Engaging PhD Students: Investigating the Role of Supervisor Support and Psychological Capital in a Mediated Model

Abstract

Organizational scholars have empirically outlined the significance of support features and psychological capital on individual outcomes. In the present study, we attempted to address the dearth of research on PhD students’ engagement via empirically testing the crucial role of supervisor support and psychological capital. A total of 125 Ph.D. students of 11 different nationalities were recruited from a public university in Malaysia. The application of structural equation modeling to test the mediated model revealed that research supervisor’s support positively enhanced PhD students’ academic psychological capital. Accordingly, the study also found a positive relationship between academic psychological capital and PhD students’ engagement. Notably, the study reported academic psychological capital positively mediated the relationship between supervisor support and PhD students’ engagement. The study has addressed the research gap with critical findings pertaining to how students’ psychological capital can be of prominent significance for PhD students’ well-being. Contributions and implications of the study are outlined with reference to how supervisor support can foster PhD students’ academic psychological capital and thereupon their engagement.