Exploring the Experiences of Professors in the Process of Writing Graduate Students\' Dissertations: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Introduction: One of the essential parts of postgraduate education is writing a thesis that has educational and research aspects which is an exclusive experience to students and teachers. The purpose of this study was to explore the teachers chr('39')experiences of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences on the process of writing a dissertation among postgraduate students. Methods: The present study was carried out with a qualitative approach and a qualitative content analysis method in 2019. By using the purposeful sampling method, 12 professors who worked at the Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences and having experience as a supervisor dissertation of postgraduate students have been selected and the semi-structured interviews conducted with them. The interviews recorded, transcribed, and analyzed by the content analysis method. Results: From data analysis of experiences of the participants as a supervisor at the dissertation of postgraduate students writing process, four categories of results have been extracted: 1. Student unpreparedness, 2. Not a priority of education, 3. Poor teamwork, and 4. Executive problems. Conclusion: According to the findings, to prepare and more involving students with the process of writing a dissertation, to plan for coordination between different sections, to strengthen the spirit of teamwork, to improve policies and to upgrade the process of writing a dissertation recommended.

Keywords

• experience
• professor
• dissertation
• postgraduate education
• qualitative study