Examiner reference to theory in PhD theses

As we were aware of the confusing and wide-ranging disciplinary and individual positions on the importance of theory in research, this study sought to determine how thesis examiners emphasised theory in their reports in order to inform candidate learning. While references to theory were not prominent in reports, examiner comment coalesced into six categories indicative of ‘accuracy and completeness’, ‘grasp’, ‘alignment’, ‘coherence and...