Why do students consider dropping out of doctoral degrees? Institutional and personal factors

Castelló, Montserrat; Pardo, Marta; Sala-Bubaré, Anna; Suñe-Soler, Núria

doi:10.1007/s10734-016-0106-9

Cited by 153 publications

(139 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Attrition rates support this notion: 33-70% of those who start their PhD never finish (Jones 2013). Also, Castelló et al (2017) revealed that one-third of a sample of doctoral students who were still enrolled had at some point intended to drop out. In addition, of those who reach the finish line, the majority do so in (substantially) more time than initially planned.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

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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

159

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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: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…Pyhältö, Stubb, and Lonka (2009) showed that doctoral students who reported a higher workload more often considered quitting the programme. Castelló et al (2017) listed the high demands of a doctoral degree, which interfered with people's personal lives, as responsible for dropping out as well.…”

Section: Workload and Teaching Tasksmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Rooij

Fokkens-Bruinsma²,

Jansen³

2019

Studies in Continuing Education

159

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“…Another aspect that stands out in the literature pertaining to withdrawal from doctoral students was family issues, which included marriage, raising children, caring for an ailing parent or even coping with the death of a close family member (Castelló, Pardo, Sala-Bubaré, & Suñe-Soler, 2017;Lubienski, Miller, & Saclarides, 2018;Martinez, Ordu, Sala, & McFarlane, 2013). In Maher, Ford and Thompson (2004), 28% of female doctoral students reported marital problems or other familyrelated obstacles that hindered their studies.…”

Section: Conceptualizing Withdrawal: Undergraduate Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experiences of Chinese International Doctoral Students in Canada Who Withdrew: A Narrative Inquiry

Gao

2019

IJDS

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Aim/PurposeFor the purpose of better understanding the reasons of their withdrawal and experiences, this study seeks to elicit the voices of Chinese international students who have withdrawn from doctoral studies in Canada. Future ResearchFuture studies could probe more on other ethnicities and cultures. Also, numerous studies have been conducted to examine the relationship between doctoral students and their supervisors; however, the incompatibility between doctoral students and their supervisors and coping strategies in that situation is still an area that needs more investigation.

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“…ECR-CDEs can significantly contribute to the personal development of ECRs. While the reasons to step aside from a research career are multidimensional and may include personal and institutional aspects, the feeling of isolation and the lack of adequate socialization have been highlighted as central motives to discontinue an academic career (Pyhältö & Keskinen, 2012;Litalien & Guay, 2015;Castelló et al, 2017). Accordingly, network development was the most valued benefit of the pioneer ECR-CDE ( Fig.…”

Section: Personal Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early-Career Coordinated Distributed Experiments: Empowerment Through Collaboration

Pastor

Amo

Giménez-Grau

et al. 2019

Preprint

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These authors contributed equally to the development of this work. The rest of the authors are listed in random order. AbstractCoordinated distributed experiments (CDEs) enable the study of large-scale ecological patterns in geographically dispersed areas, while simultaneously providing broad academic and personal benefits for the participants. However, the effective involvement of early-career researchers (ECRs) presents major challenges. Here, we analyze the benefits and challenges of the first CDE exclusively led and conducted by ECRs (i.e. ECR-CDE), which sets a baseline for similar CDEs, and we provide recommendations for successful CDE execution. ECR-CDEs achieve most of the outcomes identified in conventional CDEs as well as extensive benefits for the young cohort of researchers, including: (i) receiving scientific credit, (ii) peer-training in new concepts and methods, (iii) developing leadership and communication skills, (iv) promoting a peer network among ECRs, and (v) building on individual engagement and independence. We also discuss the challenges of ECR-CDEs, which are mainly derived from the lack of independence and instability of the participants, and we suggest mechanisms to address them, such as resource re-allocation and communication strategies.

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Why do students consider dropping out of doctoral degrees? Institutional and personal factors

Cited by 153 publications

References 24 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

Experiences of Chinese International Doctoral Students in Canada Who Withdrew: A Narrative Inquiry

Early-Career Coordinated Distributed Experiments: Empowerment Through Collaboration

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