Graduate student scholars embarking on research: assessment of masters’ minor theses in an Australian University

Abstract

Higher-degree thesis assessment has recently been receiving a fair amount of attention from the education research community, examiners’ reports being the starting point for many of the inquiries. Most discourse focuses on PhD dissertations and tends to neglect less advanced academic works such as Honours’ theses, Master’s theses and Master’s minor theses. Writing at these levels is, however, of vital importance considering the fact that many students go through it not only to lay the foundation for their early research experiences but also to produce the good results that allow students to get accepted and proceed into PhD programs. This research article presents a systematic evaluation and analysis of 47 reports from examiners of students’ M.Ed. minor theses written by graduate students at Monash University in Australia. Employing thesis examination reports as data, the project investigates the strengths and weaknesses of the Masters’ minor theses written. Among different criteria on which a thesis is judged, choice of suitable topic and overall quality of presentation have been addressed relatively well, while data analysis, interpretation and literature review appeared to be the most difficult. Lack of critical thinking was identified as a common weakness, and writing quality played a significant role in deciding the outcome. There was generally a good level of consistency in assessment practices across different reports, with the exception of minor rules and guidelines. Certain influence was also exerted on the evaluation process by examiner’s background and level of engagement with the topic.