Research Culture: Using reflective practice to support PhD students in the biosciences

  1. Jennifer Tullet  Is a corresponding author
  2. Jennifer Leigh
  3. Brandon Coke
  4. David Fisher
  5. Johanna Haszczyn
  6. Steven Houghton
  7. Johanna Fish
  8. Laura Freeman
  9. Isabella Garcia
  10. Stefan Penman
  11. Emma Hargreaves
  1. Division of Natural Sciences, University of Kent, United Kingdom
  2. School of Sociology, Social Policy, and Social Research, Division for the study of Law, Society, and Social Justice, University of Kent, United Kingdom
  3. School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, United Kingdom
  4. Crop Science and Production Systems, National Institute of Agricultural Botany, United Kingdom
  5. School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, United Kingdom
2 figures and 1 additional file

Figures

The logo for the SoCoBio Reflexivity in Research programme was co-created by students and staff.

To reinforce the work the students completed during the Reflexivity in Research programme, we sent them a care package of gifts marked with the logo (such as seed packets, mugs and bags) to increase their sense of belonging to the programme, and to remind them of the benefits of reflexivity, especially when facing challenges.

Important themes for postgraduate students.

The themes that emerged following a thematic analysis of transcripts from the pilot sessions of the Reflexivity in Research programme were: stress & pressure; imposter syndrome; student-supervisor relationship; trust & transparency; and reflexivity. Image drawn by one of the participants. The participants were very clear that the programme was highly beneficial to navigating the challenges of postgraduate study.

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  1. Jennifer Tullet
  2. Jennifer Leigh
  3. Brandon Coke
  4. David Fisher
  5. Johanna Haszczyn
  6. Steven Houghton
  7. Johanna Fish
  8. Laura Freeman
  9. Isabella Garcia
  10. Stefan Penman
  11. Emma Hargreaves
(2024)
Research Culture: Using reflective practice to support PhD students in the biosciences
eLife 13:e92365.
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.92365