Doctoral study attrition in psychology

Lunneborg, Clifford E.; Lunneborg, Patricia W.

doi:10.1007/bf00991671

Cited by 18 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…However, student loss involves the expenditure of limited resources in a non-productive fashion. An unsuccessful student thwarts another potential achiever from having the opportunity to enter the program and earn a degree during that period (Langolis 1972;Lovitts 2001;Lunneborg and Lunneborg 1972). While deans and administrators tend to think that mortality occurs mostly among the bottom half of the student body (Lovitts 2001), there is no empirical backing for this assumption.…”

Section: Attritionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Student Success and Failure in a Graduate Criminology/Criminal Justice Program

Lightfoot

Doerner²

2008

Am J Crim Just

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Despite the burdens that students and institutions assume when underwriting educational careers, very little is known about completion rates, risk factors, and successful strategies of criminology/criminal justice (CCJ) graduate programs. Consequently, the present study tracks 287 master's and 70 doctoral students who entered the Florida State University CCJ program during the 1991-2000 academic years. Almost two-thirds of this cohort earned an advanced degree. Younger students with higher GRE scores were more likely to complete the master's program. Successful doctoral degree recipients tended to have lower GRE scores, be nonWhite, and earn their master's degrees in-house. In terms of time-to-degree, it took over two years to earn an M.A. and slightly more than six years to negotiate the Ph.D. Implications are explored for the program, the university, and the discipline.

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Section: Attritionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Student Success and Failure in a Graduate Criminology/Criminal Justice Program

Lightfoot

Doerner²

2008

Am J Crim Just

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“…Students' dissertation research ideas are integrated across the members of the research team; their ideas fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. If students leave the research team before completing their dissertation, they let down the whole team and faculty may feel their time has been wasted (Lunneborg & Lunneborg, 1973).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Validation of Using Assessment Tools and a Theory to Mentor Doctoral Students with Integrity and Trustworthiness

Roberts¹

2020

IJDS

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Aim/Purpose: The primary aim of this study was to reveal the assessment tools and a theory preferred to mentor doctoral students with integrity and trustworthiness. The connection between mentors’ feelings of trustworthiness and protégé success were explored. Background: This study examines the concept presented in 1983, 1985, and 1996 by Kram of mentor relations (MR) theory, which illustrates that graduation rates can improve with effective mentoring. In the United States, doctoral programs have low graduation rates. Scholars and researchers agree that doctoral programs must develop ways and means to improve their graduation rates. This researcher examined an extension of Kram’s mentor relations theory by employing the Mentor Integrity and Trustworthiness (MIT) theory, which depicts that mentors with a strong sense of integrity and trustworthiness provide a safe haven for protégés to succeed. As supported by Daloz, a trustworthy mentor provides a safe haven for protégés to take the intellectual risks required to produce an original contribution to the canon of scholarly knowledge in the form of a doctoral dissertation. Methodology: A quantitative research methodology of data collection ensued including the researcher generated MIT scale and the mentors’ perceptions of protégés’ independence (MPPI) scale, a survey to establish acceptable levels of internal consistencies for items on the two scales, a supported evidence of the content validity of the two scales, the researcher’s analysis of the validity of the MIT theory, and a multi-stage sampling method to recruit a research sample of 50 mentors from four universities in the eastern part of the United States from several education-related doctoral programs. The doctoral programs were diverse in terms of selectivity, type of degree, and mentors’ years of experience. Contribution: This research study contributes to existing literature knowledge by generating the relationship between mentors’ feelings of trustworthiness and protégés’ success as measured by graduation rate and the number of awards won by protégés. The validation of the mentor integrity and trustworthiness (MIT) scale and the mentor perceptions of protégé independence (MPPI) scale, and the supported evidence of content validity and reliability for both scales will deepen and extend the discussion of doctoral mentoring in higher education. Findings: Results indicated that mentors’ feelings of trustworthiness were correlated with the number of dissertation awards won by protégés and with graduation rates. Graduation rates and dissertation awards rates were not measured directly, but were reported by the mentors. In addition, the researcher found that mentors perceived their protégés to be independent scholars, in general, however, minimally in the area of writing the research methods section of their dissertation. Recommendations for Practitioners: The researcher discussed the practical implications for mentors’ professional development in trustworthiness and integrity. The researcher also provided the Right Angle Research Alignment table to help protégés organize and manage the research methods section of their dissertation. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers should continue to explore MIT theory with experimental methods to attempt to improve the internal validity of the theory. Impact on Society: The researcher encourages scholars to test the MIT theory in mentoring relationships that go beyond doctoral studies such as mentoring in business and in the arts. The researcher also encourages scholars to test whether the MIT theory is relevant in other kinds of teaching relationships such as coaching and tutoring. Future Research: Further research questions that arise from this study are as follows: What can mentors do to improve their integrity? What can mentors do to improve their feelings of trustworthiness? How can the MIT and MPPI instruments be refined and improved?

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“…From the perspective of students, high attrition levels and long time-todegree can be frustrating and demoralizing (Baird, 1990;Long, 1987). Individual faculty are affected, as students who drop out have squandered faculty time and effort (Lunneborg & Lunneborg, 1973;Tucker et al, 1964). The progress of research can be stalled when students leave a project, which in turn may reduce the research productivity of faculty and other students.…”

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confidence: 98%

The Role of the Department and Discipline in Doctoral Student Attrition: Lessons from Four Departments

Golde¹

2005

The Journal of Higher Education

519

410

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and the anonymous reviewers for candid and substantive feedback, support and encouragement over too many years.At least 40% of the students who begin a doctoral program fail to complete it. This remarkable fact is one of the hidden flaws of a system usually touted as the crown jewel of the American higher education system. American graduate education is generally regarded as the best in the world, and yet, at the turn of the century, many researchers, administrators, government agencies, foundations, professional associations, and other interested parties are casting critical eyes on graduate education in an effort to understand the ways in which the inherited system does and does not continue to function effectively (e.g.,

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Doctoral study attrition in psychology

Cited by 18 publications

References 3 publications

Student Success and Failure in a Graduate Criminology/Criminal Justice Program

Student Success and Failure in a Graduate Criminology/Criminal Justice Program

The Validation of Using Assessment Tools and a Theory to Mentor Doctoral Students with Integrity and Trustworthiness

The Role of the Department and Discipline in Doctoral Student Attrition: Lessons from Four Departments

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