Reflections on the supervisor's roles and challenges On motivation Interests in knowledge creation And research methodology Thank you for inviting me! -I have learned something

the students are expected independently to generate new knowledge relevant to their subject of study the study process has a number of traits in common with research processes one of the supervisor’s primary roles is to support the students’ development of academic knowledge and competences

To clarify the curiosity and motivation of the group before jumping to research questions. To support the students in formulating the research questions in a way that matches their curiosity and motivation. (Writing an essay) To support the students in selecting methods and approaches that are relevant to the kind of knowledge they want to obtain. To support the students in narrowing down the project plan to make it match their interests. That means to support them in rejecting approaches and methods that are irrelevant or unrealistic given their time schedule, level and resources.

To support the students in understanding how various criteria of validity and reliability are met and linked to different approaches and methods. To support the students in reflecting on the limitations and potential combinations of different approaches, critically reflecting on the guiding principle in their project work and opening up for further studies.

The technical interest in knowledge creationto create knowledge that enables one to forecast and control The hermeneutic interest in knowledge creationTo understand what is considered important in certain contexts. The critical interest in knowledge creationTo understand and reflect critically whether a context could or should be different.

Interests in knowledge creation Examples of research questionsKinds of knowledge The technical interest What is the impact of surveillance on crime? Does a certain chromosome defect cause violence? Does improvement in language skills reduce violence? Does imprisonment have a preventive influence on crime? Is the tendency to become criminal linked to biological or social factors? Cause and effect relationships The hermeneutic interest How do first-time and repeat offenders conceive their life story? Where do prisoners find identification models? What experiences and relationships in prison make sense to whom? Insight in and understanding of life experience in certain contexts The interest in critical understanding If it is illegal access to drugs that makes the cynical black market business so profitable, what then if drugs are produced and sold legally? If illegal driving causes more accidents, what then if cars could not be started without a driving licence? What if a certain societal context were different?

Interests in knowledge creation Kinds of knowledgeExamples of relevant research methods The technical interest Cause and effect relationships Controlled experiments with clearly isolated factors. Comparative studies with identifiable variables. Quantitative studies of repeatable observations. Statistical analyses, correlation and regression analyses. Cost and benefit analyses. The hermeneutic interest Insight in and understanding of life experience in certain contexts Dialogues, interviews, focus groups. Analyses and interpretations of written and spoken material. Ethno-methodological studies of social interaction. Culture analyses. The interest in critical understanding What if a certain societal context were different? Analyses of system mechanisms like markets, laws, political systems and societal institutions that constitute the relevant context. Analyses of how system mechanisms are socially constructed and therefore not the only conceivable way. Analyses of values of and rationales for and against prevalent and alternative contexts. Analyses of public discourse and stakeholder interests. Critical reflection on the premises taken for granted in empirical studies based on a technical interest.

Interests in knowledge creation/kinds of knowledge Examples of research methods Reliability Transparency in the relation between methods and findings The technical interest: Cause and effect relationships Controlled experiments with clearly isolated factors. Comparative studies with identifiable variables. Quantitative studies of repeatable observations. Describe clearly how the intended objectivity in observation is organized. Describe clearly any uncertainties in setup and observation. Describe clearly how observations are analysed. The hermeneutic interest: Insight in and understanding of life experience in certain contexts Dialogues, interviews, focus groups. Ethno-methodological studies of social interaction. Analyses and interpretations of written and spoken material. Describe clearly how the verbal material is collected. Describe clearly how the material is interpreted and how the interpretation is validated. The interest in critical understanding: What if a certain societal context were different? Analyses of how system mechanisms are socially constructed and therefore not the only conceivable way. Analyses of values of and rationales for and against prevalent and alternative contexts. Critical reflection on the premises taken for granted in empirical studies based on a technical interest. Describe clearly how the societal mechanisms are inferred from primary and secondary empirical studies. Describe clearly the analyses of values and rationales for and against alternative contexts

Discussion: the right balance between teacher-structured and participant-directed learning?