Misconceptions about the PhD
I have observed that much confusion and presumption arise concerning the nature of the PhD and its commitment. This post clarifies common misconceptions, hopefully with some humour aimed at putting to rest flawed assumptions about what I do.
This post is formatted according to a Question and Answer template. Much of my time is spent writing in academic language, but I prefer to express my thoughts more informally on this platform.
Having said that, whenever I meet someone and we enter into a conversation about the PhD, typical questions follow the said conversation. Here's the first question:
1. You're a full-time student now, primarily based at home. How's it like, now that you're not working?
A PhD is not unlike a full-time job. A quick reference to a university handbook for doctoral students would reveal the typical expectations for a full-time PhD student. My university stipulates the expectation that I work on the PhD at least four days a week during regular office hours.
Apart from abiding by the regulations cited in their university handbooks, some PhD students on scholarships tutor undergraduate classes at their universities. Some of us aim to publish papers in academic journals before we graduate with a doctorate. Others attend conferences to test and present their ideas before a community of scholars. These obligations coexist with the need to complete a thesis with a word length of 80,000 or 100,000, depending on the university to which the PhD student is attached.
Considering the obligations of the PhD student, what I find fascinating about this question is its assumption that what constitutes work is translatable to labour associated with earning income, perhaps at an office beyond the confines of the domestic sphere. This assumption is problematic for various reasons. If a wo/man decides to give up his/her income-earning position to care for his/her infant or an ageing parent with Alzheimer's, does that not constitute work? If a wo/man manages an online business selling musical instruments from the confines of the home so s/he can give more of himself/herself to three children ages five, three, and fifteen months, does that not constitute work?
2. I guess you play with your cat all day now that you're not working. Did you hit the snooze button way too often today?
I'm afraid to disappoint you, but I don't play with the cat all day. Fun fact: cats are solitary animals, well, for most of the time, anyway, and if we try to 'play' with them 'all day', they might attempt to use their paws and nails in dangerous ways that ensure we regret our decision to invade their personal space.
I've explained the profile of feline behaviour. If you need more than a description of the role of a PhD student in my response to question one, let me enlighten you on my weekday routine.
My five-month-old kitten wakes me up between 4.30 to 5.30 am so I can feed him (he licks my eyelids, and when I try to go back to sleep, he licks them a second time, a third and a fourth before mewing into my ears. He then proceeds to rub and lick my nose and my cheeks. He sniffs my lips to study the peculiar contents of my morning breath like a curious researcher).
In deep fog, I pry him away from my head as he vigorously chews strands of my hair. I try to go back to sleep before my phone alarm rings at 6.00 am (Mithy's classical favourite is the chorus to "Hallelujah" of Handel's Messiah because that piece is the ringtone of my alarm, which signals his owner stirring from sleep to feed him breakfast, "Hallelujah it's time for my breakfast!"). I feed Mithy. Then I chop some vegetables and potatoes for my husband and me for lunch. Mithy keeps me company, leaping on the kitchen counter and sniffing the cut potatoes and carrots in his efforts at data collection.
After chopping a variety of foods in the kitchen, I make some tea, then I either go for a morning mass if there's one available, or I go to a study room, fire up my laptop, and read some news or a devotional. I use the Pomodoro technique, working for 25-minute intervals with a five-minute break. I begin work at 8.00 am with an hour's lunch break and end at 4.00 pm. You should get the idea now (and as you can tell, I have an intense personality. This served me well during the lockdown in 2020 when I had to juggle a management role and my PhD).
My weekends and after-work hours are private business :)
**UPDATE: I'm in the final stage of the PhD, and this schedule no longer applies. This is because the intense rigour of the schedule above has led to much exhaustion and emotional numbness. I have developed more flexible routines that allow for rest, creative thinking, and sufficient sleep to protect my mental health.
3. Why 'study' so hard, and what will you do with this qualification anyway? What's the benefit of knowing so much theory (this word is usually pronounced "thee-UHH-REE" to add a dramatic effect to the question), all holed up in your own world, when most thee-UHH-REES don't apply to 'real' life?
This question has allowed me to reflect on and reevaluate my decision to focus on my PhD fulltime. Initially, it triggered some withering self-doubt. Yup, you're right. I am a loser. I am not in touch with reality. Just stuck in an ivory tower with ideas appreciated only by other academics. No one will read my thesis. I am wasting my life away. But, as time passed and my thesis and its originality developed, my confidence solidified. I have begun to see this question as an invitation to sell the worth of my research topic to the non-academic layperson who expresses scepticism about intellectual pursuits like research and the PhD.
Yes, I used the term "non-academic" on purpose, since the world, for some, is divided into individuals with everyday, practical sense and fools with flighty fantasies that decided to do a PhD.
Doing a PhD or working on a research project will certainly not save the world, nor will it answer all life's pressing questions. But a PhD builds on and critiques previous scholars' original ideas and theories before it offers a novel interpretation and approach to addressing a particular research problem.
Since the researcher of this blog employs the grounded theory method, data analysis will not begin with pre-existing hypotheses, nor are my preferred explanations and theories force-fitted on my participants' stories. I break an interview transcript into chunks of meaning (or text segments), grouping chunks together to thematically categorise them. Interview data is a joint construction of stories in which the interviewer and interviewee participate. After all, there is hardly an objective reality that's expressed in the data. Constructivist grounded theory acknowledges that reality is interpretive. As the identification of themes commences with data analysis, frameworks of a theory are fleshed out from these themes. Meanwhile, the researcher's background and values shape how data is interpreted, so maintaining a healthy awareness of one's thoughts and feelings through journaling (and, perhaps, blogging) is essential.
As the theory is generated from interview data, the theory lives, moves, and breathes in data. This is the beauty of theory. A theory does not remain static. A theory is in constant dialogue, contracting and expanding, pushed and pulled. A theory becomes a verb.
I've explained that theories are not fixed formulas. I would also like to explore the worldview behind this question.
Would this question have been asked of someone pursuing a PhD in sciences or technology (for instance, would someone doing a PhD in surgery be asked, "Why are you studying this hard? What's the point of your qualification?") Does this question belie a prejudice towards a PhD in the humanities or social sciences and an underlying bias against non-profitable, non-income generating ideas?
4. When will you be done with your PhD? It's taking ages!
I know. It's crazy, and the journey seems like it will last forever. But this journey is time-bound. I started in 2019 as a part-time student expecting to finish in six years. Now that I've switched to full-time, I'll be done by the end of this year if I stay committed to the cause.
Wish me luck. Sometimes it gets lonely and, quite frankly, frustrating. Primarily because this decision to pursue a PhD in my field is perceived as an unconventional life choice. And people do look at me like I have just grown a pair of antlers whenever I tell them I'm doing a PhD in religious studies. ("So, you want to be a theologian/pastor, ah?" "Ah, so you're going to be the type of doctor that the air stewardess would call on in the case of a passenger's heart attack, only for her to find out your doctorate is in philosophy")
However, I am fortunate to be on a full tuition fee waiver, and I can focus on thinking about my research solely without having to juggle different roles like I did previously. My supervisors are responsible and timely in their feedback. I have a supportive husband who constantly reminds me not to undersell myself and my PhD whenever people ask me what I do with my life at the moment ("It's not just a PhD in 'religious studies', Bae. Why don't you say more about your research topic? Why aren't you talking more? Talk!"). My family accepts and celebrates what I do and will not hesitate to read my drafts for fun.
I've discussed my PhD journey. Obviously, the PhD journey is going to be different for everyone. Some PhD students become mothers while writing their thesis because life happens, and these things don't wait for a more convenient juncture. Others need to work in another full-time role to financially support their PhD endeavour, which is exhausting, so I respect you, my comrade-in-arms. Some PhD students also suffer from mental illness and burnout because of the isolation and pressures of solo work, deadlines, and unavailable supervisors who don't answer their emails, texts, or phone calls. If you're one of them, please allow me to give you a hug.
Now that I've explored what pursuing a PhD is like, I hope to dispel some assumptions about it. The PhD journey isn't a walk in the park. The next time you meet a PhD student, you could ask if s/he has had a good night's rest or something nice to eat. Ask him/her what else s/he does besides the PhD. Ask if s/he has given herself/himself the time to watch the latest Mandalorian episode to unwind from a tough day or whether s/he prefers Andor.
Refrain from jumping to quick conclusions.
Be nice.
Sincerely
Wui Jia
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| Image by Wenwen Fan from Pixabay |
