صفه (Sep 2024)
The Selection of Master’s Thesis in the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning: A Grounded Theory Study Emanated from Supervisors’ Experiences
Abstract
Background and objectives: The significant expansion of postgraduate university education programmes in Iran, particularly at the Master’s level, has resulted in a substantial portion of research, including architecture and urban planning, being conducted in the form of Master’s theses. The thesis is the main research activity in the Master’s degree programme, and hence the great importance of its preparation process, particularity the selection the topic. A review of the literature reveals a lack of adequate research on Master’s theses in the fields of architecture and urbanism in Iran, particularlyon topic selection procedures. Therefore, the examination of these procedures and exploration of the experiences of key actors, especially supervisors, is of particular importance. This investigation can help improve the quality and efficiency of such academic endeavours. This research is an inquiry into academic staff’s experiences at the School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Shahid Beheshti University regarding topic selection procedures, to develop a conceptual framework. On that basis, the research objectives include identifying the ‘core category’ in the process of selecting thesis topics, explaining the ‘causes’, ‘intervening conditions’, and ‘contextual conditions’ that lead to the emergence of the core category, and exploring the interaction of the supervisors with the core category and its ‘consequences’.Methods: The research is a qualitative study based on the grounded theory. The participants are 23 academic staff with considerable experiences in supervising Master’s theses from different departments of the School. The sampling method is ‘purposive’. As the initial categories emerged, subsequent participants were selected using the ‘theoretical sampling’ method until theoretical saturation of the discovered categories and concepts was achieved. The data were collected using semi-structured interviews. Two questions were posed to stimulate sensitivity and reflection among participants. The first question inquired about their experience in choosing thesis topics, while the second question sought their opinion on the optimal method for selecting or developing the topics. The content analysis of the transcribed interviews has been done systematically through sequential steps via ‘open’, ‘axial’ and ‘selective’ coding. Based on the axial coding, the developed categories have been classified and labelled as causal, contextual, intervening, interactive, and consequential categories. The relationships between these categories have been presented in the form of a paradigm model.Results and conclusion: Overall, the research findings indicate that the participants have experienced a ‘lack of formal and explicit strategy for topic selection in the School’ as the ‘core category’ or the main phenomenon. The study also indicates that in the absence of a formal-explicit strategy or a meaningful Big Picture, supervisors have highly relied upon their own tacit knowledge and personal views regarding the definition and mission of a Master’s thesis. This reliance has led to the development of numerous, not necessarily well-coordinated, individual-implicit strategies to inform their decisions. The causal and contextual conditions leading to the formation of the ‘core category’ include non-critical adoption of international universities’ curriculum and programmes, lack of strong institutional relations among university, industry, government and community, diversity of disciplinary cultures in the School, personal tendencies of the supervisors, and instability in the governing bylaws and academic administration. The main consequence of these conditions has been the emergence of numerous unrelated and isolated pieces of research conducted by different departments, and a lack of synergetic accumulation of research results. This study implies the significance of achieving a ‘common understanding’ about the definition and mission of a Master’s thesis among the School’s academic staff. Other research implications include the need to create a pedagogical discourse on architecture and urbanism, build sufficient capacity to carry out curricular and strategic planning at the School, embrace the existing diversity of disciplinary cultures in the School as an opportunity, foster critical thinking skills in students, and strengthen the institutional ties between university, industry, government and community.
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