PhD candidate

MLitt (Cultural Studies) CQU
MA (Science and Technology Studies) Deakin
BA (Hons)(Anthropology) Adelaide
AOCP

The metaphors that research students use to describe their research and what they tell us about the students' attitudes to research.

Panel

I intend getting research students to tell me about their research experience and then to analyse the metaphors that they use in describing it. Using metaphor analysis I will extract the information which I think will tell me about their attitudes and their feelings about their research. The raw data will be obtained by using a questionnaire.

I was born in Birmingham, England, in 1945, and arrived in Australia as a youngster of nine years of age when my parents emigrated here. I lived most of my life in Adelaide but moved to Canberra in 1996.

When I left school I did an apprenticeship in radio and electronics and spent 25 years working with electronics and computers before deciding that I wanted to do something different and more worthwhile with my life.

Since I had always wanted to go to university I went back to school as a very mature-aged student and did my Year 12. I obtained a place at Adelaide University, where I majored in Anthropology and took my Honours degree in 1994.

I then did some years of study by distance education while trying to make up my mind what I wanted to do next. I obtained a Master of Arts degree in Science and Technology Studies from Deakin University in 1996 and a Master of Letters in Cultural Studies from Central Queensland University in 2002.

Having progressed that far it seemed the next logical step would be to try for a PhD. It took me some time to find a topic that interested me, that I thought would contribute something useful and was acceptable. When I decided to continue on with the study of metaphors which I undertook for my MA thesis I found the topic I was looking for.

Obtaining a PhD would fulfil a long ambition of mine that started when I went back to school to do my Year 12. One of my teachers there suggested that I should consider going on after obtaining my university degree and undertake a PhD. That idea stayed with me through all my university studies until finally I have a chance to achieve my ambition.

Pitcher, R. (2012). Avoiding your supervisor.
ViewPoint. 12 April 2012. http://researchstudents.anu.edu.au/viewpoint/avoid/

Pitcher, R. (2012). On writing. The University Blog. 23 March 2012. http://theuniversityblog.co.uk/2012/03/23/on-writing/

Pitcher, R. (2011). Revealing the colour and personality in texts. Paper read at the ANU Educational Research Conference, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia, 15-16 November 2011.

Pitcher, R. (2011). The metaphors that research students live by. The Thesis Whisperer. 2 November 2011. http://thethesiswhisperer.wordpress.com/2011/11/02/the-metaphors-that-research-students-live-by/

Pitcher, R. (2011). The use of metaphors in teaching and learning. The Teaching Tom-Tom. 26 October 2011. http://theteachingtomtom.wordpress.com/2011/10/26/the-use-of-metaphors-in-teaching-and-learning/

Pitcher, R. (2011). Breaking the writing block. To Do: Dissertation. 3 October 2011. http://tododissertation.wordpress.com/2011/10/02/guest-post-breaking-the-writing-block/

Pitcher, R. (2011). Publication. Postgraduates on Writing. 25 September 2011. http://www.dur.ac.uk/writingacrossboundaries/postgraduatesonwriting/rodpitcher/

Pitcher, R. (2011). The pain and pleasure of publishing. ViewPoint. 8 September 2011. http://researchstudents.anu.edu.au/viewpoint/pain/

Pitcher, R. (2011). Coping with PhD depression. ViewPoint. 8 September 2011. http://researchstudents.anu.edu.au/viewpoint/depressed/

Pitcher, R. (2011) Doing a PhD and living to tell the tale. ViewPoint.  http://researchstudents.anu.edu.au/viewpoint/tale/

Pitcher, R. (2011) Doctoral students’ conceptions of research. The Qualitative Report 16(4), 971-983

Carter, S. & Pitcher, R. (2010) Extended metaphors for pedagogy: Using sameness and difference. Teaching in Higher Education, 15(5), 579-589.

Pitcher, R. (2010) The self in research and other matters: A study of doctoral students’ conceptions. International Journal for Researcher Development, (1)3, 59-68.

Pitcher, R. & Åkerlind, G. (2009) Post-doctoral researchers’ conceptions of research: A metaphor analysis. International Journal for Researcher Development, 1 (2), 42-56.