DISSERTATION · Unisa Institutional Repository (University of South Africa) · 2019

A strategy to facilitate transition from masters degree nursing studies to PhD/doctoral thesis proposal writing

Lynette Zvandasara

Read original paper ↗

See where this research leads.

A citation map has not been saved for this paper yet.

Open in your workspace →Open your workspace to prepare the citation network.

The paper record is available below. Preparing a network uses the existing account and source-allowance controls.

Papers that cite this work

No saved citation network is available; this does not mean the paper has no citations.

The evidence behind the map

Publication record

Dissertation.

Abstract

Background: Challenges in thesis proposal writing have resulted in doctoral students \ndropping from research studies resulting in the shortage of doctoral prepared nurses. \nImpediments include lack of human and non-human resources. Benner’s theory of \nnovice to expert formed the basis for the development of the strategic intervention and \naction plan to address the challenges and strengths experienced by master’s prepared \ndoctoral students during thesis proposal writing \nPurpose: The purpose of this research was to develop a strategic intervention and \naction plan that can be used to assist doctoral students to succeed in thesis proposal \nwriting. \nMethods: An exploratory mixed-methods approach combining qualitative and \nquantitative data collection and analysis in four phases was used. In Phase 1 qualitative \ndata from two open-ended questions were used to gather data, combined with literature \nto develop a questionnaire for Phase 2. A questionnaire was developed from data \nobtained from Phase 2 as well as a thorough literature review to develop the strategic \nintervention and Action plan. In Phase 4 the strategic intervention and action plan was validated using the Delphi technique and experts acted as panellists for the validation. \nFramework: Benner’s novice to expert theoretical framework was adopted for the study \nbecause of the assumption that doctoral students need a change of perception and \nassistance in order to develop critical thinking skills that will enhance the development \nof research competencies. This framework was used because of its relevance to the \nstudy. \nResearch Findings: Competence in doctoral thesis proposal writing is affected by \nhuman resources as well as non-human resources. The identified strategic interventions \nthat were included in the action plan were: recruitment of competent supervisors, \ntraining and mentoring of new supervisors, achieving of a realistic student/supervisor \nratio for supervision of students, timely allocation of supervisors, recruiting of subject \nlibrarians and employment of adequate library support, provision of peer support \nprogrammes, implementation of a student recruitment and selection plan, provision of \nstudent support programmes to enhance research skills and competencies, binding \ncontracts to stipulate students responsibility, provision of adequate research resources, \nand implementation of a bursary system among others. \nConclusion: The strategic intervention and action plan was developed using the input \nof doctoral nursing students who were in the process of completing their thesis proposal \nand a thorough literature review. The inclusion of the deans of nursing of universities \nand universities of technology of South Africa (FUNDISA) will enhance the possibility for \nthe implementation of the strategic intervention and action plan which can contribute to \nassisting the master’s prepared doctoral students to successfully transition from novice \nstudents with little or no research knowledge to competent thesis proposal writers.

Coverage and freshness

Citation coverage has not been established for this paper.

Counts describe saved source records; repository versions may appear separately. A completed source query is not a complete or live citation census. A citation does not prove endorsement or research quality. Counts depend on publication age and index coverage. Colors identify research areas; positions are for readability.

Source: Saved OpenAlex scholarly metadata. Visits to this public page do not acquire new provider data.

Report a correction