Doctoral studies as an initiatory trial: expected and taken-for-granted practices that impede PhD students’ progress

Skakni, Isabelle

doi:10.1080/13562517.2018.1449742

Cited by 51 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Academic, personal, and autonomy support A strongly established finding in doctoral education research is the significance of highquality supervision for PhD students' satisfaction and (timely) completion (e.g. Bair and Haworth 2004;Kolmos, Kofoed, and Du 2008;Pyhältö, Vekkaila, and Keskinen 2015;Skakni 2018;Spaulding and Rockinson-Szapkiw 2012;Stubb, Pyhältö, and Lonka 2011;Woolderink et al 2015). Different aspects of PhD supervision have been investigated, such as the supervisor's availability, different types of support, and the quality of the supervisor-supervisee relationship (e.g.…”

Section: Supervision Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, there are also accounts of PhD students who work on projects that are not closely related to their supervisor's research. Besides feeling isolated from their peers, these students may also feel intellectual isolationthey barely have opportunities to talk about their research because there are no experts nearby (Skakni 2018).…”

Section: Stand-alone Projectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Factors that influence PhD candidates’ success: the importance of PhD project characteristics

Rooij

Fokkens-Bruinsma²,

Jansen³

2019

Studies in Continuing Education

157

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High dropout rates, delay, and dissatisfaction among PhD students are common problems in doctoral education. Research shows that many different factors are associated with doctoral success, but these factors have not often been studied simultaneously. Moreover, characteristics of the PhD project are mostly neglected. In this study, we investigate which supervision, psychosocial, and project characteristics are related to satisfaction, progress, and quit intentions in a sample of 839 PhD candidates at a university in the Netherlands. Results of regression analyses show that experienced workload was negatively related to satisfaction and progress and positively to quit intentions. The quality of the supervisor-PhD candidate relationship, the PhD candidate's sense of belonging, the amount of freedom in the project, and working on a project closely related to the supervisor's research were positively related to satisfaction and negatively to quit intentions. The high workload of PhD candidates should be a major point of attention for universities who wish to increase their rates of PhD completion and PhD candidates' satisfaction. In addition, the 'match' between PhD candidate and supervisor is crucial, both personallya good relationshipand academically, i.e. that the PhD candidate works on a topic closely related to the supervisor's research.

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Section: Supervision Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Stand-alone Projectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors that influence PhD candidates’ success: the importance of PhD project characteristics

Rooij

Fokkens-Bruinsma²,

Jansen³

2019

Studies in Continuing Education

157

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This clearly contradicts the Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC) notion that LEGO ® is static (Taylor and Statler, 2013). Skakni (2018) argues that a norm of doctoral study is that students 'suffer' as part of the PhD. The ups and downs of the obstacle course model, with the supervisor waiting at the end, evoke how tackling these obstacles confers status for the student achieving a PhD.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Researchers often do not know what they are going to find exactly before they find it, yet conceptual sophistication is required, as after all the PhD needs to represent a significant contribution that advances one's discipline (Lesham and Trafford, 2007). The doctoral research and the PhD journey also represent an initiation (Skakni, 2018) or transition to professional status. Again, this positions the PhD student as novice or apprentice until the PhD is achieved (Beeler, 1991).…”

Section: Background and Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additionally, doctoral researchers are required to "writ[e] a text and writ[e] a self at the same time", an "identity work" process that can often be emotionally challenging (Kamler and Thomson, 2014: 16). Indeed, one seeming constant of the enmeshed "emotion work" and "identity work" that take place during doctoral studies is suffering (Skakni, 2018).…”

Section: Emotion Work In the Context Of Doctoral Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Using LEGO® To Understand Emotion Work In Doctoral Education

Brown¹,

Collins²

2018

IJMAR

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In this paper, we present a project of the University of Kent Graduate School that utilises this paradox of playfulness and creativity. LEGO ® is used in workshops to explore doctoral students' emotions around the complex and solitary experience of a PhD research. We argue LEGO ® is uniquely generative for exploring emotion work. After a brief overview of the background and context to the doctoral training workshop, we provide a brief review of emotion work. We then describe the LEGO ® workshop we developed for our students, before explaining our approach to data collection and analysis. We then present our results, using verbatim statements from conversations with students around their LEGO ® models. We present the interconnected building elements of height, walls and positioning, which are particularly impactful in highlighting the emotion work with LEGO ® models. We connect the findings to a brief discussion in relation to the literature around emotion work. We have found that LEGO ® ' bricks structure, solidity, and variety ensure its openness to metaphorical investment and promote the creation of narratives. Thus, building LEGO ® models enabled participants to engage creatively with routinization of practices and emotion work, as well their positive support networks. We conclude with final thoughts on the value of LEGO ® and steps for further developing the existing workshop.

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Preparation for doctoral research: a narrative review

McDowall

Ramos

2023

Aust. Educ. Res.

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In Australia, only two-thirds of doctoral students finish their degrees, with underrepresented students completing at even lower rates. Students who successfully complete still experience many challenges throughout their degrees. In this narrative literature review, we use preparation and readiness for the doctorate as a framework to examine how students are prepared for studies at the doctoral level, the challenges they experience, and the support that universities provide. We also weave our own stories of the doctorate to demonstrate how the issues raised in the literature play out for doctoral students. Our findings suggest that how students are prepared for the doctorate remains under-researched, with much of the literature focusing on issues that emerge once students commence, and the supports that are provided in response to these challenges. A future focus on preparation may provide insight into how institutional processes can better support doctoral students to successfully complete their degrees.

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Doctoral studies as an initiatory trial: expected and taken-for-granted practices that impede PhD students’ progress

Cited by 51 publications

References 26 publications

Factors that influence PhD candidates’ success: the importance of PhD project characteristics

Factors that influence PhD candidates’ success: the importance of PhD project characteristics

Using LEGO® To Understand Emotion Work In Doctoral Education

Preparation for doctoral research: a narrative review

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