When the doctors consulted the narrative therapist : an experiment in questioning dominant stories of PhD pedagogy

This article discusses an experiment in bringing together two different practices-research interviewing and narrative therapy-in the context of a research project investigating the history and practices of the PhD in Australia. The experiment explored, in a workshop setting, the possibilities of adapting narrative therapy questioning techniques to research interviewing in order to produce 'richer' and 'thicker' accounts of doctoral supervision than those generally available. Although the interview conducted in the workshop setting did not itself produce a particularly rich account of supervision, reflections on which form the major focus of the article, the discussion generated by the 'reflecting' and 'observing' groups present at the interview did. Accordingly, we conclude by suggesting that the structure of the workshop, derived from narrative therapeutic practice and training, opens up possibilities for new directions in research interviewing.