Meet one of CRADLE’s new PhD students

1 November 2024

In this post we hear from one of CRADLE’s newest PhD students, Pearl Kang. Pearl shares her thoughts on her decision to undertake further study and aspirations for the PhD journey ahead.

Tell us a little about yourself and why you chose to do a PhD?

I’m Pearl and I’m very privileged to be part of CRADLE. I was born in Korea but was raised in the Philippines where I had a chance to be exposed to different languages, cultures, and backgrounds. I enjoy meeting people, hearing their stories and sharing ideas and values that enrich us as individuals. I think it’s one of the main reasons why I decided to pursue a degree in education and learn more about lifelong development and growth. Throughout my teaching career I’ve encountered many students struggling to get good marks, to meet requirements set by their school, and to fulfill expectations of their family and society. Unfortunately, the biggest setback I witnessed and experienced as a student myself is that learning itself gets compromised as a means to achieve a goal, and not as a way of living.

Personally, I believe that if you are persistent in learning, you will find yourself growing and improving in all aspects of life.

In this sense, I was very fortunate to find the CRADLE team that shares the same views on learning and to partake in the noble work to promote the true meaning of learning

What is your PhD topic and how does CRADLE suit your research?

My study focuses on heuristics and biases in students’ evaluative judgement. Evaluative judgement is defined as “the capability to make decisions about the quality of work of self and others” (Tai et al., 2018, p. 471). We want students to be able to ask themselves, “how do I know if it’s good enough?” without turning to teachers and assessors each time and to self-regulate continuous development throughout their lives. However, heuristics and biases could impinge upon their judgement if not managed accordingly.

I’m interested to find how students use heuristics and biases in their evaluative judgement and hopefully provide insights into how they could be managed. I’m confident that CRADLE is the best place to pursue my research because it is where some of the most renowned authors in evaluative judgement studies work.

What are you most looking forward to during your PhD journey?

I’m most excited about meeting people who share common interests and values in education and learning. I look forward to learning about their work and aspirations in educational research, partaking in the grand endeavour to improve and challenge education systems, and building a valuable study that contributes to the field of education.

References

Tai, J., Ajjawi, R., Boud, D., Dawson, P., & Panadero, E. (2018). Developing evaluative judgement: enabling students to make decisions about the quality of work. Higher Education, 76(3), 467-481. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-017-0220-3