Doctoral research in education: a comparative study on Indian and international trends
International Journal of Comparative Education and Development
ISSN: 2396-7404
Article publication date: 24 October 2022
Issue publication date: 1 November 2022
Abstract
Purpose
It is unfortunate yet true that in India, research starts and ends with a Ph.D. The steady decline in the quality of doctoral research has been an articulated concern among Indian academics at a time when research and innovation should be a priority. One of the feasible ways of resurrecting or reconstructing Indian research is to open up to examine contemporary international trends. Against this backdrop, the study aimed to make a comparative analysis of doctoral research in education in top-ranking international and top-ranking Indian universities.
Design/methodology/approach
Adopting a comparative education methodology, this paper examines 100 doctoral dissertations from the top 10 international universities as per Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) ranking and 100 doctoral theses from the top 10 Indian universities following National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) submitted in the past decade. Four significant issues were investigated during the comparison – topic, procedure, presentation, and dissemination – based on the premeditated Research Quality Relevance Metrics (RQRM) designed by the authors for quality improvement of research.
Findings
Findings revealed stark differences between two trends in all four domains. The top international universities focus on the contemporariness scattered across diverse issues while Indian studies continue to engage on a few archetypal conventional issues with dreary reiterations. The newness of thought is rare in Indian research, while the interdisciplinary mixing of methods and practices had been the hallmark of its international comportment. Practice orientation has been a unique research attribute found in the top 10 international universities. The methods applied have attempted to reduce the age-old gap between educational research and practice. Methodological innovativeness, structural orientation, readability, and dissemination of research were also exemplary in those international theses, whereas Indian theses are still reeling under orthodox surveys with hesitant reporting.
Research limitations/implications
This study put an exclusive mirror in front of Indian doctoral research on its current state in respect of international standards. At the same time, it upholds a framework to promote research quality and impact. Dimensions of research quality relevance matrices and recommendations for effective doctoral research are two vibrant contributions to the intelligentsia in general for bringing Indian research out of its cocoon to make it internationally comparable.
Originality/value
It reports a study conducted by the researchers and the write-up is based on the empirical findings only.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge Educational Technology and Management Academy (ETMA), Guru Gram, India, and it's Chairman, Prof. Marmar Mukhopadhyay for commissioning this research in its full form and providing selfless support in making this succinct form possible.
Availability of data and materials: Data and research materials are available with the corresponding author of this article Dr. Arnab Kundu upon request in email: arnabkundu5@gmail.com
Citation
Kundu, A., Kaibarta, M. and Mukherjee, S. (2022), "Doctoral research in education: a comparative study on Indian and international trends", International Journal of Comparative Education and Development, Vol. 24 No. 3/4, pp. 206-227. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCED-08-2022-0057
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited