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An ecological model of developing researcher competence: the case of software technology in doctoral research

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Abstract

This paper presents an ecological model of developing researcher competence, with a particular focus on doctoral students’ use of research software. The model extends on theoretical work done by Young et al. (Instructional Science 30(1): 47–63, 2002), modelling the intentional dynamics of technological learning contexts. The development of the ecological model is linked to existing ways of understanding the doctoral experience. This includes the recent emphasis on pedagogy and learning, as well as different conceptualisations of context. The experiences of three doctoral student informants are used to exemplify aspects of the ecological model. A description of an e-learning resource, designed to support Education doctoral students’ use of research software, illustrates a concrete pedagogical contribution of the model. The paper concludes with a more general discussion of contributions of the model to the field of ecological psychology and the literature on doctoral education.

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Notes

  1. ESRC = Economic and Social Research Council; AHRC = Arts and Humanities Research Council; in total the UK has seven government-funded research councils.

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Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank Susan Brown, Julian Edge, Richard Fay, Helen Günther, Gary Motteram, Julian Williams, as well as three anonymous reviewers for providing constructive comments on earlier versions of this paper. The research was made possible by funding allocated internally by the School of Education of the University of Manchester.

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  1. School of Education, Ellen Wilkinson Building, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK

    Juup Stelma

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Correspondence to Juup Stelma.

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Stelma, J. An ecological model of developing researcher competence: the case of software technology in doctoral research. Instr Sci 39, 367–385 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-010-9132-7

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