CPC Doctoral Students

Doctoral Research topic: Facilitating conditions for human flourishing. I am looking at whether or not it is possible to provide conditions for human flourishing as people work together to transform their thinking in order to change their practice. I am interested in how human flourishing can be facilitated, what methods enable flourishing, whether or not flourishing benefits the experience of individuals and groups and what facilitation approach is necessary to enable this to happen.

Doctoral Research methodological approaches: The research methodological approach I am using is Critical Creativity. It is a paradigmatic synthesis that balances and blends assumptions from the critical paradigm with ancient and creative expression, wisdom and traditions for the purposes of flourishing. I used a co-operative inquiry approach, working with co-researchers as we explored our growth and transformation during the time that we worked together. My theoretical framework blended Titchen and McCormack (2010) methodological framework for enabling human flourishing with Aristotle’s virtue ethics as it relates to eudaimonia or human flourishing.

Keywords: Human flourishing, critical creativity, facilitation, transformation, eudaimonia, virtue ethics.

Supervisors: Professor Brendan McCormack, Dr Savina Tropea, Dr Angie Titchen

Doctoral Research topic: Exploring and developing relationships for older persons living in a nursing home.  

Doctoral Research methodological approaches: This research embraces a participative, action orientated, person-centred approach.   

Keywords: Relationships, older persons, nursing home, person-centredness  

Supervisors: Dr Erna Haraldsdottir and Dr Caroline Dickson 

Doctoral Research Topic: Understanding the symbols and relationships involved in an education partnership between a Scottish university and an Egyptian university that influence the interpretation and delivery of a transnational education programme.

Research methodological approach: An integrated person-centred, symbolic interactionist approach

Keywords: Person-centred, symbolic interactionism, transnational education

Supervisors: Dr Debbie Baldie and Professor Brendan McCormack

Doctoral Research topic: Realist synthesis: Change agency in evidence-informed health care. This realist synthesis of change agent roles within evidence-informed health care answers the question:  What impact do characteristics of the change agent have on evidence-informed health care? This project’s aims are to: 

• Conduct a realist synthesis of change agent characteristics in evidence-informed health care, 
• Describe the state of the published evidence on change agents’ personal characteristics in evidence-informed health care, 
• Make methodological contributions to the conduct and reporting of realist syntheses’ conduct and reporting, and  
• Generate program theory related to change agents’ personal characteristics in evidence-informed health care.  

Doctoral Research methodological approaches: critical realist perspective, realist synthesis

Keywords: realist synthesis; change agency, evidence informed, evidence-based practice, health knowledge utilization, implementation science 

Supervisors: Dr. Brendan McCormack (QMU); Dr. Jenny Ploeg (McMaster University), Dr. Jo Rycroft-Malone (Lancaster University)

*Please note Alistair Shields is affiliated to both the CPcPR and CASS.

Doctoral Research topic: Explore for people living with dementia who are reported as missing the elements that instigate purposefulness in travel to improve police effectiveness by better defining areas where search should occur.

Doctoral Research methodological approaches: Mixed Methods using descriptive statistical methods on abstracted and anonymised missing person records along with visual elicitation narrative interviews subject to thematic analysis.

Keywords: Dementia, Police, missing persons, autonomy, mixed methods

Supervisors: Professor Jan Dewing, Dr Jamal Mansour, Dr Fiona Kelly

Research Topic: This research will critically analyse discharge practices and identify how they help or hinder effective person-centred discharge for older people. This involves exploration of how discharge is currently practiced, why it is practiced in that way through delineation of the presuppositions, processes and procedures influencing discharge practice, and what the implications are for person-centred discharge. 

Methodological Approach: This research will use Foucauldian Critical Discourse Analysis to critically analyse discharge practices and how they help or hinder effective person-centred discharge of older people from the acute hospital setting. Data will be collected using a range of methods that will permit in-depth exploration of discharge practices. This will incorporate observation of practice both in the ward and wider organisation; in the moment interviews with members of staff; and semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders including members of staff, older people, and those significant to them. 

Supervisory team: Professor Brendan McCormack, Dr Gail Carin-Levy, Dr Juliet MacArthur (Chief Nurse Research and Development, NHS Lothian)