- Title
- Consistency and inconsistency in PhD thesis examination
- Creator
- Holbrook, Allyson; Bourke, Sid; Lovat, Terry; Fairbairn, Hedy
- Relation
- Australian Journal of Education Vol. 52, Issue 1, p. 36-48
- Relation
- http://www.acer.edu.au/aje/
- Publisher
- Australian Council for Educational Research
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2008
- Description
- This is a mixed methods investigation of consistency in PhD examination. At its core is the quantification of the content and conceptual analysis of examiner reports for 804 Australian theses. First, the level of consistency between what examiners say in their reports and the recommendation they provide for a thesis is explored, followed by an examination of the degree of discrepancy between examiner recommendations and university committee decisions on the theses. Two groups of discrepant recommendations are identified and analysed in depth. Finally the main sources of inconsistency are identified. It was found that the comments of a small minority of examiners were inconsistent with each other or with the committee decision in a significant way. Much more commonly the texts of examiner reports were highly consistent and were closely reflected in the final committee decision.
- Subject
- doctoral examination; examiner consistency; thesis assessment; higher education; graduate education
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/43099
- Identifier
- uon:5227
- Identifier
- ISSN:0004-9441
- Rights
- This article may not exactly replicate the final version published in the ACER journal. lt is not a copy of the record. Final and authorised version first published in the Australian Journal of Education in Vol. 52, No. 1, published by the Australian Council for Educational Research. Copyright (c)2008 Australian Council for Educational Research.
- Language
- eng
- Full Text
- Reviewed
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