Evaluating Perry’s structured approach for professional doctorate theses

Charles, M; Farr-Wharton, B; von der Heidt, T; Sheldon, N

Evaluating Perry’s structured approach for professional doctorate theses

Charles, M Farr-Wharton, B

von der Heidt, T Sheldon, N

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Education and Training, 2017, 59 (2), pp. 215 - 230
Issue Date:: 2017-01-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Charles, M	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Farr-Wharton, B https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9987-934X	en_US
dc.contributor.author	von der Heidt, T	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Sheldon, N	en_US
dc.date.issued	2017-01-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Education and Training, 2017, 59 (2), pp. 215 - 230	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	0040-0912	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/85939
dc.description.abstract	© 2017, © Emerald Publishing Limited. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate examiner reactions to doctorate of business administration (DBA) theses at an Australian university applying Perry’s structured approach to thesis presentation, which had its origin in the marketing discipline, but is now widely applied to other business disciplines. Design/methodology/approach: This paper examines 49 DBA examiner reports relating to 19 DBA theses using the structured Perry approach, with emphasis paid to comments relating to thesis structure and presentation. Only those theses that acknowledged Perry or demonstrated Perry-like characteristics were interrogated. Findings: The use of Perry’s structured approach can lead to DBA theses that place excessive emphasis on description rather than practical outcomes, as should occur with a professional doctorate, and also fosters excessive repetition and scaffolding that unduly interferes with the candidate’s “story telling”. Many examiners found theses using Perry’s structured approach problematic, particularly with respect to a lack of integration with the literature and reflection on the findings in relation to previous studies. Research limitations/implications: The use of Perry’s structured approach potentially acts as a further barrier to DBA theses, and other professional doctorates by extension, sufficiently differentiating themselves from PhDs. This has implications for the examination of such theses, which are sometimes viewed as lower-quality PhDs instead of professional doctorates. Originality/value: Applying a traditional PhD thesis structure, such as the model advocated by Perry with its use of five chapters, to DBA theses potentially exacerbates existing professional doctorate “image” issues, thereby leading to ambiguity for examiners and the candidates themselves.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Education and Training	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1108/ET-02-2016-0025	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Business & Management	en_US
dc.title	Evaluating Perry’s structured approach for professional doctorate theses	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	2	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	59	en_US
utslib.for	1301 Education Systems	en_US
utslib.for	1701 Psychology	en_US
utslib.for	13 Education	en_US
utslib.for	17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Business
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Business/Management Discipline
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.issue	2	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	59	en_US

Abstract:

© 2017, © Emerald Publishing Limited. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate examiner reactions to doctorate of business administration (DBA) theses at an Australian university applying Perry’s structured approach to thesis presentation, which had its origin in the marketing discipline, but is now widely applied to other business disciplines. Design/methodology/approach: This paper examines 49 DBA examiner reports relating to 19 DBA theses using the structured Perry approach, with emphasis paid to comments relating to thesis structure and presentation. Only those theses that acknowledged Perry or demonstrated Perry-like characteristics were interrogated. Findings: The use of Perry’s structured approach can lead to DBA theses that place excessive emphasis on description rather than practical outcomes, as should occur with a professional doctorate, and also fosters excessive repetition and scaffolding that unduly interferes with the candidate’s “story telling”. Many examiners found theses using Perry’s structured approach problematic, particularly with respect to a lack of integration with the literature and reflection on the findings in relation to previous studies. Research limitations/implications: The use of Perry’s structured approach potentially acts as a further barrier to DBA theses, and other professional doctorates by extension, sufficiently differentiating themselves from PhDs. This has implications for the examination of such theses, which are sometimes viewed as lower-quality PhDs instead of professional doctorates. Originality/value: Applying a traditional PhD thesis structure, such as the model advocated by Perry with its use of five chapters, to DBA theses potentially exacerbates existing professional doctorate “image” issues, thereby leading to ambiguity for examiners and the candidates themselves.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/85939