BEING A DOCTORAL STUDENT IN MEASUREMENT AND EVALUATION IN EDUCATION: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY FROM THE PERSPECTIVES OF DOCTORAL STUDENTS

Abstract

The study aims to examine the views of doctorate students and graduate doctoral students who have received or are receiving doctoral education in the field of measurement and evaluation in education. Phenomenological design, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the study. The participants of the study consisted of 24 participants who had completed their doctoral education in the field of Measurement and Evaluation in Education at three different state universities (n=11) or were continuing their doctoral education (n=13). The data were gathered during the fall semester of 2022-2023 academic year via a semi-structured interview form prepared by the researcher and consisting of five open-ended items. Content analysis was used for analysis of the data gathered. The results showed that students' views about the factors leading them to pursue an academic career were grouped under three themes as “having interest in the field”, “desire for academic achievement”, and “career goals.” Two themes, “guidance and mentorship” and “academic support” were identified for students' views on their learning relationships with their supervisors. It was seen that students' views about their academic experiences were grouped under three themes as “research activities”, “teaching experiences”, and “academic development.” In addition, students' views on the skills provided by their supervisors were grouped under the themes of “research skills”, “higher-order thinking skills”, and “pedagogical and teaching skills”. Lastly, three themes, “technical competencies”, “theoretical knowledge”, and “practical skills” were identified for the participants' views on the requirements they needed during their doctoral education.