User:Joelle Vandermensbrugghe
Joelle Vandermensbrugghe works at University of Canberra, supporting research students to acquire skills to do and present research.
Contents |
[edit] interests
Higher Degree by Research
Media representations.
Ethnic media and the public sphere.
[edit] projects
[edit] Research degrees and mature age students
This projects aims to develop understanding the experience of mature age HDR students of the process of doing a degree and of the outcomes of the degree completed. The research will focus on student who started a HDR degree when they were older than 50, and interview them when they have been at least 3 years out of the degree.
This study aims to look at 1. How students experienced engaging in a HDR degree 2. How they experienced the impact the degree had on their life subsequently ? Professional and personal. The aim of the research is not to favour one area above another, but to let participants decide on what areas of their life have been importantly impacted by their research studies.
'Rationale' Research in outcomes of higher degree by research education tends to be employability, about the capacity for HDR education to prepare candidates for employment. Employability has become a driver for research in Higher Degrees by Research. As indicated by Leonard, Becker & Coate (2005) this focus is largely due to ‘external pressure on the higher education sector to be accountable in their spending of public funds’. In Australia, the need to renew an ageing workforce seems to be of particular concern. A report submitted to the Submitted to the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations in 2011 (Edwards et al, 2011) centres around the problem of an ageing academic workforce which could be solved by the current cohort of research students seen as possible replacements. The assumption is that research students are young and engaging in research to start a career in academia or in research or increase job prospects.
But how do older research students fit in this picture? The average age of research students in Australia has increased during the last decade (DIISR 2010, p27). In 2005, 14% of PhD students were over 50 while 22% were between 40 and 49 (Pearson et al 2008, p 24). More recent figures published by DEEWR (Higher Education Statistics Collection, Commencements, 2008 cited in Access Economics 2010, p 32) indicate that about 40% of HDR candidates commence when over 40, 20% over 50. The mean age of PhD students is higher in some fields, in education is 45, while in engineering and in natural and physical sciences it is 29 (Pearson et al, 2008). What are outcomes for older students – or more to the point how do older students experience outcomes of their research degree? In the view of research conducted on the renewal of the academic and research workforce, research students above 50 may be perceived as somehow be problematic as this age group is already seen as dominating academia. This is about lifelong learning, which is about essential engagement with society.
This research will also look at motivations for older students to start a research degree and their experience of the research degree. Grouping students who started a research degree over 50 as if they were one homogeneous group may not work very well as there are still many differences in age, gender, motivations, expectations..., but the research will provide us with an insight into how some older research students have experienced their degree and life after the degree and will as such contribute to the discussion about engaging in a PhD at an older age.
Because it proposes to examine reasons for doing a research degree, the experience of a research degree and outcomes, this study will also contribute to the discussion on the purpose of the PhD, which is surrounded by a lot of uncertainty at the moment. Universities have become part of a wider knowledge market which has forced them into the marketplace (Usher 2002). Mature research students not only contribute to knowledge, but also bring knowledge transfer in and out universities ( Leonard et al, 2005). The new knowledge economy requires flexibility and ‘an important aspect of flexibility is diversity’ (Usher, 2002 p151).
Australia has great diversity in its research population (Pearson et al , 2008). Yet little qualitative research on mature age research candidates has been carried out. Official government statistics and provide quantitative data on outcomes. Research on outcome focuses on employment. Examples are form research carried out by University of Queensland Social Research Centre (UQSRC) carried out a research on employment outcomes of PHD graduates in Australia (Western et al 2007) and on employment outcomes for women PhD graduates (Denver wet al 2008). In the UK, Leonard et al (2005) contacted people who completed a research degree with the Institute of Education ( UK) 2, 7 and 12 years after completion to conclude . They found that they undertook studies for professional, personal development and intellectual interest, and that their research qualification contributed to career advancement but only over time. Leonard et al (2005) concluded by underlining ‘the continuing importance of intellectual and emotional growth in the benefits derived from the doctorate’ (p146). Peelo (2010) interviewed students after completion to seek information on the experience of supervision and employment outcomes as related to supervision. The Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA) has carried out research in terms of how well research students were supported and represented at universities (see e.g. CAPA 2010).
[edit] Ethnic media
Supporting assimilation and/or fostering identity Ethnic media and new technology: challenges and or opportunities?
Draft bibliography
Migrants and the media : an annotated bibliography. Published, Canberra : Australian Govt. Pub. Service, 1995. P96.M5.M54 1995 /
Review of national broadcasting policy : discussion paper Special Broadcasting Service, July 1988 / Department of Transport and Communications. Published, Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service, 1988. PN1992.8.E84.R48 1988./
Arnold, Anne-Katrin & Schneider, Beate (2007), 'Communication separation?: Ethnic media and ethnic journalists as institutions of integration in Germany', Journalism Vol 8, pp 115 - 136.
Bailey, Olga G., & Georgiou, Myria, & Harindranath, Ramaswami, 2007 in Transnational lives and the media : re-imagining diasporas / edited by Olga G. Bailey, Myria Georgiou, R. Harindranath Palgrave Macmillan, New York : http://www.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy0709/2007060028-t.html /
Ball-Rokeach, Sandra J., Yong-Chan Kim and Sorin Matei (2001), ‘Storytelling Neighborhood : Paths to Belonging in Diverse Urban Environments’, Communication Research 28: 392/
Cohen, E. (2008). 'We are staying in our country - here': Israeli mediascapes in melbourne. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 34(6), 1003-1019. Retrieved from www.scopus.com
Couldry Nick and Dreher Tanja (2007). ‘Globalization and the public sphere. Exploring the space of community media in Sydney . Global Media and Communication Volume 3(1): 79–100
Christiansen Connie Carøe (2004), ‘News Media Consumption among Immigrants in Europe The Relevance of Diaspor’ Ethnicities, Vol. 4, No. 2, 185-207
Deuze, Mark (2006), 'Ethnic media, community media and participatory culture', Journalism 2006:7, p262 - 280.
Dreher Tanja (2010), 'Speaking up or being heard? Community media interventions and the politics of listening', Media Culture Society 32: 85
Echchaibi, Nabil (2007), ‘Republican Betrayal: Beur FM and the Suburban Riots in France’, Journal of Intercultural Studies Vol. 28, No. 3, August 2007, pp. 301 _316
Forde, Susan., Meadows Michael and Kerrie Foxwell (2002), Culture, commitment, community - the Australian community radio sector . Brisbane, Q'ld. : Griffith University, Australian Key Centre for Cultural and Media Policy, 2002. UC Library HE8699.A8.F67 2002
Gilson, Miriam and Zubrzycki, Jerzy (1967), The foreign-language press in Australia, 1848-1964, Australian National University Press, PN5510.G5 1967
Kwak, Hi-Sung (1991) Aspects of the Korean ethnic press in Australia, 1985-1990 : an analysis of the backgrounds of editors and publishers and news content unpublished Thesis Masters
Libbey, J. (1994), A richer vision : the development of ethnic minority media in Western democracies edited by Charles Husband. Paris : Unesco Publishing ; London/
Lin, Wan-Ying & Song, Hayeon (2006), 'Geo-ethnic storytelling: An examination of ethnic media content in contemporary immigrant communities', Journalism Vol 7, pp 362 - 388.
Podkalicka, A., Thomas, J. (2010) The skilled social voice: An experiment in creative economy and communication rights, International Communication Gazette, 72 (4), pp. 395-406./
Wilkin Holley A. and Ball-Rokeach Sandra J. (2006), ‘Reaching at risk groups : The importance of health storytelling in Los Angeles Latino media’, Journalism 2006 7: 299.
Zangalis, George (2001), From 3ZZ to 3ZZZ : a short history of ethnic broadcasting in Australia (UC Library PN1991.8.E84.Z36 2001)
Minority Community Media Campaign - Western Europe; http://www.comminit.com/en/node/119440/348
[edit] The internationalisation of education – too foreign for Australia?
Paper posted on my blog
[edit] past projects
Social issues in the media Media representations
[edit] Curriculum Vitae
Education Certificate IV in Training and Assessment CBAA (Community Broadcasting Association of Australia) (2008)
Graduate Certificate in Higher Education (University of Canberra) (2005)
Doctor of Philosophy University of Canberra, 2001.
Master of Arts in Communication, University of Canberra, 1996
Licence en Journalisme et Communication, Université Libre de Bruxelles (Belgium)
Work experience October 2003 – current: academic position (Convenor of the Research Education Program, University of Canberra).
2001 - curent: lecturer communication units (University of Canberra and University of Canberra College)
July 2001 – October 2003: lecturer at the Academic Skills Program, University of Canberra. The Academic Skills program assists undergraduate and postgraduate students to develop the language and study skills necessary for success at university.
March 1999 - November 2001: senior tutor for the units “Communication Foundations” and “Communication Traditions”, at the University of Canberra.
September 1997 – 2001: research candidate / research assistant / casual tutor
January 1997 – August 1997: administrative officer, Belgian Embassy in Canberra.
August 1996 – December 1996: public relations officer, Royal Belgian Film Archive, Brussels, Belgium.
1988 – 1990: Public Relations officer and researcher at the Royal Belgium Film Archive.
1987 – 1988: journalist for the television production company C9i Communication
September 1982 – 1986: Royal Belgian Film Archive, Brussels
Other experiences
Community radio stations 2XX and 1CMS (Canberra): volunteer radio broadcaster since 1995. EBC (Ethnic Broadcasting Council) secretary National Ethnic and Media Broadcasting Corporation, Chair of Women Committee
