The role of gratitude in enhancing the relationship between doctoral research students and their supervisors

Howells, Kerry; Stafford, Karen; Guijt, Rosanne M.; Breadmore, Michael C.

doi:10.1080/13562517.2016.1273212

Cited by 38 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…Few studies have rigorously tested interventions to enhance the student–advisor relationship. One study of eight PhD students and their two advisors tested a gratitude-based intervention, involving bringing greater attention to gratitude in relationships along with executing a specific gratitude practice (Howells et al. , 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Applying the Stress Process Model to Stress–Burnout and Stress–Depression Relationships in Biomedical Doctoral Students: A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study

Hish

Nagy

Fang

et al. 2019

LSE

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Although doctoral students in the biomedical sciences have been recognized as a population at particular risk for mental health problems such as burnout and depression, little research has been conducted to identify candidate targets for intervention. To this end, we used the stress process model to evaluate potential mediators of stress–burnout and stress–depression relationships in biomedical doctoral students. A cross-sectional sample (n = 69) completed validated self-report measures of stress; symptoms of burnout and depression; and perceptions of mastery, social support, and advisor support. In linear regression models, we found that academic stressors were most predictive of burnout, whereas family/monetary stressors were most predictive of depression. In mediation models, we found that the relationship between stress and burnout was partially mediated by mastery and advisor support, while the stress–depression relationship was partially mediated by mastery. These findings represent a first step in identifying interventional targets to improve mental health in this at-risk population. Whereas certain stressors are inherent to the doctoral training environment, psychosocial interventions to enhance one’s sense of mastery and/or to improve advisor relationships may mitigate the influence of such stressors on burnout and depression.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Applying the Stress Process Model to Stress–Burnout and Stress–Depression Relationships in Biomedical Doctoral Students: A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study

Hish

Nagy

Fang

et al. 2019

LSE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Goldman and Goodboy (2017) suggested that students' psychological maturity, for example, was an important factor in maintaining a respectful, friendly, and constructive relationship with their supervisors. Similarly, bringing positivity and respect into the relationship, practicing and demonstrating gratitude could also improve this relationship (Howells, Stafford, Guijt, & Breadmore, 2017). Students who consistently respected timelines, prepared for meetings, accepted feedback, and demonstrated their capabilities in their work, were more likely to ensure the satisfaction of their supervisors in the relationship (Sverdlik et al, 2018).…”

Section: Clarification Of Roles and Expectations In A Supervisory Relationshipmentioning

confidence: 99%

Students’ Perceptions of Doctoral Supervision: A Study in an Engineering Program in Australia

Helfer

Drew

2019

IJDS

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Aim/Purpose: The overall aim of this study was to improve our understanding of engineering student satisfaction and expectations with PhD supervision and their perceptions of the roles in a supervisory relationship. Background: Studies on PhD supervision quality are highly valuable, mainly when they provide information on supervision experiences from students’ perspectives, rather than from supervisors’ perspectives. Understanding how PhD students think, their preferences and their perceptions of roles in a supervision process can help enhance the quality of supervision, and consequently, form better researchers and produce better research outcomes. Methodology: The method employed in this investigation was based on a student survey with scaled and open-ended questions of 30 full-time engineering PhD students from a research institution in Australia. Contribution: Studies that provide a better understanding of how engineering PhD students think and how they expect a supervisory relationship to be are limited. This study can be used to derive recommendations for improving supervisory relationships, particularly in engineering schools and institutions. Findings: The majority of the students perceived most of the supervisor and student roles in close agreement with the roles described in the literature and existing codes of practice for the supervision of higher degree research students. The main reasons for dissatisfaction with supervision were identified as being the lack of involvement of supervisors in the research projects, particularly in the writing process, and the lack of supervisor’s knowledge in the field being supervised. Recommendations for Practitioners: It is recommended that the roles of each party in a supervision process be discussed and clarified at the beginning of any PhD candidature to avoid false student expectations. The right supervisory fit should be ensured early in the candidature, and additional supervisors should be added to the team if the expertise of supervisors is deemed insufficient. The use of supervisory panels as opposed to individual supervisions to ensure that responsibilities are shared and to increase the range of advice and support available to each student is highly recommended. Recommendation for Researchers: It is recommended that this type of research be expanded to other disciplines. It is also recommended that specific actions be taken to improve supervision and these be correlated to satisfaction rates and/or student performance.

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“…Howells' (2004) early exploration of gratitude in education examined gratitude's place within the HE context, and most recently, her collaborative study (Howells, Stafford, Guijt & Breadmore, 2017) examines gratitude's place within doctoral supervisory relationships. Howells et al (2017) find that gratitude practices conferred focus and intentionality within these supervisory relationships with improved research outcomes and attrition. However, recent work by Cownie (2016), in the context of media practice education, finds that whilst students speak positively about gratitude's place within their student experience, there is variation in academics' interpretation of gratitude, several voices seeing gratitude negatively, inter-changing gratitude with obligation.…”

Section: Gratitude and Educationmentioning

confidence: 80%

“…In summary, this study, in seeking to analyze gratitude within the context of relational exchange in HE, draws from recent and well-cited scholarship within the realm of relationship marketing within consumer and business-to-business contexts (e.g., Palmatier et al, 2009;Raggio et al, 2014). As a new area of research, there is little extant scholarship about gratitude within the context of HE, but the work of Howells (2012; and Howells et al (2017), set in the educational context, provide a complementary set of ideas to those presented within the Relationship Marketing scholarship. This study seeks to add to the body of knowledge of gratitude within education, in its exploration of experiences of gratitude amongst students within higher education.…”

Section: Gratitude and Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gratitude and its drivers within higher education

Cownie

2017

Journal of Marketing for Higher Education

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This paper proposes that gratitude has a place in enabling us to understand students' experiences of higher education, and this has an implication for higher education (HE) marketing. This research examines the evidence for and focus of gratitude within the context of an undergraduate course with high levels of student satisfaction. It finds that final-year students report feelings of gratitude and that students report that those feelings of gratitude are at their height within the final year. This exploratory research proposes that feelings of gratitude are driven by four factors: helping behaviors; care; perceived effort; and environment. For HE marketers, this suggests that there is merit in placing emphasis on academic-student interactions at the heart of marketing strategies, including branding strategies, open day events, marketing communications and social media content. There are clear opportunities for academics and marketing departments to benefit from the intention to give back that is central to the notion of gratitude.

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The role of gratitude in enhancing the relationship between doctoral research students and their supervisors

Cited by 38 publications

References 60 publications

Applying the Stress Process Model to Stress–Burnout and Stress–Depression Relationships in Biomedical Doctoral Students: A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study

Applying the Stress Process Model to Stress–Burnout and Stress–Depression Relationships in Biomedical Doctoral Students: A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study

Students’ Perceptions of Doctoral Supervision: A Study in an Engineering Program in Australia

Gratitude and its drivers within higher education

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