scholarly journals “What my Parents Think I Do …” – Doctoral Students’ Assumptions about how Private and Work-related Groups View their Work

10.28945/4381 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 465-478
Author(s):  
Alessa Hillbrink ◽  
Regina Jucks
Keyword(s):  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Academic Career ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Research And Teaching ◽  
The Face ◽  
Research Narrative ◽  
Career Options ◽  
The University ◽  
Work Impact

Aim/Purpose: This study aimed at investigating whether doctoral students are already confronted with expectations that reflect a primacy of research and whether they adopt such views for themselves. Background: There is a consensus among academics in the university system that research is typically valued more strongly than teaching in terms of prestige, rewards, and career options. Such prioritization of research may hamper junior academics’ development as teachers, especially at the beginning of an academic career – the doctoral stage. Methodology: We measured the expectations that others put upon doctoral students (N = 55, all with teaching duties) in the discipline of psychology using pictures of research and teaching situations. Participants each chose one picture to illustrate what they anticipated their friends and their parents (private groups) as well as their colleagues and their supervisors (work-related groups) think they are doing. Afterwards, they described their own view of the research-teaching relationship. Contribution: The study expands the knowledge on how others in doctoral students’ networks might shape their development as researchers and teachers through the expectations they communicate. Moreover, it shines a light on doctoral students’ own views of research and teaching. Findings: There was a clear primacy of research in terms of the assumed expectations of others; yet, doctoral students assumed that private groups expect them to teach more strongly than work-related groups expect them to teach. For their own views, doctoral students described mainly positive types of research-teaching rela-tionships, whereby research and teaching were oftentimes seen as equally im-portant. Recommendations for Practitioners: In the face of a primacy of research in academia, teaching should not be left for private conversations, but naturally be a topic among colleagues and with the supervisor as well. Recommendation for Researchers: These findings underline the need to include private relationships into models of junior academics’ development as teachers, since these relationships can represent a counterpart to more research-focused expectations at work. Impact on Society: We should not underestimate the relevance of doctoral students’ own motivation and perspectives for the quality of their research and teaching in a system where the primacy of research narrative circulates. Future Research: Future research could compare doctoral students’ anticipations to the expectations the different groups in their networks really hold.

Career Goal Profiles of Early Career Scientists: A Person-Centered Approach

2021 ◽  
pp. 089484532110172
Author(s):  
Ruth Noppeney ◽  
Anna M. Stertz ◽  
Bettina S. Wiese
Keyword(s):  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Latent Profile Analysis ◽  
Academic Career ◽  
Profile Analysis ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Career Goal ◽  
Transition Analysis ◽  
Flat Profile ◽  
Career Options ◽  
Person Centered Approach

Obtaining a doctorate offers various career options. This study takes a person-centered approach to identify interest profiles. Career goals (professorate, entrepreneur, etc.) were assessed at two time points (1-year interval) in a sample of doctoral students and doctorate holders from the STEM fields in German-speaking areas ( NT 1 = 2,077). Latent profile analysis revealed that a four-profile solution provided the best data fit: At T1, 33.0% of the participants aimed for a management position in industry, 16.9% pursued an academic career, 30.1% were interested in activities without leadership responsibilities, and 20.1% had a relatively flat career-goal profile. Latent transition analysis indicated that most changes occurred for those classified into the flat profile, while strong interest in a management career was very stable over time. Additionally, the attainment of the doctorate seemed to be a good predictor for profile membership: Doctorate holders were more likely to be clearly dedicated to an academic career.

scholarly journals Academic Career Development: A Review and Research Agenda

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannes Zacher ◽  
Cort Rudolph ◽  
Tara Todorovic ◽  
Daniel Ammann
Keyword(s):  
Career Development ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Academic Career ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Career Stages ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Administrative Roles ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Development Interventions ◽  
Methodological Considerations

Academic career development refers to the process by which employers as well as scholarsworking in research, teaching, and/or administrative roles in academic and higher education contexts manage various tasks, behaviors, and experiences within and across jobs and organizations over time, with implications for scholars’ work-related identity. In this review article, we address the question: to what extent has conceptual and empirical research on academic career development captured central constructs and processes outlined by two important and comprehensive career development theories? Using social cognitive career theory and life-span, life-space theory as guiding frameworks, we categorized relevant articles published in academic journals into five thematic clusters: (a) individual characteristics, (b) contextual factors, (c) active regulation of behavior, (d) career stages, and (e) work and nonwork roles. Within these thematic clusters, major topics in the existing literature on academic career development include gender differences and women’s experiences, mentoring and other career development interventions, and career development in the field of medicine. In contrast, social and cognitive processes, action regulation, later career stages, and the work-nonwork interface have been neglected in the literature on academic career development. We conclude by outlining an agenda for future research, including theoretical and methodological considerations.

Preparing for PhD: exploring doctoral students’ preparation strategy

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad Thamrini Fadzlin Syed Mohamed ◽  
Ahmad Fahimi Amir ◽  
Nur Khadirah Ab. Rahman ◽  
Emily Abd Rahman ◽  
Afifah Quraishah Abdul Nasir
Keyword(s):  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Academic Career ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Preparation Phase ◽  
Personal Level ◽  
Preparation Strategy ◽  
Professional Doctorates ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to give insight on the important preparation task needed to be considered by prospective PhD candidates prior to the start of their study. As pursuing and obtaining a higher degree qualification is becoming more eminent for those who want to advance their academic career, crucial preparation is needed before embarking on the doctoral quest. Design/methodology/approach A small-scale study of the PhD experience was carried out in a public university in Malaysia using semi-structured in-depth interviews with eight successful doctoral students representing three different faculties to assess respondents’ experiences concerning the preparation aspect, challenges faced and strategies used to overcome the problem. Findings From the interview data, three overarching themes emerged: motives, task and financial and health as important dominators that could influence a successful venture of a PhD journey. Research limitations/implications As the present research respondents were few, further research with bigger number of respondents may shed better light in identifying other important aspect in preparation for PhD. The authors are unable, in the space of this paper, to fully explore the implications of the data, and the work of others that it builds on, for the future of professional doctorates or other types of PhD awards. As professional doctorates are fully concentrated on their professional endeavour, i.e. nursing and education, the preparation needed may include different groundwork. In addition, this study was carried out in Malaysia, where the system may not necessarily share the same characteristics to other doctoral systems in other countries. Cultural differences, the impact of age, gender and race, were other variables that could be weighed by future research in the same area. Practical implications The university’s graduate office should line-up courses to inform future doctoral candidates on the aspect of preparation at personal level that the students need to carry out. Social implications The study provides new views where potential doctoral students should be helped and guided to become more consciously aware of their decision in pursuing a higher degree. This paper provides suggestions on the guidelines of the initial preparation needed before embarking on a PhD journey and managing their own learning. Originality/value The paper establishes the important aspect of the preparation phase needed to be considered by future doctoral students before pursuing their doctoral quest.

scholarly journals Regverdiging van die sondaar: Martin Luther se teologiese definisie van die mens soos uiteengesit in die Disputatio de homine van 1536, stelling 32

2017 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriël M.J. Van Wyk
Keyword(s):  
Academic Career ◽  
Martin Luther ◽  
Protestant Reformation ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Essential Resource ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The University ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Theology And Philosophy

Disputations were a fixture of Martin Luther’s academic career. Luther participated regularly in disputations. It was an important communicative vehicle through which he developed and expressed his theology. The well-known 95 theses are a case in point. Luther’s career as a disputator was impressive. Several of his most influential disputations were explicitly intended for consideration by his academic and ecclesiastical colleagues, but the majority of his disputations took place as a curricular exercise at the University of Wittenberg. The purpose of these disputations was pedagogical and polemical. Luther deployed the same tools for his defence of proper doctrine that were at the centre of the Protestant reformation in the face of objections. The disputatio de homine is a systematic summary of Luther’s anthropology. It incorporates the doctrine of justification as the theological definition of man. It treats the subject within the context of the relationship between theology and philosophy, and reflects upon the new language of theology. The disputatio de homine provides an essential resource for the study of Luther’s anthropology and the doctrine of justification.

George William Kenneth 'Ken' Cavill 1922–2017

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 172
Author(s):  
Doreen V. Clark ◽  
Jennifer A. Genion
Keyword(s):  
Technical College ◽  
Academic Career ◽  
World War ◽  
Senior Lecturer ◽  
Bachelor Of Science ◽  
World War 2 ◽  
Research And Teaching ◽  
South Wales ◽  
The University ◽  
Australian Academy

Ken Cavill knew from his high school years that his career lay in science. Whilst completing his Bachelor of Science at the University of Sydney he chose to focus on organic chemistry and made his academic career in that field. Ken gained his PhD at Liverpool University in England in 1949 and was awarded a DSc from that university in 1957. He was employed during World War 2 at W. Hermon Slade & Co., and then as a lecturer in chemistry at Sydney Technical College, becoming a senior lecturer at the newly formed University of New South Wales (UNSW), where he had a distinguished career in research and teaching until his retirement in 1982. He received the first personal chair awarded by the university in 1964 and was made a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 1969. He was made an emeritus professor by UNSW in 1983. He actively pursued collaboration between chemistry and biology, and pioneered studies in Australia on the chemistry of insect venoms, attractants and repellents, leaving a legacy of a well-respected body of work in this field. Ken was awarded a Centenary of Federation Medal in 2001 for his service to Australian society and science in the field of organic biological chemistry. Pursuing his love of Australiana, he devoted his retirement to researching and writing about Australian silverware and jewellery manufacturers of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

scholarly journals Internal Motivation among Doctoral Students: Contributions from the Student and from the Student’s Environment

10.28945/4091 ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 255-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin F Lynch ◽  
Nailya R Salikhova ◽  
Albina Salikhova
Keyword(s):  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Close Relationships ◽  
Basic Needs ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Personal Relationships ◽  
Scholarly Activity ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Internal Motivation ◽  
Academic Activities ◽  
The University

Aim/Purpose: The present quantitative, cross-sectional study aimed to investigate objective and subjective factors in the self-determination of doctoral students in their educational activities. Objective determinants included major discipline and forms of academic and scholarly activity (that is, attending classes and writing papers), and subjective determinants included personal characteristics of the doctoral students, including dispositional autonomy and perceptions of environmental supports for students’ basic psychological needs. Background: The quality of students’ motivation for learning has been linked with many different outcomes. Specifically, students who are more internally motivated (that is, who engage in learning activities for reasons that are personally important and freely chosen) demonstrate better performance outcomes and are more likely to choose and to persist in challenging tasks, to enjoy learning, to exhibit greater creativity, and in general to experience greater psychological well-being. Important questions remain, however, regarding the sources that affect student motivation, in particular at the level of graduate school. The present study expands on existing research by exploring contributions to students’ motivation both from the students, themselves, and from supports stemming from two interpersonal contexts: close relationships and the university environment. Methodology: Participating in the study were 112 doctoral students from various natural sciences departments of a major university in the Volga region of Russia. Self-report measures included dispositional autonomy, motivation for various types of academic and scholarly activity, and satisfaction of basic needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness in various interpersonal contexts. Analyses included descriptive statistics, comparison of mean differences, correlation, and structural equation modeling. Contribution: The present study goes beyond existing research by considering both dispositional and situational factors that influence the motivation of doctoral students for their scholarly and academic activities, and by comparing the impact on motivation of close personal relationships with that of various interpersonal contexts in the university setting. Findings: Doctoral students reported greater supports for their basic needs (for competence, autonomy, and relatedness) from their close personal relationships than in their university contexts. Students felt less support for their autonomy and competence with their research supervisor than in other university settings. The early stages of a scholarly activity, such as gathering sources and analyzing materials, were more likely to be characterized by external motivation, whereas the later stages, like the actual writing of a manuscript, were more likely to be internally motivated. When competing for variance, need supports from university-based but not from close personal relationships were significant contributors to students’ internal motivation for scholarly and academic activity; this effect, however, was fully mediated through students’ own dispositional autonomy. Recommendations for Practitioners: The present study underscores the importance of creating an environment in the university that supports doctoral students’ needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Educators, and in particular research supervisors, should attend to the ways in which their policies and practices support versus undermine these needs, which are shown to play an important role in promoting doctoral students’ own internal motivation for their scholarly and academic activities. Recommendation for Researchers: Although in this sample need supports from university-based interpersonal contexts outweighed the role of need supports from close personal relationships, in terms of doctoral students’ scholarly and academic motivation, it seems important to keep both contexts in mind, given the general importance of close relationships for motivation and other educational and well-being outcomes. As well, accounting for students’ own dispositional attributes, such as their own personal tendency toward autonomy, seems a critical counterpoint to looking at environmental contributions. Future Research: Future research should examine whether the mediational model tested in the present study applies to other samples of doctoral students, for example, to those from other disciplines, such as the humanities, and those in other cultural or geographic locations, where it is possible that close personal relationships may contribute more substantially to students’ motivation than was the case in the present sample. As well, future studies would do well to include other relevant outcomes, such as academic grades, successful degree completion, and measures of well-being, in order to confirm previous findings of the link between internal motivation and various educational outcomes.

scholarly journals “How do I get From Here to There?” An Examination of Ph.D. Science Students’ Career Preparation and Decision Making

10.28945/2280 ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 237-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather Thiry ◽  
Sandra L Laursen ◽  
Heidi G. Loshbaugh
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Academic Career ◽  
The United States ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Graduate Studies ◽  
Developmental Networks ◽  
Education Practice ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Career Options

Drawing on developmental networks theory, this qualitative research study explores the professional preparation and career decision-making processes of doctoral students in the sciences. The study is based on 95 semi-structured interviews with informants at three research universities in the United States. Though many students were interested in non-academic career tracks, they were largely unaware of the breadth of their choices or how to best prepare for these careers. Unable to cultivate networks in non-academic careers, many students turned to peers to fill the career development gap. Due to their lack of knowledge about career options, among other factors, students often delayed selecting and preparing for careers until the end of their graduate studies. Implications for doctoral education practice are discussed.

scholarly journals A Qualitative Examination of Challenges Influencing Doctoral Students in an Online Doctoral Program

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anant Deshpande
Keyword(s):  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Doctoral Program ◽  
Business Administration ◽  
Human Interaction ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Quality Of Instruction ◽  
Course Structure ◽  
The University

<p class="apa">The main purpose of the study was to investigate the challenges faced by students in completion of an online doctoral program at the University of Liverpool, Online Doctoral Business Administration program. We analyse the responses of 91 doctoral students in an online DBA program. Based on the exploratory qualitative study themes were developed based on student perceptions. Various themes identified were course structure and workload, resources, absence of human interaction, technological challenges, support systems, and satisfaction with instructor and quality of instruction. Discussion, Implications and avenues for future research are presented.</p>

scholarly journals Toku toa, he toa rangatira: Fearlessness and Indigenous Scholarship

2020 ◽  
pp. 24-25
Author(s):  
Jani Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Indigenous Knowledge ◽  
Academic Career ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
Indigenous Research ◽  
Research Strategies ◽  
Research And Teaching ◽  
Kaupapa Māori ◽  
The Face ◽  
Holistic Research

A well-known whakataukī (aphorism, proverb) tells us toku toa, he toa rangatira, quite literally ‘my courage is inherited’. Wairaka is known as an impressive young wahine from pre-colonial times who, in the face of a life or death situation, stood up to adversity to supersede an important, long held tikanga Māori (protocol) to save the Ngāti Awa iwi. She is my whāea tipuna (ancestress) and because of her bravery, I like to carry her with me in my academic career as a screen studies scholar. Ensuring academic disciplines endure and are relevant throughout the generations requires consistently robust research, dynamic teaching, and leadership; but challenging academia with Indigenous knowledge goes beyond this. As Indigenous academic scholars, we must commit to satiating the academy with our research and teaching to appeal to the discipline’s status quo, at the same time as upholding the values, expectations and ideals of our communities, those to whom we return once projects are complete. Therefore, Indigenous research is never truly over. The marriage between the discipline and our respective cultures however is never straightforward. Indigenous scholarship takes a much greater level of fearlessness because we must combat potential exclusion from the discipline that we are carving the outlines of our culture into. Thus, we must choose to either blend into the grooves of the existing disciplinary carvings, or to accept that we are a new adze. This is often met with obstructions. Primarily relying on critical Kaupapa Māori analysis comparing the existing and prospective fields of knowledge, this paper considers the potential of Indigenous research as a collective of holistic research strategies. It underlines some of the challenges associated with implementing Indigenous knowledge and diverting from disciplinary norms. In the way that our whāea tipuna Wairaka did, we can challenge the long held tikanga - the rules and strictures - that have sustained and satiated our disciplines for generations, to save or evolve our disciplines into the future. Like Wairaka, and many of your brave ancestors before you, we must be prepared to stand alone, and to be courageous as per our inheritance.

scholarly journals Writing in the university: education, knowledge and reputation

2011 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ken Hyland
Keyword(s):  
Academic Career ◽  
Academic Literacy ◽  
University Education ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Research And Teaching ◽  
University Life ◽  
Important Sense ◽  
The University ◽  
Constructing Knowledge ◽  
Widespread View

This paper challenges the widespread view that writing is somehow peripheral to the more serious aspects of university life – doing research and teaching students. It argues that universities areaboutwriting and that specialist forms of academic literacy are at the heart of everything we do: central to constructing knowledge, educating students and negotiating a professional academic career. Seeing literacy as embedded in the beliefs and practices of individual disciplines, instead of a generic skill that students have failed to develop at school, helps explain the difficulties both students and academics have in controlling the conventions of disciplinary discourses. Ultimately, and in an important sense, we are what we write, and we need to understand the distinctive ways our disciplines have of addressing colleagues and presenting arguments, as it is through language that academics and students conceptualise their subjects and argue their claims persuasively.

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