Research Proposal and Thesis Writing: Narrative of a Recently Graduated Researcher in Applied Linguistics (Essay‪)‬

1 Introduction In the last two and half decades, various disciplinary and organizational studies across the world have demonstrated a growing interest in narrative. As a fundamental form of human expression through which individuals are able to make sense of themselves, their lives, and events (Gergen, 1994; Hanninen, 2004), narratives construct a spatio-temporal context that assists in meaning-making. In particular, referring to narratives in organizational studies, Boyce (1995) posits that narratives constitute symbolic forms through which groups and members of organizations can construct meaning. Narratives also provide individuals with a means to express and shape their identities. A narrative approach can thus be useful for studying the process of doctoral writing.