Next week I’ll be speaking to a new cohort of EdD students on their induction day as an existing EdD student, now beginning my sixth year. I’ll be talking about my experience of the programme. I thought that writing some of that here might be useful for someone thinking about doing an EdD. I can also point them to this page!

Why did I want to do an EdD?
It certainly wasn’t about advancing my career – I’ve been in the profession 35 years now. For some people, getting the ‘Dr’ badge is important as they progress. For me, it was more about the enjoyment of academic work (I look back on my MA from the noughties with fond memories) and having something to say. I became frustrated with school governance. Multi academy trusts (MATs) were springing up all over the country with completely different requirements for governance, yet both statutory and guidance documents from government were not recognising these changes and, if they were, not going far enough. What I have learned over the past five years is that I won’t be able to change government policy, but I will be able to contribute, even in a tiny way.

What is good about UCL’s Institute of Education? 
Coming back to IoE was amazing. A lot has changed in the last decade, particularly regarding IT and the library, and certainly the building itself over the past year or two. Almost every book or journal I have needed for my research has been available electronically. The support from librarians and from IT services is responsive and has helped me immensely. Any new student can be assured that they will get the support that they need.

Isn’t doing a doctorate lonely?
I suppose it depends on how much you engage and want to be part of the doctoral community. The Centre for Doctoral Education (CDE) arranges a number of events  – get involved! I recently took part in a poster conference, and I’ve attended summer conferences and other events. Externally, I also joined The British Educational Leadership, Management and Administration Society (BELMAS). They run research interest groups, and I joined the ‘Governance and Governing’ RIG. Through this I met (online) eminent authors in my field and have been able to engage with them. Through this I am also connected with other PhD and EdD researchers at other English universities who are focusing their research on school governance.

Why does the EdD take so long?
When you start your EdD, it is expected you will take between five and seven years to achieve your doctorate. What’s particularly beneficial about the EdD is that the first year is ‘taught’. The first three modules – Foundations of Professionalism (FOP), Methods of Enquiry I (MOE1) and Methods of Enquiry II (MOE2) take a term each, and are assessed. You are introduced to many different methods of research and get to try out those which interest you. By the time you begin thinking about your Institution Focused Study (IFS) in your second year, you will have a reasonable idea of the direction of your research (qualitative/quantitative) and the appropriate methods for your research question. The IFS gives you an opportunity to test some of this out, supported by your supervisors. Once you’ve passed your IFS (with at least a ‘B’ grade), you are ready to upgrade to thesis stage. This requires a written proposal and you presenting to a panel of two independent reviewers. By this stage, I’d written 42,800 words, including my Portfolio Reflective Statement (PRS).
The university also knows that stuff happens! You are able to interrupt your studies (take a break) and resume when you are ready. Extensions to deadlines are also available to you. You’ll find that cohorts start to become mixed over the years as people rejoin the programme. Don’t be afraid to ask if you need a break.

How will I know what systems to use to do my research? There are so many available!
I used Endnote back in the noughties for my MA. We were introduced to Zotero early on in the EdD, but I found it clunky and I was still having to organise and note-take in other apps. For MOE1 and MOE2 I tried Mendeley and Papers, but then Zotero had an upgrade which, in my opinion, was a better option. Not only is it free (use your academic email address), it is supported by UCL.
I certainly did not have a great note-taking system for a few years! Hand-written notes, notes on tablet devices, in Zotero, and elsewhere just got lost. I then found Logseq, which is a knowledge management platform. It’s a bit like Obsidian but I prefer its presentation. Both are free and use markdown files, so are completely interchangeable and not software-specific. YouTube is your friend here!
As a reflexive, qualitative researcher I am using MAXQDA for my coding and analysis. I tried other software and found MAXQDA easier to use and has so much support available to help me.
Finally, I have settled on writing my thesis in Scrivener. This is an amazing piece of writing software enabling me to break down my thesis into easy writing stages. I can export my writing in stages, all formatted correctly in Word to send to my supervisors.

Any last tips?
Be clear about any use of AI. I’ve been experimenting with AI but won’t be using it for my research analysis. I do not have ethical approval to use AI on my data and did not seek permission from participants. I suspect that for any new cohort of students, this will be a feature. Just don’t put anything into a language model that is going to use your data to learn (such as ChatGTP). I have looked at Claude, recommended a number of times by Professor Inger Mewburn (otherwise known as The Thesis Whisperer), who I’d advise you to follow!
Finally, make sure you set up and join a WhatsApp group! Our group found this invaluable, not just when you get stuck on something and need a quick answer, but a fantastic way of celebrating those small steps throughout your EdD journey.

Photo by sarah b on Unsplash