Multi-tasking is key in the quest to become Dr Ainsworth and I would argue that I am, on the whole, quite skilled at juggling multiple tasks at once. I do so on a regular day-to-day basis with little conscious effort or advanced planning. I just do. We all do.
Unfortuntately (and really, REALLY frustrating for me), it would seem that there are two specific tasks that I simply cannot combine successfullly, even though I specifically set out with the intention of doing them both at the same time: picking up printing from the mail room and making myself a cup of tea. Why this is this case, I have absolutely no idea.
Let me explain (if you care enough to keep reading, I won't be offended if you don't! This is a rather mundane rant after all!):
Me and my fellow officemates are based on the top floor of our building. Most of the printers are based on the floor below us. To get there requires a hop, skip and a jump along the corridor, with the opening of many doors along the way, down the stairs, through more doors and into the mail room to collect our printing. Conveniently, or so it should be, next door to the mail room is the meeting room, home to the tea-making facilities.
After being sat at a desk for a few hours, as I'm sure many people will sympathise with, it's nice to have a walk to stretch your legs and it's definitely nice to have a cup of tea! Although I may wish to stretch my legs I don't want to walk up and down the stairs all day long so I often try to kill two birds with one stone. I will send things to the printer when I know I'm going to want a cup of tea so I can walk down, put the kettle on, collect the printing, make the tea and return to my office triumphant and looking semi-productive to passers-by as I stroll past with my pile of articles or chapter drafts.
99.9% of the time this plan fails. I return with tea but no printing or printing but no tea. It's not until I've walked back upstairs and got back to my desk when I realise my mistake, curse, and have to go all the way back down again. Granted, it's not far, but it's the principle of the matter which irritates me the most. I wouldn't be half as annoyed if it didn't happen almost EVERY single time! ARGH!!!
It doesn't matter which order I try and do things in either. If I put the kettle on and then go straight to the mail room while the kettle boils then I forget to go and make the tea. If I wait for the kettle to boil I head straight back upstairs once the tea is made. There's no winning. EVER.
I could always look on the bright side and think of it as a few extra calories burned but if I'd wanted to do that I wouldn't have tried to do the two things at the same time now would I?
Answers on a postcard as to how on earth I fix my main multi-tasking failure gratefully received!
Ciao for now.
Monday, 12 March 2012
Thursday, 8 March 2012
Participant Pains
The problem of conducting research in the human sciences is the unavoidable reliance on humans. Participants are crucial in psychology research and without them, all you have are a bunch of unsupported hypotheses and no data. But there are many, many joys and sorrows that are attached to testing human participants...well, actually...there are mainly just sorrows.
1. You actually have to recruit your participants.
If you're in a University department there is usually an official requirement for the poor First Year Psychology students to take part in studies in exchange for credits, without which they cannot pass into their second year. This sounds like a devious plan and a sure-fire way of getting them through the door, and on the whole it can work. However, there's not really a punishment for not getting their credits, they just have to submit an extra essay and 'ta-da', entrance into second year is theirs. Without an actual serious consequence, unless they consider essay writing the end of the world, then there isn't much incentive for them to willingly take part. Beyond jazzing up the description of your study to make it sound like the most interesting thing in the world, there's little more you can to get them to sign up.
Alternatively, a lucky few researchers will have a budget out of which they can pay participants for taking part. This quickly attracts interest. Psych studies are often seen as an easy way to make some quick cash, and they are paid reasonably well. But budgets are not bottomless pits and eventually the funds run out and you're back to relying on the goodwill of fellow man and there's not much of that going around.
2. Then you have totest them.
You've done the hard bit and recruited yourself some (almost) willing participants. The study is set up and ready to go. You think the data is in the bag but you've overlooked one little problem...
People can be a real pain, intentionally or otherwise. As you are likely to be testing psychology students who have, by now, slept through a lecture or two, they all think they are experts. They spend your entire study trying to work out what it is you're looking at and will either try their best to give the answers they think you want, or will maliciously mess everything up.Many of them can't follow simple instructions or just don't care enough to listen in the first place.
Occassionally, a participant may actually show interest in your study and have a good discussion with you afterwards, you might even get a good idea from them. On the other hand, some participants think they know absolutely everything and relish the opportunity to tell you exactly what they think you've done wrong, when in fact they've got no idea what they are talking about. These participants are difficult to get out the door and lead to much eye-rolling when they're not looking.
3. Ha! You're assuming that they will actually turn up!! FOOL!
It's all fine and well recruiting participants, but you never know whether they'll actually turn up in the first place. This is my major grumble at the moment, and has been for quite some time.
People who have voluntarily signed up to take part in your study and then fail to actually show up to take part i.e. no shows. No shows are the bain of my life right now. I've been testing for my current study since September and I've had at least 10-15 no show participants in that time. There's nothing worse than dragging yourself out of bed and into the lab for a 9am participant to find that they just couldn't be bothered getting up that day and didn't think it was necessary to let you know that they weren't coming. Seeing the pouring rain and knowing, deep down, that nobody is going to turn up that day but having to go in anyway, just in case.
It's just plain rude.They signed up to it in the first place - I didn't force them to agree to a 9am slot, they chose it. So not only am I constantly left waiting around for participants to show up when I have better things to be doing, but someone else could have signed up to the slot that would have actually turned up.
ARGH!!!
Participants - you can't do research without them, but you also can't do research if they don't turn up.
I long for the day when data collection is over. But, I'm sure once the analysis starts, it won't be long before I'm craving a no show to complain about.
Isn't research fun?! :D
1. You actually have to recruit your participants.
If you're in a University department there is usually an official requirement for the poor First Year Psychology students to take part in studies in exchange for credits, without which they cannot pass into their second year. This sounds like a devious plan and a sure-fire way of getting them through the door, and on the whole it can work. However, there's not really a punishment for not getting their credits, they just have to submit an extra essay and 'ta-da', entrance into second year is theirs. Without an actual serious consequence, unless they consider essay writing the end of the world, then there isn't much incentive for them to willingly take part. Beyond jazzing up the description of your study to make it sound like the most interesting thing in the world, there's little more you can to get them to sign up.
Alternatively, a lucky few researchers will have a budget out of which they can pay participants for taking part. This quickly attracts interest. Psych studies are often seen as an easy way to make some quick cash, and they are paid reasonably well. But budgets are not bottomless pits and eventually the funds run out and you're back to relying on the goodwill of fellow man and there's not much of that going around.
2. Then you have totest them.
You've done the hard bit and recruited yourself some (almost) willing participants. The study is set up and ready to go. You think the data is in the bag but you've overlooked one little problem...
People can be a real pain, intentionally or otherwise. As you are likely to be testing psychology students who have, by now, slept through a lecture or two, they all think they are experts. They spend your entire study trying to work out what it is you're looking at and will either try their best to give the answers they think you want, or will maliciously mess everything up.Many of them can't follow simple instructions or just don't care enough to listen in the first place.
Occassionally, a participant may actually show interest in your study and have a good discussion with you afterwards, you might even get a good idea from them. On the other hand, some participants think they know absolutely everything and relish the opportunity to tell you exactly what they think you've done wrong, when in fact they've got no idea what they are talking about. These participants are difficult to get out the door and lead to much eye-rolling when they're not looking.
3. Ha! You're assuming that they will actually turn up!! FOOL!
It's all fine and well recruiting participants, but you never know whether they'll actually turn up in the first place. This is my major grumble at the moment, and has been for quite some time.
People who have voluntarily signed up to take part in your study and then fail to actually show up to take part i.e. no shows. No shows are the bain of my life right now. I've been testing for my current study since September and I've had at least 10-15 no show participants in that time. There's nothing worse than dragging yourself out of bed and into the lab for a 9am participant to find that they just couldn't be bothered getting up that day and didn't think it was necessary to let you know that they weren't coming. Seeing the pouring rain and knowing, deep down, that nobody is going to turn up that day but having to go in anyway, just in case.
It's just plain rude.They signed up to it in the first place - I didn't force them to agree to a 9am slot, they chose it. So not only am I constantly left waiting around for participants to show up when I have better things to be doing, but someone else could have signed up to the slot that would have actually turned up.
ARGH!!!
Participants - you can't do research without them, but you also can't do research if they don't turn up.
I long for the day when data collection is over. But, I'm sure once the analysis starts, it won't be long before I'm craving a no show to complain about.
Isn't research fun?! :D
Wednesday, 22 February 2012
Is the PhD half empty or half full?
January 2012 disappeared in the blink of an eye and February is quickly heading the same way. As one over zealous office mate drops into conversation every now and then, we are nearly exactly half way through our PhD.
Over half way. That's closer to the finish line than the starting point. Eek.
Looking back to the beginning I can assure myself that I've achieved quite a lot in the past year and a half. Three studies, a couple of conferences, a painful amount of time on SPSS and the odd moment of actual writing is not to be scoffed at. I can almost see how it's all going to come together. One more study to conduct and then write it all up. Simple as. (If only...)
The optimistic side of me looks at my progress and happily announces that the PhD is definitely half full, maybe even more so. "There's a whole year and a half to go.", it proclaims in a Disney-esque positive tone. "Look at what you've done so far and you've got oodles of time to spare. Relax! Put the kettle on. Have a holiday - you deserve it!". For a split second I honestly believe that happy Disney voice in my head until the internal pessimist steps in to dash all my self-assuring dreams.. "Half full?", it shouts. "You're kidding yourself! Look at all those interviews that still need transcribing and coding before you can analyse your data. You haven't even started planning your next study and on top of all that you've not really written anything up properly. Publications? Forget about it - you definitely don't have time for that nonsense. Your PhD is definitely half empty."
And so deflates my happy, rose-tinted perspective on the current state of my PhD.
Being a second year PhD student is very bitter sweet. The constant enthusiasm and motivation you had right the beginning has been well and truly drained. You can't wait for it all to be over, but you're stressed about how little time is left. It's a no win situation.
I've decided to try and alternate between the two perspectives. Some days I can pat myself on the back and toast (cup of tea style) to the progress I've made to half filling my PhD. The rest of the time I think the half-empty camp has to dominate my thinking, giving me enough of The Fear* to keep me working when all other motivation has failed.
We'll see how this plan goes. I prefer the Disney voice's argument.
Ciao for now.
*The Fear is a well known visitor to many an Undergraduate who may be lacking in motivation for the coursework essay or exam revision. The Fear arrives just at the moment of realisation as to how little time is left and are thus forced, by The Fear, into working at break neck speed to get the job done. The Fear cannot be sustained over great periods of time because it is exhausting. If only The Fear's older brother could be located for PhD students around the world and maybe we'd all be a little more productive.
Over half way. That's closer to the finish line than the starting point. Eek.
Looking back to the beginning I can assure myself that I've achieved quite a lot in the past year and a half. Three studies, a couple of conferences, a painful amount of time on SPSS and the odd moment of actual writing is not to be scoffed at. I can almost see how it's all going to come together. One more study to conduct and then write it all up. Simple as. (If only...)
The optimistic side of me looks at my progress and happily announces that the PhD is definitely half full, maybe even more so. "There's a whole year and a half to go.", it proclaims in a Disney-esque positive tone. "Look at what you've done so far and you've got oodles of time to spare. Relax! Put the kettle on. Have a holiday - you deserve it!". For a split second I honestly believe that happy Disney voice in my head until the internal pessimist steps in to dash all my self-assuring dreams.. "Half full?", it shouts. "You're kidding yourself! Look at all those interviews that still need transcribing and coding before you can analyse your data. You haven't even started planning your next study and on top of all that you've not really written anything up properly. Publications? Forget about it - you definitely don't have time for that nonsense. Your PhD is definitely half empty."
And so deflates my happy, rose-tinted perspective on the current state of my PhD.
Being a second year PhD student is very bitter sweet. The constant enthusiasm and motivation you had right the beginning has been well and truly drained. You can't wait for it all to be over, but you're stressed about how little time is left. It's a no win situation.
I've decided to try and alternate between the two perspectives. Some days I can pat myself on the back and toast (cup of tea style) to the progress I've made to half filling my PhD. The rest of the time I think the half-empty camp has to dominate my thinking, giving me enough of The Fear* to keep me working when all other motivation has failed.
We'll see how this plan goes. I prefer the Disney voice's argument.
Ciao for now.
*The Fear is a well known visitor to many an Undergraduate who may be lacking in motivation for the coursework essay or exam revision. The Fear arrives just at the moment of realisation as to how little time is left and are thus forced, by The Fear, into working at break neck speed to get the job done. The Fear cannot be sustained over great periods of time because it is exhausting. If only The Fear's older brother could be located for PhD students around the world and maybe we'd all be a little more productive.
Thursday, 9 February 2012
Stealing My Academic Thunder
Academics are constantly working against the clock to conduct quality research, draw inciteful conclusions and then spread their findings to the world. This process is an incredibly lengthy one and requires a lot of resources: funding, patience, manpower, data, and the trickiest of all, time. If you're lucky to get all of these things then that's great, if not the question must remain unanswered until somebody can gather all the resources together and get the work done.
Few questions and ideas are novel and if you've thought about it, the chances are that someone, somewhere in the world, has thought of it too. This means that you are up against the clock to reach the publishing finish line before these hypothetical competitors do. The race is on but you have no idea who your fellow competitors are and what checkpoint they have reached when you set off on your research journey and if they beat you too it, your cutting edge research quickly becomes blunt.
I think there is a perfect way to describe the feeling of discovering that someone has published in your area that you are still working hard to complete. Even more so when you have found the same things, they've just got their first. They are 'stealing your thunder'; a phrase typically reserved for situations where you're supposed to be the centre of attention but someone upstages you, like your best friend announcing she's pregnant on your wedding day or someone announcing their engagement at your birthday party, but I feel it fits.
I'm sad to say this happened to me today. My academic thunder was well and truly stolen - not just by a fellow academic - but by the Government.
I've been conducting research on the practice of police officers in England and Wales, focusing on how they prepare victims and witnesses for giving evidence in court. Nothing like this had been done before, or should I say, nothing like this had been published before.
This morning I arrived at my desk to find an e-mail from my supervisor containing a press release and a copy of a report, jointly published on the 7th February 2012, by Her Majesty's Criminal Justice System Inspectorate and Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary looking at the experiences of victims and witnesse in the criminal justice system...one aspect of this report was the area I'd focussed on in my study.
Thunder. Gone. My conclusions already there in print with someone elses name on them.
Being two large Government organisations they have obviously had a lot of co-operation from all aspects of the criminal justice system, they've had money to fund the research and they've probably had a large team of people collecting and analysing the data. I have, me, my computer and myself (and my supervisor of course). What chance did I have? If only I'd known what they were up to and I could have saved myself the time and effort and worked on something else...
My supervisor assures me that it's not a massive problem, I now have a great resource to reference, but I still feel short changed.
Will I ever beat the research clock? Who knows. Let the race continue.
Few questions and ideas are novel and if you've thought about it, the chances are that someone, somewhere in the world, has thought of it too. This means that you are up against the clock to reach the publishing finish line before these hypothetical competitors do. The race is on but you have no idea who your fellow competitors are and what checkpoint they have reached when you set off on your research journey and if they beat you too it, your cutting edge research quickly becomes blunt.
I think there is a perfect way to describe the feeling of discovering that someone has published in your area that you are still working hard to complete. Even more so when you have found the same things, they've just got their first. They are 'stealing your thunder'; a phrase typically reserved for situations where you're supposed to be the centre of attention but someone upstages you, like your best friend announcing she's pregnant on your wedding day or someone announcing their engagement at your birthday party, but I feel it fits.
I'm sad to say this happened to me today. My academic thunder was well and truly stolen - not just by a fellow academic - but by the Government.
I've been conducting research on the practice of police officers in England and Wales, focusing on how they prepare victims and witnesses for giving evidence in court. Nothing like this had been done before, or should I say, nothing like this had been published before.
This morning I arrived at my desk to find an e-mail from my supervisor containing a press release and a copy of a report, jointly published on the 7th February 2012, by Her Majesty's Criminal Justice System Inspectorate and Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary looking at the experiences of victims and witnesse in the criminal justice system...one aspect of this report was the area I'd focussed on in my study.
Thunder. Gone. My conclusions already there in print with someone elses name on them.
Being two large Government organisations they have obviously had a lot of co-operation from all aspects of the criminal justice system, they've had money to fund the research and they've probably had a large team of people collecting and analysing the data. I have, me, my computer and myself (and my supervisor of course). What chance did I have? If only I'd known what they were up to and I could have saved myself the time and effort and worked on something else...
My supervisor assures me that it's not a massive problem, I now have a great resource to reference, but I still feel short changed.
Will I ever beat the research clock? Who knows. Let the race continue.
Thursday, 2 February 2012
Putting the D'oh in Dr...
Throughout my studies I've noticed that us PhD students have a habit of being incredibly inefficient. The usual culprit is doing something by hand that could be done 100x faster on some form of computer software. When we are shown the error of our ways, shown how much time and effort we are wasting, we all have that moment where you see the light and generally a 'D'oh' moment is born. There's nothing technically wrong with the way you may be doing something, in fact, a few decades ago it would have been your only choice and you would have been commended on your attention to detail and dedication to get those time-gobbling tasks done. Referencing is one of the main culprits, but for us psychologists, statistical analysis is an equally guilty party.
I had such a 'D'oh' moment today...
I do not claim to be an expert in statistics, or even proficient. I definitely don't have any expertise in the use of SPSS (a particularly unhelpful statistical software package that the psychology world keeps in business despite it's complete and utter lack of a logical user interface). It would be safe to say that my four years of Undergraduate stats training, a year of Masters level stats training and a year and a half of working at PhD level have left me with a 'workable' level of SPSS knowledge, but only if I have a large cup of tea in one hand and my trusty Andy Field SPSS book in the other. Ok...I admit it...I can do one specific statistical test on it and that's about it....
Today, I was trying to put a lot of categorical data into percentages (basically what percentage of people said one thing compared to another). I thought to myself, this seems like something SPSS would be able to do for me, but I didn't have the slightest idea of where to even look for that sort of command. Nobody was around to ask so I decided to calculated the percentages the old fashioned way - well, with my iPhone, not with pen and paper! Funnily enough this was taking a looooooong time so I decided to revisit old SPSS...
Unsurprisingly, SPSS is quite capable of calculating categorical percentages and in fact I had been but two button clicks away from having the information right in front of me.
D'OH!!!
These little moments could, by a positive thinking person, be considered to be a moment of learning to be celebrated but it's very difficult to be that positive person when you realise just how much time you've been wasted. These moments happen a little too frequently and are completely soul destroying. My only solace is the fact that they happen to everyone else in the office too!!
Ciao for now!
I had such a 'D'oh' moment today...
I do not claim to be an expert in statistics, or even proficient. I definitely don't have any expertise in the use of SPSS (a particularly unhelpful statistical software package that the psychology world keeps in business despite it's complete and utter lack of a logical user interface). It would be safe to say that my four years of Undergraduate stats training, a year of Masters level stats training and a year and a half of working at PhD level have left me with a 'workable' level of SPSS knowledge, but only if I have a large cup of tea in one hand and my trusty Andy Field SPSS book in the other. Ok...I admit it...I can do one specific statistical test on it and that's about it....
Today, I was trying to put a lot of categorical data into percentages (basically what percentage of people said one thing compared to another). I thought to myself, this seems like something SPSS would be able to do for me, but I didn't have the slightest idea of where to even look for that sort of command. Nobody was around to ask so I decided to calculated the percentages the old fashioned way - well, with my iPhone, not with pen and paper! Funnily enough this was taking a looooooong time so I decided to revisit old SPSS...
Unsurprisingly, SPSS is quite capable of calculating categorical percentages and in fact I had been but two button clicks away from having the information right in front of me.
D'OH!!!
These little moments could, by a positive thinking person, be considered to be a moment of learning to be celebrated but it's very difficult to be that positive person when you realise just how much time you've been wasted. These moments happen a little too frequently and are completely soul destroying. My only solace is the fact that they happen to everyone else in the office too!!
Ciao for now!
Wednesday, 1 February 2012
Race to the Finish Line
I consider my PhD to be a professional/academic challenge. A HUGE ONE! I don't think anyone could really disagree with that! It is mentally challenging more than anything else as a good 95% of my day involves being sat at a desk, staring at a computer screen. Not only is this not doing my eyesight any good, but it's doing nothing to improve my health.
Before Christmas I also added a personal challenge to my to-do list. I've never really been a big fan of exercise but I decided that this needed to change and I was going to try the Couch to 5K Challenge. The last exercise I did was probably a bit of light paced swimming, several years ago, and maybe a few aerobic classes in my freshers year of undergraduate so it was safe to say that I didn't have appropriate clothing. Running for the bus was usually enough to put me out of action!
After a sympathetic friend took me in hand to the alien world of sports clothes shopping I downloaded the Get Running app for my phone and got going. Three runs a week with a mixture of running and walking, the runs getting longer week by week. I'm in week 6 of 9 now and I'm completely amazed at just how much I enjoy my morning runs! I'm lucky enough to live a 5 minute walk away from Windsor Great Park and so I have beautiful scenery to look at as I huff and puff my way through the morning training session. It's time to myself to just focus on something non-PhD related and to let my mind wander and it's surprisingly liberating. No emails to check, no typing to be done. Just enjoying the view.
I've always been sceptical of fitness fanatics who sing praises of exercise and just how much more energy it gives you but I would have to say I've been converted around to their way of thinking. It's truly an addictive feeling and by following a training schedule I get to have a small sense of achievement at least three times a week when I finish a session. Little goals elsewhere in life are crucial when the ultimate PhD finish line is such a distant goal at the moment.
Knowing myself, I need some incentive to keep going with the running once I reach the end of this training programme in a few weeks time. So...to make sure I keep going I've signed up for a Race for Life 5K Challenge in July and the ShockAbsorber's WomensOnly 10K Challenge in October. Instant fear as soon as my registration e-mails arrived but again, they are further chances to overcome some sort of challenge and get that sense of achievement at the end of it. If I can overcome these challenges and make it across the finish line, then surely the race to thesis completion is achievable too?! (she tells herself!).
I'm hoping to raise some money to support the work done at Cancer Research - this wasn't intended as a big sell but you've got to take fundraising opportunities where you can find them! If anyone would like to sponsor me I would greatly appreciate it and you can do so by clicking on the logo below.
Wish me luck!!!
Before Christmas I also added a personal challenge to my to-do list. I've never really been a big fan of exercise but I decided that this needed to change and I was going to try the Couch to 5K Challenge. The last exercise I did was probably a bit of light paced swimming, several years ago, and maybe a few aerobic classes in my freshers year of undergraduate so it was safe to say that I didn't have appropriate clothing. Running for the bus was usually enough to put me out of action!
After a sympathetic friend took me in hand to the alien world of sports clothes shopping I downloaded the Get Running app for my phone and got going. Three runs a week with a mixture of running and walking, the runs getting longer week by week. I'm in week 6 of 9 now and I'm completely amazed at just how much I enjoy my morning runs! I'm lucky enough to live a 5 minute walk away from Windsor Great Park and so I have beautiful scenery to look at as I huff and puff my way through the morning training session. It's time to myself to just focus on something non-PhD related and to let my mind wander and it's surprisingly liberating. No emails to check, no typing to be done. Just enjoying the view.
I've always been sceptical of fitness fanatics who sing praises of exercise and just how much more energy it gives you but I would have to say I've been converted around to their way of thinking. It's truly an addictive feeling and by following a training schedule I get to have a small sense of achievement at least three times a week when I finish a session. Little goals elsewhere in life are crucial when the ultimate PhD finish line is such a distant goal at the moment.
Knowing myself, I need some incentive to keep going with the running once I reach the end of this training programme in a few weeks time. So...to make sure I keep going I've signed up for a Race for Life 5K Challenge in July and the ShockAbsorber's WomensOnly 10K Challenge in October. Instant fear as soon as my registration e-mails arrived but again, they are further chances to overcome some sort of challenge and get that sense of achievement at the end of it. If I can overcome these challenges and make it across the finish line, then surely the race to thesis completion is achievable too?! (she tells herself!).
I'm hoping to raise some money to support the work done at Cancer Research - this wasn't intended as a big sell but you've got to take fundraising opportunities where you can find them! If anyone would like to sponsor me I would greatly appreciate it and you can do so by clicking on the logo below.
Wish me luck!!!
Monday, 23 January 2012
How to get a gay ol' PhD...
For three hours a week, I work in the Careers Service. I provide feedback on CVs and application advise to students in one-to-one sessions. Fun. I'm telling you this because sometimes there isn't anyone booked in for a session and I'm left to browse the resources of the Careers Service....
Last time I did this I stumbled upon a book titled: How to get a PhD. WIN! I thought to myself. I'm being paid to find out how to get that Dr. before my very own Ainsworth! I then stumbled across the following chapter:
How to survive in a predominantly British, White, Male, Full-Time, Heterosexual, Academic Environment.
This sounds like something worth at least a scan through so I settled down in my student free moment to have a read ... really wish I hadn't. I photocopied one particular section because I was baffled by what I read...have a see what you think for yourselves:
"Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans-gender Students
Increasingly, gay and lesbian people wish to be frank with their friends and colleagues but this honesty opens up greater possibilities for discrimination. Gay or lesbian students who come out may find that their supervisors are nonplussed or antagonistic and this will complicate the relationship. Alternatively, if they remain silent but are subsequently outed they can become targets for harassment. They thus have a risky decision to make.
One way to avoid these problems is to ensure that you keep your emotional life and your professional life apart as far as possible, especially so far as members of academic staff are concerned. You might also try to discover some others in a similar situation for mutual support, and, if necessary, get together to influence your university to take these issues seriously. Don't forget that the student union is there to help all students and that includes you."
What the chuff were they thinking?????
So this book was first published in 1987 (and like any good academic I will provide the reference at the end of my rant!) but the edition that I was reading was a 2010 5th Edition....didn't anyone, anywhere along the publication line think that this was on the offensive side of things and in fact should be updated or, in fact, removed altogether? Seriously?!
I'll stop my little rant there, as my blood starts to boil.
Ciao for now :)
*horrific reference as promised: How to get a PhD: a handbook for students and their supervisors. Estelle Phillips & Derik Pugh, Open University Press
Last time I did this I stumbled upon a book titled: How to get a PhD. WIN! I thought to myself. I'm being paid to find out how to get that Dr. before my very own Ainsworth! I then stumbled across the following chapter:
How to survive in a predominantly British, White, Male, Full-Time, Heterosexual, Academic Environment.
This sounds like something worth at least a scan through so I settled down in my student free moment to have a read ... really wish I hadn't. I photocopied one particular section because I was baffled by what I read...have a see what you think for yourselves:
"Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans-gender Students
Increasingly, gay and lesbian people wish to be frank with their friends and colleagues but this honesty opens up greater possibilities for discrimination. Gay or lesbian students who come out may find that their supervisors are nonplussed or antagonistic and this will complicate the relationship. Alternatively, if they remain silent but are subsequently outed they can become targets for harassment. They thus have a risky decision to make.
One way to avoid these problems is to ensure that you keep your emotional life and your professional life apart as far as possible, especially so far as members of academic staff are concerned. You might also try to discover some others in a similar situation for mutual support, and, if necessary, get together to influence your university to take these issues seriously. Don't forget that the student union is there to help all students and that includes you."
What the chuff were they thinking?????
So this book was first published in 1987 (and like any good academic I will provide the reference at the end of my rant!) but the edition that I was reading was a 2010 5th Edition....didn't anyone, anywhere along the publication line think that this was on the offensive side of things and in fact should be updated or, in fact, removed altogether? Seriously?!
I'll stop my little rant there, as my blood starts to boil.
Ciao for now :)
*horrific reference as promised: How to get a PhD: a handbook for students and their supervisors. Estelle Phillips & Derik Pugh, Open University Press
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