Theoretical Perspectives on Learning and Teaching

Theoretical Perspectives on Learning and Teaching deserves to take its place as essential reading for both doctoral candidates and their supervisors. The editors have collated a diverse set of cases that provide student and supervisor perspectives on the emerging use of theory in doctoral work. Each chapter supports the editors’ suggestion that the research degree is a vital site of theoretical engagement and innovation; and that, despite the possibility of some initial “theory fright”, theoretical engagement is a means of opening eyes, or “providing clarity around meaning and understanding.” The student writers in the volume do an admirable job in showing that work with theory is not just an academic endeavor, but also takes its place in their lives, implicating the professional, pedagogical, and political. I would want any doctoral candidate who needs inspiration about how they might apply, adapt, or generate theory in their work to consult this book.

-- Dr Paul Vincent Smith, Manchester Institute of Education, University of Manchester

This imaginative volume harnesses and synthesises a wealth of doctoral expertise to demystify the research process. Authentic accounts illuminate how doctoral researchers navigate tensions, vulnerabilities and stumbling blocks along their journey. A particular strength is its attention to working with theory - an area that can be especially daunting - offering real-world insights and reassurance. By showcasing rich dialogue between doctoral researchers and supervisors, it provides essential guidance from those who have ‘been there’. Resonating across diverse backgrounds, the text offers value for researchers more broadly. It stands out in its field as a vital companion for anyone undertaking or supporting professional doctorates.

-- Mel Hall, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK

This timely and compelling volume shines a much needed light on how doctoral researchers actively work with theory—not as an abstract requirement, but as a living, generative force that shapes inquiry, insight, and professional identity. Across its diverse chapters, the collection demystifies theory by showing how it is chosen, adapted, combined, critiqued, or newly created in response to real educational challenges. The editors curate a rich set of studies spanning Further Education, Higher Education, schools, and community settings, illustrating how theoretical perspectives support researchers in making sense of complex pedagogical, social, and institutional issues.

What makes this book stand out is its clarity about the process of becoming a researcher. It acknowledges the uncertainty, “theory fright,” and creative struggle that doctoral candidates often encounter, while offering practical, compassionate models for navigating them. The chapters collectively illuminate how original contributions can take substantive, methodological, or theoretical forms, and how rigorous inquiry grows through dialogue, reflexivity, and participation in scholarly and professional communities. The concluding chapter reinforces the value of doctoral study as an apprenticeship into a vibrant, interdisciplinary research field—one that benefits from learners who are both critical and creatively engaged.

This collection will be indispensable for EdD and PhD candidates, early career researchers, supervisors, and anyone committed to strengthening education research. It provides both inspiration and guidance, demonstrating that theory is not a barrier but a powerful companion on the journey toward thoughtful, impactful scholarship.

-- Dr d’Reen Struthers, Associate Professor, SFHEA, EdD Programme Lead | EdD Module Leader - Foundations of Professionalism. UCL Institute of Education | Department of Learning and Leadership

As someone who has been involved in teaching and researching in higher education for 25 years this book comes as a welcome addition to the growing literature around the work of doctoral students. However, its real strength is in the insight it offers more generally into the process of working with theory, so often the poor relative to methodology in the development of researchers. Being set in the professional doctorate, it also illuminates the ways in which universities can work alongside professionals from a range of disciplines to develop practice.

Each chapter offers a unique insight into the way in which theory might be understood, how it can be used to make sense of and challenge professional practice and, in the final section, how research can allow new theoretical ideas to bloom. Being written by professionals who are recent graduates of a doctoral programme, these insights speak of the power of theory to make sense of the professional world, but also reflect the reality – indeed, the messiness – of this working space. As the opening chapter notes, this a call to play with theory, to understand its value and, above all, to come to see it as friend, not foe.

Whilst the obvious audience for this book might be other doctoral students, the clarity of the writing and the messages it offers about using, and developing, theoretical ideas would be of use with masters students, and undergraduates in the later stages of a programme. The broad range of disciplinary contexts means that it should be of value to those working in practice right across the public sector, and across many disciplines in universities. Early career researchers would certainly learn a lot, as would those teaching on all these programmes, given the light it shines on the way novice researchers struggle with, and overcome, the challenge of theory.

-- Dr Nick Pratt, University of Plymouth, School of Law, Humanities and Social Scie