From Imposter Syndrome to Heroic Tales: Doctoral Students’ Backgrounds, Study Aims, and Experiences

Abstract

Aim/Purpose: The aim of this study is to provide a comprehensive picture of doctoral students’ dissertation journeys using Finland as a case country. More specifically, the article examines (1) the students’ backgrounds, (2) their study motives and experiences, and (3) whether or not these elements are related. Background: Despite the massification of higher education (HE), there is a shortage of detailed mixed-methods studies about PhD students’ backgrounds and their experiences of doctoral study. Existing research does not give a clear indication of the extent to which home background is reflected in PhD applications and whether or not that background is related to the subsequent experience of doctoral students. Methodology: This paper is based on both quantitative and qualitative data. We utilize a person-based register (N = 18,585) and a survey (n = 1,651). Our main methods are k-means cluster analysis, t-test, and directed content analysis. Our theoretical approach is Bourdieuian. We use the concept of doctoral capital when evaluating the backgrounds, resources, and success of PhD students through the dissertation process. Contribution: This study uses a mixed-methods approach and is the first to incorporate quantitative data about the entire doctoral student population in Finland. In addition, open-ended responses in the survey make the PhD students’ own experiences visible. By approaching our research subject through a mixed methods lens, we aim to create a comprehensive understanding about their dissertation journeys. With this study, we also contribute to the debate initiated by Falconer and Djokic (2019). They found that age, race, and socioeconomic status (SES) do not influence academic self-efficacy and academic self-handicapping behaviors in doctoral students. However, in this study, a link was found between the PhD students’ backgrounds (age and parents’ SES), and their study aims and experiences. Findings: Cluster analysis revealed three different groups of PhD students: Status Raisers, Educational Inheritors, and Long-term Plodders. PhD students in these groups have different resources, experiences, and chances to survive in the academic community. There are two main findings. First, the influence of the childhood family extends all the way to doctoral education, even in Finland, which is considered to have one of the most equal HE systems in the world. Some PhD students from low-educated families even experienced so-called imposter syndrome. They described experiences of inadequacy, incompetence, and inferiority in relation to doctoral studies and fellow students. Second, the influence of family background may diminish with age and life experiences. In our study, many mature doctoral students had become empowered and emancipated to such an extent that they relied more on their own abilities and skills than on their family backgrounds. Many felt that their own persistence and resilience have played an important role in their doctoral studies. There were also a few ‘heroic tales’ about hard work and survival in spite of all the hurdles and distresses. Recommendations for Practitioners: PhD students are a very heterogeneous group. Their motives and goals for applying for doctoral studies vary, and their backgrounds and life situations affect their studies. There are three critical points educational practitioners should pay special attention to (1) supervision and support (mentoring), (2) length of funding, and (3) granted research periods. Recommendation for Researchers: Because Finland and the other Nordic countries have a long tradition of equal educational opportunities, we need comparative studies on the same topic from countries with higher educational disparities. Impact on Society: Inequalities in educational opportunities and experiences originate at the very beginning of the educational path, and they usually cumulate over the years. For this reason, the achievement of educational equality should be promoted not only through education policy but also through family, regional, and social policy decisions. Future Research: The Bourdieuian concepts of cultural, social, and economic capitals are also relevant in doctoral education. PhD students’ family backgrounds are reflected in their motives, experiences, and interpretations in the academic community. Future research should explore how to best support and reinforce the self-confidence of doctoral students from lower SES backgrounds.

STEM doctoral students’ skill development: does funding mechanism matter?

“…Unfunded students who were highly productive in research during their PhD as well as funded students who did not publish during their PhD took longer to complete compared with funded students with high levels of research productivity. Other studies have shown that students who encounter issues with funding progress more slowly or stop out entirely of doctoral pursuits (e.g., Nori et al, 2020). Thus, these studies across national contexts demonstrate that exploring the relationship between funding and doctoral students' outcomes is warranted.…”

“…For example, Van Rooij et al (2019) asserts that financial concerns are hardly an issue as almost all students are on fully funded contracts within the Netherlands. In contrast, funded full-time positions in Nordic countries, such as Finland, are limited to only some students, which has created a fiercely competitive environment for funding (Nori et al, 2020). The influence of funding on doctoral student outcomes, such as time-to-degree completion and research productivity, has been investigated across a number of international contexts.…”

“…The manners and extent to which countries around the world fund graduate students pursuing doctoral degrees in STEM vary considerably (e.g., Corcelles et al, 2019;Nori et al, 2020;van Rooij et al, 2019). Across international contexts, however, funding seems to play a prominent role in doctoral students' experiences and outcomes (e.g., Horta et al, 2018;Horta et al, 2019).…”

Doctoral capital and well-being amongst Australian PhD students: exploring capital and habitus of doctoral students

“…When looking across the data, it is interesting to note, that previous research indicates similar findings, that go to identify that experiences of inadequacy, incompetence and inferiority, associated with PhD studies and fellow students, appear to diminish with age, life experiences and is gender based (Nori et al, 2020). Such a representation (as in this study), therefore, goes to imply that older students were (are) better able to navigate and potentially position themselves in a field of scholarly habitus.…”

“…Interestingly, the phenomenon related to the imposter syndrome and how this impact on candidates' experiences is worth noting (Wilson and Cutri, 2019). Nori et al (2020) further identifies that "some PhD students from low-educated families frequently experienced so-called imposter syndrome" (p. 2), with this aspect requiring more research and exploration" (p. 5). The imposter syndrome can be described in a variety of ways, but a frequently associated with a number of key points that connect to a fear of failure, feeling out of place and feelings of fraudulence (Bothello and Roulet, 2019;Chapman, 2015;Clance and Imes, 1978).…”