No abstract

This study explores the fit between doctoral students and their working environment by analyzing students' and supervisors' perceptions of resources and challenges involved in the doctoral process. The data were collected using online surveys. Altogether 1184 doctoral students and 431 supervisors completed the survey. The results suggest that the fit between the doctoral students' and supervisors' perceptions of resources and challenges is linked to the doctoral students' satisfaction with their studies and the supervisory relationship. In faculties where the students' and the supervisors' perceptions of resources and challenges were similar, the students reported being more satisfied with their overall study process and supervisory support. The findings indicate that the fit between students and their working environment is related to how the students' experience their doctoral process.

Aim/Purpose: The primary aim of this study was to better understand the individual variations in supervisory and researcher community support among doctoral students by analyzing the social support profiles of Finnish doctoral students. The differences among the profiles, in terms of satisfaction with supervision, experienced burnout, time to candidacy and disciplinary background were also examined. Background: This study explores social support profiles and their association with the experienced burnout, satisfaction with supervision, drop-out intentions, disciplinary background, and form of dissertation among doctoral students by employing a person-oriented approach. Methodology: In total, 402 doctoral students from a Finnish university completed a Doctoral Experience survey. Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) was used to group doctoral students according to social support from supervisors and the researcher community. Contribution: The present study is among the first quantitative studies to explore doctoral student social support profiles and their association with burnout, drop-out intentions, and time to candidacy. It brings into focus the importance of supervisory and researcher community support as one of the most crucial assets of doctoral education in researcher communities. Findings: Two social support profiles, a) sufficient support from supervisor and researched community, and b) insufficient support from both of these, were identified. Further investigation suggested that the doctoral students who received sufficient support were less likely to suffer from burnout and were less likely to develop drop-out intentions than students who received insufficient support from their supervisor and the researcher community. Recommendations for Practitioners: A recommendation deriving from this research is to identify students at risk as early as possible and assist them with sufficient support.

Doctoral students are a highly select and skilled group due to their academic backgrounds. However, pursuing a PhD is always a challenging journey. Previous research suggests that while many find their doctoral process rewarding, a number of doctoral students face serious problems. Such problems often originate from the relation between the doctoral student and the scholarly community. This study explored doctoral students' experiences of disengagement from their doctoral processes. Altogether 16 behavioral sciences students, who had prolonged PhD processes, were interviewed. The data were collected with semi-structured interviews and were qualitatively content analyzed. The study provides new insights into doctoral education by shedding light on varying forms of students' disengagement ranging from experiences of inefficacy to cynicism and sometimes exhaustion. The study also demonstrates how activities that trigger disengagement have typically included struggles and conflicts within the scholarly community. Problems in the research itself were less frequently found to be the main source of disengagement. Variation was also noted in the quality of the destructive dynamics between the students and their environments that contributed to the students' disengaging experiences.

No abstract