Advanced Doctoral Students Research Articles

Visualizing Abundance: Promotional Cartography in the Hands of the East India Company and the Virginia Company (1600–1626)

Advanced doctoral students whose dissertations are substantially concerned with the history of cartography are invited to contact the editor of this section (Dr Elizabeth Baigent, elizabeth.baigent@wycliffe.ox.ac.uk) to discuss the submission of a short article. For a list of doctoral theses in progress see http://www.maphistory.info/futurephd.html.

Science Estranged: Power and Inequity in Laboratory Life during the COVID-19 Pandemic

In March 2020, academic research laboratories across the world shut down in response to the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic. As labs began to resume work in the weeks and months following the shutdown, the realities of daily life in the lab changed. This article offers an empirical investigation of how COVID-19 disrupted laboratory life and impacted laboratory workers in the United States, drawing on in-depth interviews with biomedical research trainees (postdoctoral researchers and advanced doctoral students) conducted between September 2020 and March 2021. This article demonstrates how laboratory life during the pandemic was marked by emergent stratifications and inequities in access to sufficient lab time, increased stress around productivity, and frustrations with the culture of academic science. I show how the loss of social interaction, and the ensuing lonely scientific struggles, made visible the importance of sociality in science for workers. Finally, I contend that pandemic disruptions not only amplified and exacerbated existing social inequities in lab settings but also resulted in workers’ estrangement from science itself.

A Letter from the Museum Reviews Editor

A Letter from the Museum Reviews Editor

Object relations assessment predicts outpatients' attrition, early working alliance and psychotherapy process

This study investigated the predictive utility of assessing clients' object relations functioning to prognosticate therapy dropout, quality of the early working alliance and psychotherapy process events reported by clients after their first five sessions. Clients accepting a recruitment invitation were administered the thematic apperception test (TAT) shortly after intake, and those still in treatment three to four sessions later rated the working alliance and psychotherapy process events. Participants were 47 clients beginning psychotherapy with advanced doctoral practicum students at a university-based community-serving training clinic. The Social Cognition and Object Relations Scales (SCORS), an object relations scoring system for TAT stories, was used to assess object relations functioning. The California Psychotherapy Alliance Scales-Patient form measured four dimensions of the alliance. The Therapy Orientation Process Scales, created from the Psychotherapy Process Q-set, measured clients' perceptions of therapy process events as involving relatively more psychodynamic or cognitive behavioural techniques. The SCORS significantly predicted remaining in therapy, client ratings of stronger working alliance and typical therapy process as more psychodynamic than cognitive behavioural. SCORS complexity of representations and capacity for emotional investment in relationships scales were the strongest predictors, especially of the patient commitment facet of the alliance. The findings suggest that (1) beginning psychotherapy with object relations assessment can be useful for treatment planning and (2) the relationship between clients' object relations functioning, working alliance and greater sensitivity to psychodynamic than to cognitive behavioural interventions depends on the aspect of object relations that is being assessed.

Reading routines: strategies of recall in graduate education

Purpose This study aims to explore how graduate students in the social sciences develop reading and note-taking routines. Design/methodology/approach Using a professional socialization framework drawing on grounded theory, this study draws on a snowball sample of 36 graduate students in the social sciences at US universities. Qualitative interviews were conducted to learn about graduate students’ reading and note-taking techniques. Findings This study uncovered how doctoral students experienced the shift from undergraduate to graduate training. Graduate school requires students to adopt new modes of reading and note-taking. However, students lacked explicit mentorship in these skills. Once they realized that the goal was to enter an academic conversation to produce knowledge, they developed new reading and note-taking routines by soliciting and implementing suggestions from advanced doctoral students and faculty mentors. Research limitations/implications The specific requirements of the individual graduate program shape students’ goals for reading and note-taking. Further examination of the relationship between graduate students’ reading and note-taking and institutional requirements is warranted with a larger sample of universities, including non-American institutions. Practical implications Graduate students benefit from explicit mentoring in reading and note-taking skills from doctoral faculty and advanced graduate students. Originality/value This study uncovers the perspectives of graduate students in the social sciences as they transition from undergraduate coursework in a doctoral program of study. This empirical, interview-based research highlights the centrality of reading and note-taking in doctoral studies.

Chilly Climates, Balancing Acts, and Shifting Pathways: What Happens to Women in STEM Doctoral Programs

Women in doctoral programs in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) leave without finishing at higher rates than men and, as with men, turn away from academic and research careers. This qualitative study examines the day-to-day influences on female doctoral students during their third or fourth year in physical science and engineering programs. Ethnographic cognitive interviewing and online incident reports document the specific experiences and reactions of 28 participants over a six-month period. The data were analyzed to identify key incidents, categories and recurring themes. Some incidents contributed to women’s growing sense of competence, recognition and identification of oneself as a scientist. Others fit a model of microaggressions and gender barriers in a predominantly masculine culture. Problems of work-life balance were demonstrated for some women. Incidents generated responses by some participants that they would disengage from a research-intensive career trajectory toward alternate career interests outside of academic research. The findings provide information about the lived experiences of women in doctoral programs and suggest that the metaphor of career pathways may be more useful than pipelines in explaining the direction of women who are advanced doctoral students in research-intensive fields.

The Spanish Version of the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders in Adolescents (UP-A) Adapted as a School-Based Anxiety and Depression Prevention Program: Study Protocol for a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.

BackgroundAnxiety and depression are common, impairing conditions that evidence high comorbidity rates in adolescence. The Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders in Adolescents (UP-A) is one of the few existing resources aimed at applying transdiagnostic treatment principles to target core dysfunctions associated with both anxiety and depression within a single protocol. To our knowledge, this is the first study examining the efficacy of the UP-A adapted as a universal preventive intervention program.ObjectiveThe primary aim of this study is to examine whether the Spanish version of the UP-A is more effective than a waitlist (WL) control group in reducing and preventing symptoms of anxiety and depression when employed as a universal, classroom-based preventive intervention. The secondary aim is to investigate changes in a broad range of secondary outcome measures, including negative and positive affect, anxiety sensitivity, emotional avoidance, top problems ratings, school grades, depression and anxiety-related interference, self-esteem, life satisfaction, quality of life, conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention symptoms, peer problems, prosocial behavior, school adjustment, and discipline problems. Other aims are to assess a range of possible predictors of intervention effects and to examine the feasibility and the acceptability of implementing UP-A in a prevention group format and in a school setting.MethodsA cluster, randomized, WL, controlled trial design with classroom as the unit of randomization was used in this study. Five classes including a total of 152 adolescents were randomized to the experimental or WL control groups. Participants in the experimental group received 9 55-minute sessions delivered by advanced doctoral and masters students in clinical psychology. The WL control group will receive the intervention once the 3-month follow-up assessment is completed.ResultsWe have recruited participants to the cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) and have conducted the intervention with the experimental group. We expect the WL control group to complete the intervention in July 2017. Data analysis will take place during the second semester of 2017.ConclusionsWe expect the experimental group to outperform the WL control group at post-intervention and 3-month follow-up. We also expect the WL control group to show improvements in primary and secondary outcome measures after receiving the intervention. Results will have implications for researchers, families, and education providers.Trial RegistrationClinicaltrials.gov NCT03123991; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03123991 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6qp7GIzcR)

Developing a Peer Mentorship Program to Increase Competence in Clinical Supervision in Clinical Psychology Doctoral Training Programs.

Supervision has recently been recognized as a core competency for clinical psychologists. This recognition of supervision as a distinct competency has evolved in the context of an overall focus on competency-based education and training in health service psychology, and has recently gained momentum. Few clinical psychology doctoral programs offer formal training experiences in providing supervision. A pilot peer mentorship program (PMP) where graduate students were trained in the knowledge and practice of supervision was developed. The focus of the PMP was to develop basic supervision skills in advanced clinical psychology graduate students, as well as to train junior doctoral students in fundamental clinical and practical skills. Advanced doctoral students were matched to junior doctoral students to gain experience in and increase knowledge base in best practices of supervision skills. The 9-month program consisted of monthly mentorship meetings and three training sessions. The results suggested that mentors reported a 30% or more shift from the category of not competent to needs improvement or competent, in the following supervision competencies: theories of supervision, improved skill in supervision modalities, acquired knowledge in supervision, and supervision experience. Furthermore, 50% of the mentors reported that they were not competent in supervision experience at baseline and only 10% reported that they were not competent at the end of the program. Satisfaction data suggested that satisfaction with the program was high, with 75% of participants indicating increased knowledge base in supervision, and 90% indicating that it was a positive addition to their training program. This program was feasible and acceptable and appears to have had a positive impact on the graduate students who participated. Students reported both high satisfaction with the program as well as an increase in knowledge base and experience in supervision skills.

An Exploration of the Perceived Impact of Post-Master’s Experience on Doctoral Study in Counselor Education and Supervision

The master's degree in counseling serves as the entry-level degree in the field, and students entering a doctoral program in counselor education and supervision (CES) are believed to have already met the standards of an entry-level clinician (Goodrich, Shin, & Smith, 2011). Therefore, the doctoral degree in CES is to prepare counselors for leadership in the profession within a variety of roles including supervision, teaching, research and scholarship, and leadership and advocacy, as well as counseling practice (Bernard, 2006; Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs [CACREP], 2015; Goodrich et al., 2011; Sackett et al., 2015). Though CACREP (2015) recognizes previous professional experience as one of the doctoral program admission criteria, the counselor education field lacks clear professional standards regarding the amount and type of counseling experience necessary for admittance to doctoral programs (Boes, Ullery, Millner, & Cobia, 1999; Sackett et ak, 2015; Schweiger, Henderson, McCaskill, Clawson, & Collins, 2012; Warnke, Bethany, & Hedstrom, 1999). Conventional wisdom may tell us the more post-master's counseling experience a doctoral applicant has, the more enriched their doctoral experience will be; however, the CES field does not have empirical data for how CES doctoral students perceive the impact of their post-master's experience (PME) on their doctoral education. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to explore the perceived impact of PME on doctoral study in CES.In this study, researchers explored the perceived impact of PME across the five core areas of doctoral professional identity development outlined by CACREP (2015; Section 6. B.l-5). The following research questions guided the study: (1) How do advanced doctoral students and recent doctoral graduates perceive the impact of PME on the development of the five core areas of professional identity during doctoral study: counseling, supervision, teaching, research and scholarship, and leadership and advocacy? and (2) Is the amount of PME and the setting of PME related to the perceived impact of PME on the five core areas of professional identity during doctoral study: counseling, supervision, teaching, research and scholarship, and leadership and advocacy? Practically, the results inform CES doctoral admissions committees in considering applicants with and without PME. CES doctoral admissions committees must decide whether and how much PME should be required for admittance to their programs. PME is an important consideration in selecting doctoral students, yet few applicants have this experience (Nelson, Canada, & Lancaster, 2003), making it difficult to require. The results also inform CES faculty who advise master's students interested in pursuing a doctoral degree. CES faculty members frequently encounter ambitious master's students who are interested in pursuing a doctoral degree, and one of the many considerations in that conversation is whether and how much PME should be obtained before doctoral study begins. Though PME is deemed important, many CES faculty members advise master's students to go straight into doctoral study based on factors such as maturity, academics and skill level (Sackett et al., 2015). This is an issue for the field since experience is an important qualification in hiring CES faculty members (Bodenhorn et al., 2014; Rogers, Gill-Wigal, Harrigan, & Abbey-Hines, 1998) and clinical experience informs teaching (Rogers et al., 1998; Sackett et al., 2015), supervision (Sackett et al., 2015), and research (Munson, 1996; Sackett et al., 2015). Thus, exploring further the impact of PME on doctoral students' development is critical.Relevant CES Literature on Post-Master's ExperienceThe field of CES lacks clarity regarding the amount or type of counseling experience preferable for incoming doctoral students (Sackett et al., 2015; Schweiger et al., 2012; Warnke et al. …

Contribution of supervisor interventions to client change: The therapist perspective

We interviewed 15 advanced doctoral students about their experiences with a supervisor who had helped them help a client change. Analyses of interviews, using consensual qualitative research, suggested that therapists/supervisees viewed their supervisors as having helped them by providing guidance, facilitating case conceptualization, focusing on the person of the therapist, supporting the therapist, providing performance feedback, helping to set realistic expectations, and disclosing. We consider the implications of these findings for clinical supervision, supervisor training, and research on how the supervision process contributes to therapy outcomes.

Videoconference Grief Group Counseling in Rural Texas: Outcomes, Challenges, and Lessons Learned

Disparities in access to mental health care, especially in rural areas, demand continued attention from practitioners, researchers, and community stakeholders. Telehealth, or the use of long distance technology to provide mental health services, is one well-recognized solution for reducing mental health disparities. At the Telehealth Counseling Clinic, advanced doctoral students provide telepsychology services to low-income and uninsured individuals living in a rural region in Texas. In response to an identified community need for grief counseling services, an 8-week grief group utilizing videoconference technology was conducted. This article discusses clinical and methodological challenges and lessons learned that are unique to delivering group counseling services over videoconference technology in a rural area, as well as preliminary data of the group’s effectiveness as measured by a satisfaction survey, the Patient Health Questionnaire–9, the CORE–B, and the Complicated Grief Assessment are presented.

Building a Community of Researchers Using the Research Mentoring Model

The development of a community environment and strong mentoring relationships is integral in helping doctoral students complete their degrees. Of the stages comprising a student’s academic career, effective conceptualization and writing of the dissertation proves the most challenging and may result in failure to complete a doctoral degree. The researchers developed and used their Research Mentoring Model (RMM) to help doctoral students identify research topics, move into a researcher identity, and develop a sense community. This hermeneutic phenomenological sought to understand the experience of the five first year doctoral students participants. All were enrolled in a CACREP accredited Counselor Education and Supervision program of a western university. Each student was the Focus Person during participated in a structured, 90-minute mentoring to explore the possible directions of dissertation research. The sessions were attended by faculty and advanced doctoral students who provide feedback and discuss possible research. The five first year students were then interviewed about their experiences with the RMM. The themes that emerged from the individual interviews included: experiencing a sense of community, developing a researcher identity, increasing confidence, self-efficacy and motivation, as well as finding support from peers and faculty. The Article concludes with limitations, reflections and directions for future research.

Charting the Transfrontier: Imperial Survey, Mapping and the Boundary-Making of Afghanistan from the Late Nineteenth Century to the Present

Doctoral Thesis in Progress Edited by Elizabeth Baigent Advanced doctoral students whose dissertations are substantially concerned with the history of cartography are invited to contact the editor ...

Aesthetic Cartography: The Cultural Function of Portolan Charts from 1300 to 1700

Advanced doctoral students whose dissertations are substantially concerned with the history of cartography are invited to contact the editor of this section (Dr Elizabeth Baigent, Wycliffe Hall, Ox...

Readiness to Lead: Perspectives of Graduates and Advanced Doctoral Students on Answering the Call to Lead in Community Colleges

Community colleges are facing a shortage in qualified individuals to fill the projected gaps in leadership roles, as the industry is facing an upcoming wave of vacancies due to the retirement of faculty and administrators. This phenomenological, qualitative study explored leadership readiness perspectives of graduates and advanced doctoral students of a cohort-based educational leadership doctoral program. Five doctoral graduates and five advanced doctoral students constituted the participant group for this study. Five themes emerged from the data analyses which include communication, collaboration, leadership, relationships, and support. The findings from this study indicate that the participants value collaborative action and community relationships, support cohort-based stud,; recognize the value of suppor; hold high confidence levels in their leadership ability to address associated leadership challenges, and consider themselves ready to lead.

Imagining and Mapping Antarctica and the Southern Ocean

Edited by Elizabeth Baigent Advanced doctoral students whose dissertations are substantially concerned with the history of cartography are invited to contact the editor of this section (Dr Elizabet...

Cartographic Representation of the New World in Sixteenth-Century Spain, 1503–1598Military Mapping of Scotland, c.1689–1760

Advanced doctoral students whose dissertations are substantially concerned with the history of cartography are invited to contact the editor of this section (Dr Elizabeth Baigent, Wycliffe Hall, Ox...

Doctoral Theses in Progress

Advanced doctoral students whose dissertations are substantially concerned with the history of cartography are invited to contact the editor of this section (Dr Elizabeth Baigent, Wycliffe Hall, Ox...

Hard Times in Harmony School District

This case study covers a wide variety of problems that can confront school superintendents and it challenges students to create a coherent and authentic approach to systemic school reform. It may be used in an introductory course in critical issues of the superintendency with the emphasis on identifying issues and trouble areas and arriving at possible solutions. This case also presents a situation that is complicated enough that it may be used in a seminar for advanced doctoral students.

Factitious Psychological Disorders: The Overlooked Response Style in Forensic Evaluations

ABSTRACT Forensic psychologists face two formidable challenges in the assessment of feigned mental disorders, not only identifying bogus presentations but also determining their primary motivation. Regarding the type of motivation, factitious presentations are largely overshadowed in forensic assessments by malingering. The study addresses the diagnostic conundrums inherent in distinguishing factitial from malingered presentations. As the first analogue research, it examines two factitious conditions (i.e., dependent and demanding interpersonal styles) and a malingered disability case. Advanced doctoral students in psychology were used because of their sophisticated understanding. They were administered the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) and Structured Inventory of Malingered Symptomatology (SIMS) via a simulation design. Contrary to expectations, few differences were found between factitial and malingering conditions on these measures. Of conceptual significance, results indicated that both factitious groups espoused an acute need for treatment. Of clinical relevance, the PAI Defensiveness Index produced moderate to large effect sizes between malingering and factitious presentations. Finally, the SIMS did not differentiate types of feigned condition, although a new index appears promising.