sayede süreç hakkında derinlemesine bilgi alınabilmiştir. Araştırma sonucunda öğrencilerin, akıcılık, esneklik, ayrıntılandırma, birleştirici ve keşfedici yaratıcılık gibi becerileri tez hazırlık süreçlerine entegre ederek özgün çalışmalar üretmek için çeşitli stratejiler kullandıkları sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Aynı zamanda, kişisel, çevresel, mali ve uygulamaya yönelik zorluklar da rapor edilmiş, bu zorlukların öğrencilerin yaratıcı düşünme becerilerini olumsuz etkileyebileceği belirtilmiştir. Öğrencilerin danışmanlarının, tezlerin orijinalliğine ve sınırlılıklarına yönelik nasıl bir tutum sergilediklerine yönelik sonuçlara da yer verilmiştir.

Keywords

• Doktora çalışmaları
• Tez
• Yaratıcılık
• Yaratıcı düşünme
• Orijinallik

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