Survival Strategies: Doctoral Students’ Perceptions of Challenges and Coping Methods

Abstract

The purpose of this collective case study was to use a critical dialectical pluralistic (CDP) philosophical lens to investigate select doctoral students' perceptions about the challenges that they encountered while in a doctorate program and the coping strategies that they found effective in mitigating these challenges. A major goal of CDP is to empower research participants maximally by giving them the role of participant-researchers. Participants were 10 doctoral students enrolled at a Tier-II university in the United States, who were selected via convenience sampling. Each student participated in a face-to-face interview with a member of the research team-consistent with a CDP approach. A qualitative-dominant crossover mixed analysis was used wherein both quantitative and qualitative analyses were used to analyze the qualitative data, with the qualitative analysis phase being dominant. The qualitative analyses (e.g., constant comparison analysis, classical content analysis) revealed the following five themes: compartmentalization of life, outside support systems, justification for participation in program, emotional status, and structure of program. These themes indicated that although challenges are plentiful, particularly in terms of balancing one's academic life with other obligations, participants found support and encouragement from family, friends, and other doctoral students to be the most beneficial coping strategy. These findings have important implications for the structuring of doctoral programs.Material published as part of this publication, either on-line or in print, is copyrighted by the Informing Science Institute. Permission to make digital or paper copy of part or all of these works for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that the copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage AND that copies 1) bear this notice in full and 2) give the full citation on the first page. It is permissible to abstract these works so long as credit is given. To copy in all other cases or to republish or to post on a server or to redistribute to lists requires specific permission and payment of a fee.

Making it Work

“…While much research has explored student attrition, factors impacting student persistence in doctoral education has been less well-studied (Rockinson-Szapkiw et al, 2014). As the doctoral experience can be challenging, isolating, and lonely (Dickerson et al, 2014;Lovitts, 2001;Spaulding & Rockinson-Szapkiw, 2012), it is important to understand the resources and skills which facilitate students overcoming these challenges and persevering through their doctoral programs. These include a strong support network, motivation, organization, and time-management skills (McAlpine & Norton, 2006;Spaulding & Rockinson-Szapkiw, 2012).…”

“…A strong support network facilitates doctoral student persistence (Adorno, Cronley, & Smith, 2015;Dickerson et al, 2014;Martinez, Ordu, Della Sala, & McFarlane, 2013;McAlpine & Norton, 2006;Spaulding & Rockinson-Szapkiw, 2012). Personal supports outside of the academic program, such as partners, spouses, family, and friends, support student persistence (Adorno et al, 2015;Dickerson et al, 2014;Rockinson-Szapkiw et al, 2014). One study found that having a spouse increases the likelihood that students graduate from a doctoral program (Lott, Gardner, & Powers, 2009).…”

“…While the process of obtaining a doctoral degree is challenging for all students (Dickerson et al, 2014;Spaulding & Rockinson-Szapkiw, 2012), doctoral student mothers encounter additional barriers to completion. These barriers can include juggling multiple roles (Castelló et al, 2017;McAlpine & Norton, 2006), childcare needs (Brown & Watson, 2010), a system that provides few supports for doctoral student mothers (Springer et al, 2009), a gendered academic culture which propagates gender inequities (Drago et al, 2006;Mason et al, 2013), and guilt or lack of desire to sacrifice family to balance school and family needs (McAlpine & Norton, 2006).…”

“…Within doctoral education, women with children often encounter additional barriers to program completion, slowing down their progression or leading them to leave programs altogether (Gardner, 2009b;Mason, Wolfinger, & Goulden, 2013). These barriers include the balance of multiple roles and responsibilities (Castelló, Pardo, Sala-Bubaré,, & Suñe-Soler, 2017;Dickerson et al, 2014;McAlpine & Norton, 2006;Smith, Maroney, Nelson, Abel, & Abel, 2006), childcare needs (Brown & Watson, 2010;Spaulding & Rockinson-Szapkiw, 2012), financial challenges (Spaulding & Rockinson-Szapkiw, 2012;Wao & Onwuegbuzie, 2011), and a lack of systemic supports for doctoral student parents (Springer, Parker, & Leviten-Reid, 2009). In addition, Tower and Latimer (2016) describe the disadvantage that women face within the academy, saying "gender plays a role in the type of work that women conduct in the academy as well as how it is devalued, invisible, or unrewarded" (p. 319).…”

“…For all doctoral students, navigating doctoral education can be challenging, isolating, and stressful (Cockrell & Shelley, 2019;Dickerson et al, 2014;Rockinson-Szapkiw, Spaulding, & Bade, 2014;Smith et al, 2006). Women with children must address these typical challenges of doctoral education as well as the additional barriers described above.…”