scholarly journals Becoming an Intercultural Doctoral Student

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 257-265
Author(s):  
Tram Anh Bui
Keyword(s):  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Doctoral Student ◽  
Intercultural Learning ◽  
Making Meaning ◽  
Values And Beliefs ◽  
Canadian Culture ◽  
Transnational Space ◽  
Self Formation ◽  
Journal Entries

International students experience both challenges and possibilities when they situate themselves in new sociocultural environments. The process of intercultural learning affects their self-formation and construction of their multiple identities. This self-reflective paper examines my experience as an international doctoral student transitioning from a Vietnamese cultural background to Canadian culture. By using concentric storying to deconstruct my journal entries, I found recurrent themes of conflicts and tensions emerging through different dialectical processes in my journey of becoming an intercultural doctoral student. My intercultural learning exposed my vulnerable self while I searched for my core values and beliefs. This journey has brought profound changes in making meaning of my adventure in transnational space. My story may shed light on the understanding of life in transition and provide direction for other international doctoral students seeking to enhance their intercultural competence in a similar educational landscape.

Leveraging critical friendship to navigate doctoral student role transitions

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen Howell Gregory ◽  
Amanda Kate Burbage
Keyword(s):  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Doctoral Student ◽  
Academic Programs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Role Transitions ◽  
Student Role ◽  
Self Study ◽  
Constant Comparative Analysis ◽  
Journal Entries

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of critical friendship on a first- and last-year doctoral student’s novice and expert mindsets during role transitions. Doctoral students are challenged to navigate role transitions during their academic programs. Experiences in research expectations, academy acculturation and work-life balance, may impact doctoral students’ novice-expert mindsets and contribute to the costly problem of attrition. Universities offer generic doctoral support, but few support sources address the long-term self-directed nature of self-study. Design/methodology/approach The authors participated in a collaborative self-study over a 30-month period. The authors collected 35 personal shared journal entries and 12 recorded and transcribed discussions. The authors conducted a constant comparative analysis of the data, and individually and collaboratively coded the data for initial and focused codes to construct themes. Findings The critical friendship provided a safe space to explore the doctoral experiences and novice-expert mindsets, which the authors were not fully able to do with programmatic support alone. The authors identified nine specific strategies that positively impacted the novice-expert mindsets during the following role transitions: professional to student, student to graduate and graduate to professional. Originality/value While researchers have identified strategies and models for doctoral student support targeting specific milestones, this study identified strategies to support doctoral students’ novice-expert mindsets during role transitions. These strategies may benefit other graduate students, as well as faculty and program directors, as they work to support student completion.

The Importance of Tough-Love Mentoring to Doctoral Student Success: Instruments to Measure the Doctoral Student/Proteges’ Perspective

10.28945/4630 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 485-516
Author(s):  
Laura Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Graduation Rates ◽  
Validation Study ◽  
Doctoral Student ◽  
Doctoral Program ◽  
The United States ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Unique Contribution ◽  
Program Administrators ◽  
High Standards

Aim/Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine tough-love mentoring theory (TLM) as a potential way to address the problem of low graduation rates among doctoral students. Background: In order to address this purpose, the researcher presents the following: a) a validation study for assessment tools pertaining to TLM and b) a validation study of TLM theory and its two sub-theories: mentor integrity and trustworthiness sub-theory (MIT) and the mentor high standards sub-theory (MHS). Methodology: The researcher tested the validity of the mentor integrity and trustworthiness scale from the protégés’ perspective (MIT-P), the mentor high standards scale from the protégés’ perspective (MHS-P) and the protégés’ perceptions of their own independence (PPI) scale. The sample consisted of 31 doctoral protégés recruited with multi-phase sampling at four education-related doctoral programs in the eastern part of the United States. Contribution: The study provides evidence to support TLM as a strategy to address the problem of low graduation rates among doctoral students. In addition, the study contributes validation of assessment tools that can be used to measure doctoral protégés’ perceptions of their mentors. Findings: For each scale, the data show acceptable levels of internal consistency and evidence of content validity. The data are consistent with the TLM theory and its two sub-theories. The unique contribution of the current study is that it draws from the protégés’ perspective. Recommendations for Practitioners: The researcher presents a) strategies protégés can use to find trustworthy mentors with high standards and b) strategies program administrators can use for professional development of doctoral mentors. The researcher also provides the Right Angle Research Alignment (RARA) table to help protégés organize and manage the research methods section of their dissertation. Recommendation for Researchers: It is recommended that researchers use experimental methods to test TLM theory and the sub-theories, MIT and MHS. Impact on Society: This theory may be useful in business and in the arts and in other teaching relationships such as coaching and tutoring. The researcher encourages scholars to test TLM theory in these other contexts. Future Research: Further research questions that arise from this study are as follows: How can protégés find mentors who have high standards and who are trustworthy? What can doctoral program administrators do to help mentors develop high standards and trustworthiness?

The role of conferences in doctoral student socialization

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aliya Kuzhabekova ◽  
Aizhan Temerbayeva
Keyword(s):  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Professional Socialization ◽  
Doctoral Student ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Conference Attendance ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Student Socialization ◽  
Doctoral Student Socialization

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the role scholarly conferences play in professional socialization of doctoral students.Design/methodology/approachUsing data from 20 interviews on conference experiences of student attendees of a North American conference in social sciences, as well as on the conference experiences of students from various disciplines at a private research intensive university in the USA, the authors explored how research identity of doctoral students change over time as result of participation in conferences, how the process of socialization is shaped by advisers and peers and how the experiences vary depending on the characteristics of the participants.FindingsThe authors found that conferences play an important role in socialization, and the effect from conference attendance increases with the number of conferences attended. The study also showed that students undergo several stages in the process of their socialization, throughout which they develop greater agency and independence as scholars, as well as a more positive image of themselves as researchers, and become more strategic in their behavior. The results also point to the key role of adviser and peers in the process of socialization, whereby the former can provide direction and orientation, while the latter may offer support and opportunities for mutual learning or future collaboration. The authors also found a notable difference in the support provided by advisers between teaching and research-oriented universities.Originality/valueThe paper applies doctoral student socialization theory to the analysis of informal doctoral experiences outside the program of study.

scholarly journals A reflexive exercise to promote cultural humility among doctoral nursing students

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beth Mastel-Smith ◽  
Susan Yarbrough
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Students ◽  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
Cultural Humility ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Nursing Research ◽  
Transcultural Nursing ◽  
Course Grades ◽  
Values And Beliefs ◽  
Conducting Research

Background: The U.S. population is becoming increasingly diverse; however, nursing remains a predominantly Caucasian profession. To promote positive outcomes among diverse patients, nurses must rely on rigorous transcultural research. When conducting research with people different from oneself, knowledge of one’s own values and beliefs is a necessary first step. In Transcultural Nursing Research, a required doctoral course, the first assignment is a reflexive exercise followed by online discussion about one’s personal culture and the origins of values and beliefs. Objectives: To (a) examine students’ responses to a reflexive exercise for evidence of cultural self-awareness, cultural humility, and insights gained and (b) assess the effectiveness of the teaching method.Methods: The setting was online within the Learning Management System (LMS), Blackboard. Participants: The sample consisted of twelve doctoral students enrolled in Transcultural Nursing Research. Methods: Student consent was obtained after course grades were submitted. Data was extracted from the LMS, de-identified, coded, categorized and collapsed into themes.Results: Four themes emerged from the data: “different versus familiar”, “cultural experiences”, “memories” and “reflections and implications”.Conclusions: Posts reflected insight into cultural awareness, values and humility. Students identified growth opportunities for themselves and their children. Suggestions for future education and research are presented.

scholarly journals Fostering intercultural learning through project-based learning in Vietnamese tertiary EFL classes: A participatory action research study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Minh Ta
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Participatory Action Research ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
National Language ◽  
Learning Study ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Intercultural Learning ◽  
Action Research Study

<p>Intercultural competence (IC) is increasingly recognized globally as a goal of education. In Vietnam, despite emphasis on intercultural competence in national language education, research has shown the peripheral role of addressing culture in EFL classes although research on the topic of how to cultivate intercultural language teaching and learning (ICLTL) is growing. This study investigated affordances for intercultural learning through project-based learning (PBL) in an EFL program at a Vietnamese university. It followed an interpretive research paradigm and qualitative research approach. It included two related studies. Study 1 was an ethnography-informed study, which involved 14 teachers, 265 students, 6 graduates and their employers. Data were collected from classroom observations, student focus group interviews, and interviews with teachers, graduates and employers. This preliminary research revealed few opportunities for intercultural learning in this program. Specifically, it found that culture was rarely addressed, and the main instructional method for culture was fact transmission. Moreover, teachers showed limited understanding of ICLTL and students expressed the need for further culture learning. Study 2 was a participatory action research study, in which a semester-long project was introduced to foster intercultural learning. Study 2 included two workshops, one at the beginning and one in the middle of the project. In these workshops, the researcher and three teachers collaboratively learned about ICLTL, and planned PBL lessons. Drawing on a thematic analysis of classroom data and teachers’ and students’ reports, the findings showed teachers’ improved practices and understanding of ICLTL and PBL, and indications of students’ IC development throughout the project. This research contributes to the growing scholarship on ICLTL by providing evidence for the efficacy of PBL for intercultural learning. Additionally, the study highlights the impact of teacher professional development on teaching practice and extends understanding of how to incorporate PBL in a textbook-based and exam-oriented EFL context.</p>

Intercultural Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning

2018 ◽  
pp. 80-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason MacLeod ◽  
Harrison Hao Yang
Keyword(s):  
Collaborative Learning ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Instructional Approach ◽  
Computer Supported Collaborative Learning ◽  
Intercultural Learning ◽  
Collaborative Skills ◽  
Distributed Method

In the absence of an equitably distributed method for providing immersive intercultural learning experiences, teachers have used digital technologies to personalize domestic learning experiences that cultivate intercultural competence and collaborative skills. This chapter provides a review of intercultural computer-supported collaborative learning, discusses the main issues that students and teachers encounter, and provides a summary of research supporting teacher integration of this instructional approach.

Describing Undergraduate Students' Intercultural Learning through Study Abroad in Terms of Their ‘Cultural Responsiveness'

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 29-38
Author(s):  
Susan Oguro ◽  
Angela Giovanangeli
Keyword(s):  
Study Abroad ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Undergraduate Student ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Cultural Responsiveness ◽  
International Exchange ◽  
Intercultural Learning ◽  
Study Abroad Programs ◽  
Exchange Programs ◽  
Exchange Program

Although student international exchange programs commonly claim to facilitate participants' intercultural competence, questions remain as to how this competence might be adequately and validly assessed. In this article, the notion of Cultural Responsiveness is used to assist in interpreting and categorizing students' experiences and intercultural learning through study abroad programs. Data on the Australian undergraduate student participants' unique backgrounds, experiences and perceptions was collected after they had completed an exchange program in Switzerland or France. Using the Cultural Responsiveness categorization developed through this study, three parameters of students' intercultural experiences emerged: Awareness, Engagement and Bringing Knowledge Home. Using these three parameters, this article proposes that the notion of Cultural Responsiveness provides a useful method for identification of students' responses to the experiences of study abroad programs.

What’s your type? An examination of first-year doctoral student motivation

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 371-387
Author(s):  
Africa S. Hands
Keyword(s):  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Student Motivation ◽  
Academic Motivation ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Doctoral Student ◽  
Autonomous Motivation ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Interdisciplinary Field ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Motivational Support

Educators often ask how to motivate PhD students. Before addressing how to motivate students, we should know what motivates prospective doctoral students. Motivational support has been shown to lead to overall satisfaction with the educational process, better engagement, and persistence. Using the interdisciplinary field of library and information science, this research offers insight on doctoral student motivation through quantitative analysis of results from administration of the Academic Motivation Scale. The instrument measures and classifies motivation from the perspective of self-determination theory. Results suggest PhD students are motivated by several types of intrinsic motivation as well as identified regulation, a type of extrinsic yet autonomous motivation. Findings can be used by program administrators, faculty, and other stakeholders to address the “how” of motivation through better alignment of teaching practices, research activities, and student services based on students’ motivation types.

scholarly journals Transforming doctoral education: preparing multidimensional and adaptive scholars

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-34
Author(s):  
Clinton A. Patterson ◽  
Chi-Ning Chang ◽  
Courtney N. Lavadia ◽  
Marta L. Pardo ◽  
Debra A. Fowler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Doctoral Education ◽  
Doctoral Student ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Career Adaptability ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Transferable Skills ◽  
Curricular Design

Purpose Concerning trends in graduate education, such as high attrition and underdeveloped skills, drive toward a new doctoral education approach. This paper aims to describe and propose a transformative doctoral education model (TDEM), incorporating elements that potentially address these challenges and expand the current practice. The model envisions discipline-specific knowledge coupled with a broader interdisciplinary perspective and addresses the transferable skills necessary to successfully navigate an ever-changing workforce and global landscape. The overarching goal of TDEM is to transform the doctoral student into a multi-dimensional and adaptive scholar, so the students of today can effectively and meaningfully solve the problems of tomorrow. Design/methodology/approach The foundation of TDEM is transformative learning theory, supporting the notion learner transformation occurs throughout the doctoral educational experience. Findings Current global doctoral education models and literature were reviewed. These findings informed the new TDEM. Practical implications Designed as a customizable framework for learner-centered doctoral education, TDEM promotes a mentor network on and off-campus, interdisciplinarity and agile career scope preparedness. Social implications Within the TDEM framework, doctoral students develop valuable knowledge and transferable skills. These developments increase doctoral student career adaptability and preparedness, as well as enables graduates to appropriately respond to global and societal complex problems. Originality/value This proposed doctoral education framework was formulated through a review of the literature and experiences with curricular design and pedagogical practices at a research-intensive university’s teaching and learning center. TDEM answers the call to develop frameworks that address issues in doctoral education and present a flexible and more personalized training. TDEM encourages doctoral student transformation into adaptive, forward-thinking scholars and thriving in an ever-changing workforce.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document