Current Doctoral Students Research Articles

Chairs’ Views of the Market for Doctorally Qualified Accounting Faculty

ABSTRACT Based on a survey of U.S. AACSB-accredited accounting program chairs, we find that the current faculty shortage at the participants’ institutions is less severe than five years ago and less severe than it is expected to be over the next five years. Specialties with the greatest current shortage at the participants’ institutions are tax, accounting systems and data analytics, and audit. Participants view the overall U.S. accounting faculty labor market in balance today, but trending toward a slight shortage over the next five years. Both today and over the next five years, participants perceive a surplus of financial accounting faculty, and shortages in audit, tax, accounting systems and data analytics, and fraud/forensic accounting. Finally, we find that the accounting faculty shortage is much more severe at small, “Nonresearch Intensive” schools than at large, “Research Intensive” schools. We discuss insights for current and prospective doctoral students and others.

CREATIVITY AND THE DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY: THE CASE FOR CREATIVITY EDUCATION WITHIN DOCTORAL PROGRAMS

Doctoral education is an increasingly prevalent part of the worldwide higher education landscape. Although there are variations in how programs are constructed and delivered, there is general agreement that evidence of creativity is expected in the final thesis. Despite the significant attention the supervisory process has received in the literature, students’ views on creativity as it applies to their candidature have not been extensively explored. This article reports on interviews with a sample of 12 current doctoral students in the areas of the arts, social sciences, and education from the theoretical perspective of the systems model of creativity. Interview participants were invited to reflect on the concept of creativity, and the factors which support or constrain their potential to be creative. The findings reveal that on reflection, students are able to identify the creative elements of their work, however the findings also indicate that creativity education should be given greater focus in doctoral programs, in order to embed this important concept and process to support students’ learning journey.

Training in open access for doctoral students: results of a survey of current and recent students and supervisors

Introduction. This study aimed to understand the extent to which doctoral students receive training relating to open access publishing, and the form of that training. Method. An international online survey of 1,569 current and recent doctoral students and supervisors was undertaken. Questions covered the extent and nature of training in open access offered to doctoral students, sources of respondents’ open access knowledge, and their perspectives on open access. Analysis. Descriptive statistical analysis was conducted with some non-parametric tests. Free-text data were thematically analysed. Results. The large majority of current and recent doctoral students and supervisors indicated there was no mandatory open access training at their institutions. More than half of respondents thought they had good or excellent understanding of open access, with those who had completed training more likely to highly rate their understanding. Only 27% of respondents felt the level of training offered was sufficient. Respondents suggested that institutions could take further action to support understanding of open access. Conclusion. There is a need for institutions to develop further training in open access. Researchers who undertake training in report a better level of understanding of open access and place more importance on it as a factor in selecting a journal.

Clinical Trainee Perspectives on the Implementation of Trauma-Focused Training.

Despite the high prevalence of trauma exposure in the United States and calls for the implementation of trauma-focused psychotherapy training, scant opportunities exist for such training in graduate clinical psychology programs. This study aimed to guide the implementation of trauma-focused psychotherapy training in graduate curricula by examining clinical trainees' perspectives on their current training and desired features for trauma-specific learning environments. The absence of research that centers trainee voices is notable; therefore, this study specifically focuses on trainee perspectives on implementation. The New Haven competencies, developed by the American Psychological Association to support efforts to improve trauma-specific training, were used as a framework to guide the development of a mixed-methods survey. Current doctoral students (N=18) in one clinical psychology program completed the survey. Trainees overwhelmingly perceived the competencies to be relevant to their psychological assessment and therapy training and to their professional goals but noted a general lack of available trauma-specific training. Nearly all trainees believed that trauma-specific training should be required and expressed varied opinions regarding how requirements should be structured. Important features of a safe and supportive learning environment were reported to include coconstructed norms, choice and flexibility for participation, and integrated wellness practices. Further, instructors' trauma awareness, cultural humility, and responsiveness to students' experiences were emphasized by trainees as important. Effective implementation of trauma-specific psychotherapy training should be guided by ongoing dialogue between trainees and training stakeholders.

Fieldwork from A–Z? Exploring shifting identities in doctoral research in Australia and Zimbabwe

While research into PhD programs and doctoral students’ experiences has increased in recent years, fieldwork is overlooked as a source of learning and support. In education, the focus of this paper, fieldwork remains laced with notions of the anthropologist gathering data in a place that is not their own, which narrowly construct the role of the novice and their expectations around ‘doing’ research. To demonstrate the relevance of these issues and key ethical tensions that they underpin, we explored our recent PhD fieldwork experiences within classrooms in Australian and Zimbabwean schools. By analysing fieldnotes from our lived experiences, we identified similarities between conducting fieldwork ‘out there’ (in Zimbabwe) and ‘at home’ (in Australia). These similarities highlighted a multitude of roles and dynamics associated with the researcher presence, as well as the importance of balancing complex needs during fieldwork. Our analyses also revealed how daily in situ interactions with participants—and others—were crucial to the development of our identities and data gathering practices. We argue that ongoing efforts to demystify fieldwork experiences are critical for understanding that ‘the field’ is not simply ‘out there’ and offer practical suggestions for current and future doctoral students to consider.

Evaluating training needs in clinical psychology doctoral programs.

Advances in clinical psychology must be accompanied by advances in training. This study assessed training content, quality, and needs during clinical psychology doctoral programs among current or past doctoral students. Current or past clinical psychology doctoral students (N = 343) completed an anonymous survey assessing training experiences and needs. A descriptive-focused exploratory factor analysis (EFA)also examined whether common subgroups of academic interests emerged. Most participants reported that they sought training beyond required coursework, primarily in clinical training, cultural competency, and professional development, and reported having taken one or more unhelpful course, including discipline-specific knowledge requirements. Descriptive results from the EFA demonstrated common training areas of interest: diversity topics, biological sciences, clinical practice, and research methods. This study demonstrates that trainees and early career psychologists are aware of their nuanced and in some cases, unmet training needs. This work foregrounds the need to adapt extant training opportunities to support the next generation of clinical psychologists.

Introduction to the Special Issue: Advancing Publicly Engaged Sociology

Publicly engaged sociology seeks to use our research and work to engage stakeholders within and beyond the university to analyze and fight inequality or injustice, and to address other issues society faces. Sociologists who do such work help universities (and other institutions) keep their social contract to use our work to make society better. This Special Issue continues the Eastern Sociological Society's work on publicly engaged sociology, including the 2022 creation of Public Sociology Awards for Early Career and Post‐Tenure scholars, and my Presidential Address. Contributors to this volume can hopefully serve as examples to younger sociologists, because these articles describe how the authors have done excellent basic research and used it to address societal problems, and have navigated hazards of such work, including the MeSearch gaze. Contributors do publicly engaged sociological work from the most macro‐level, such as analyzing how algorithms promote division and undermine democracy or how to better disseminate sociological work to wider audiences, to work on national policies to create more equitable universities, to the local contexts, including working to promote play for elementary school students, or oust sheriffs responsible for family separation, or restore citizenship stripped from naturalized immigrants. Authors range across the spectrum of sociological careers, from current doctoral students, to postdocs, to tenured professors, to the American Sociological Association's 2024 President.

Top 10 Tips for Doctoral Students in Physical Education: Navigating the Journey

Individuals who want to earn a doctoral degree aim to change or develop their careers. Some potential doctoral students have a clear goal to pursue a doctoral degree, some are uncertain if they can manage the rigor associated with a doctorate program, and others might have already been involved in their program. This article aims to provide insights and strategies for current and future doctoral students in physical education teacher education (PETE) during their doctoral journey. The article provides top ten tips to help current and prospective PETE doctoral students to be successful.

Role of Doctoral Studies on the Relationships Between Select Doctoral Students and Their Partners: A Collective Case Study

Students who enter post-baccalaureate studies face numerable challenges during their tenure in graduate school. Although researchers have studied these inherent challenges, a gap exists in the literature concerning doctoral students and the impact of their studies on their personal relationships. As such, the purpose of this collective case study was to examine the effect that doctoral studies have on the relationships between select doctoral students and their partners. Semi-structured interviews of six participants, selected via convenience sampling (i.e., current doctoral students who have been in relationships during their doctoral studies), generated data concerning challenges, coping mechanisms, personal emotions, and relationship concerns. These findings provided a composite understanding of the potential inherent struggles of doctoral students and the corresponding role that their doctoral studies have on the relationships of these specific doctoral students and their partners that matched much of the findings noted in the literature. It is the researchers’ hope that the results will help guide future researchers but urge caution concerning the generalizability of the information gained from this study due to its small sample size.

Grit matters to biology doctoral students’ perception of barriers to degree completion

ABSTRACT Biology doctoral students face a myriad of barriers that may extend or impede their degree completion. These barriers result in a less diverse workforce, considering that institutionalised prejudices have created more barriers to academic success for some groups than others. Here, we aimed to understand the role that non-cognitive and demographic factors play in predicting doctoral students' perceived barriers, and identify which factors best predict personal/psychological, situational, and institutional barriers to degree completion. We surveyed 289 current biology doctoral students in the U.S. We measured grit, sense of belonging, and science identity as well as participants’ perceived barriers. We tested the efficacy of non-cognitive factors alone in predicting the three barrier types versus models including demographic factors. We found that both non-cognitive and demographic factors were important in explaining perceived barriers. Higher scores of grit were associated with lower perceived personal/psychological barriers. However, we assert that grittiness is shaped by unique experiences and is highly situational. We do not imply that grit should be used as a main predictor of ‘success’ in doctoral programs. We suggest future research on what mechanisms facilitate growth of inherently gritty characteristics in biology doctoral students which lead to fewer perceived barriers to degree completion.

The Cumulative and Damaging Effects of Discrimination

AbstractThis study examines the racialized and gendered experiences of Black men (N = 20) from elementary school through graduate school. The Black men featured in this article are current STEM doctoral students and were asked to reflect on their K-12 and undergraduate STEM experiences as well as their current experiences as graduate students. Findings conclude that Black men, as children and teens, experienced gendered racism in their STEM courses, which included a severe lack of racial representation of Black scientists, leading them to believe that they could not become scientists in their respective disciplines. At the undergraduate level, Black men encountered racial stereotyping and were self-conscious of their gender and race due to being underrepresented in their STEM courses. And at the doctoral level, Black men deal with psychological health issues due to the racism-related stressors they experience on campus, along with feeling compelled to be the spokesperson for Black students at their respective college campuses.

Factors associated with the timely completion of doctoral research studies in clinical pharmacy: A mixed-methods study.

There is growing scientific evidence of mental and well-being issues that doctoral research students face as a result of not finishing their program on time. This study aims to explore the factors associated with the timely completion of doctoral research studies in the clinical pharmacy speciality. This was a mixed-method study that combined surveys with in-depth interviews. Current doctoral research students and pharmacists who have recently completed their doctoral research program participated in the study. A validated questionnaire and an interview topic guide developed from the literature and pretesting were used to collect data. Data for this study were collected between February 2021 and September 2021. Quantitative data were analysed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) V.25 while interview data were subjected to reflexive thematic analysis. 47 students who are currently pursuing their doctoral research program in clinical pharmacy participated in the survey, while 8 pharmacists who had recently completed their doctoral research program in clinical pharmacy participated in the in-depth interviews. Five themes were identified: factors contributing to delay in the program, factors contributing to the timely completion of the program, ways to improve the program, advice to current students and advice to prospective students. Having more than one supervisor, supervisors' commitment to the research work and support from the department were identified as facilitators of timely completion of doctoral research programs in clinical pharmacy. Our study provides an understanding of the barriers and facilitators of timely completion of doctoral research programs in the clinical pharmacy specialist, and how these can be used to improve the postgraduate study programs in Nigeria.

Engineering graduate students' critical events as catalysts of attrition

AbstractBackgroundWhile attrition from the PhD has been attributed to many high‐level causal factors, such as funding, advisor relationship, and “fit” into a department, few studies have closely examined the mechanisms of attrition or why and how graduate engineering students begin to consider attrition from their doctoral programs.Design/MethodThis study analyzed interviews with current and former doctoral engineering students at research universities across the United States, collected through two closely‐related studies on graduate engineering experiences and attrition consideration. We used critical event analysis as a methodological approach to understand the experiences of a subset of 13 participants, who, at some point in their graduate career, experienced a singular event that caused them to question whether to persist in their PhD program.Purpose/HypothesisThe purpose of the present paper is to investigate how graduate engineering students begin to question whether they should remain in their PhD programs of study.ResultsWe categorized the environments in which critical events occurred into four quadrants along the lines of University and Nonuniversity Settings and Routine versus Unexpected Contexts, mapping critical events and supporting events to themes from prior literature. The findings demonstrate how seemingly mundane experiences for faculty can be cataclysmic in the eyes of the student; how critical events serve to magnify other issues that had been accumulating over time; and how students may not self‐reflect on their rationale for pursuing a PhD until a critical juncture occurs.ConclusionsCritical events are one mechanism by which students may begin considering departure from their engineering PhD programs. Some critical events masquerade within mundane contexts, like conversations or conferences (although, in retrospect, students can identify other relevant features contributing to dissatisfaction). From this work, we provide implications geared toward administrators, advisors, and graduate students on how to address and potentially mitigate critical events or their effects, including engaging in conversations about leaving.

An Evaluation of the Mental Health, Financial Stress, and Anticipated Debt-at-Graduation Across Clinical and Counseling PhD and PsyD Students

Clinical and counseling psychology doctoral programs are popular avenues for graduate education. However, little is known about the mental health and financial stress of students across the differing types of programs. We conducted as online survey of current doctoral students in APA-accredited psychology doctoral programs ( n = 114 Clinical PhD, n = 80 Counseling PhD, n = 123 PsyD). We also utilized a control ( n = 5,401 undergraduate psychology/social science majors). Results indicated that students in all doctoral programs had lower depression scores compared to undergraduates. Clinical PhD students demonstrated the best outcomes, though not significantly better from other doctoral programs. Undergraduates demonstrated significantly less financial stress compared to counseling PhD and PsyD students, but not clinical PhD students. Large differences were observed regarding anticipated debt-at-graduation, with PsyD students reporting the highest anticipated debt. Areas for further research, limitations, and policy implications are discussed.

Introduction to the Forum on Dr. James H. Cone as Teacher and Mentor

Dr. James H. Cone (1938-2018) is widely considered the founder of black liberation theology. He had a transformative impact on generations of his students at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. In the semester following his death in Spring 2018, six of his current and recent doctoral students were gathered to share brief reflections on their experience of Dr. Cone as an inspirational teacher. This Forum collects their edited presentations in six short essays by: Nkosi Du Bois Anderson, Adam Clark, Isaac Sharp, Colleen Wessel-McCoy, Thurman Todd Willison, and Jason Wyman.

What Brings International Students to Norway?

What Brings International Students to Norway?

Qualitative research skills acquisition within social work doctoral education using project-based learning

The future of social work research relies on the intellect and competence of current doctoral students. These future scholars who receive doctoral education that values qualitative inquiry will create a system where qualitative research traditions receive the same privilege as quantitative research traditions. Project-based learning provides learning opportunities that can challenge assumptions about what academia considers “real” research. This descriptive qualitative study explored key attributes of using project-based learning within two consecutive social work doctoral courses to encourage qualitative research skill development. Students and instructors participated in ideawriting and focus groups to assess the usefulness of PBL within these courses. The findings suggested that PBL may be useful for deepening knowledge about qualitative inquiry and reducing epistemological unconsciousness.

The contribution of nursing doctoral schools to the development of evidence 10years after their establishment in Italy: An exploratory descriptive survey of former and current doctoral students' publications.

AimTo analyse through an exploratory descriptive survey how former and current doctoral students’ publications have contributed to the development of evidence between the establishment of the doctoral schools of nursing in 2006–2015.DesignAn exploratory descriptive survey.MethodsWe analysed the papers published in peer‐reviewed journals by the four Italian PhD Schools of Nursing between 2006–2015. Additional missing information was retrieved from Web of Science.ResultsWe identified 478 scientific papers. The papers increased from 12 in 2006–110 in 2015. Most are published in 29 journals, of which 15 had an impact factor ranging between 0.236–3.755. These results show the increasingly significant contribution of nursing doctoral programmes to the production of evidence, which can be used to improve the quality of nursing and inform health policies. Nursing doctoral schools deserve a greater recognition, especially by Italian funding agencies and political institutions.

The development of nursing research ten years after the establishment of PhD Schools of Nursing in Italy

In Italy, the nursing doctoral programs were established in 2006, and after ten years we though it would be important to understand how nursing research in Italy has developed thanks to its four doctoral schools of nursing. Our research question was: How have the Italian doctoral schools of nursing contributed to the development of nursing research in the last ten years? A national descriptive observational was conducted to collect all the publications made by the four nursing doctoral schools in Florence, Genoa, L'Aquila, and Rome between 2006 and 2015. For the enrolment of the participants, an online survey was sent to the e-mail address of each student provided by the reference University. The publications collected through the CVs of the current and former doctoral students were then checked against Web Science. The publication trends were analysed considering the type of journal, the Impact Factor (IF), and the topics. A total of 478 papers published between 2006-2015 were retrieved, of which 226 (47.59%) were published in Italian journals and 250 (52,41%) on international journals. The great majority of the papers (59,21%) were published in 30 journals, of which 15 had an Impact Factor (range 0.236 - 3.755). The main topics were clinical care, research methods, education, management, ethics, and policies. Between 2006 and 2015, Italy has produced nursing knowledge and scientific data that can be used to improve the quality of care and facilitate discussions with health policy decision-makers in order to better address the incumbent heath challenges of the near future.

Assessing Doctoral Student Development of Self-Authorship: The Epistemological, Intrapersonal, and Interpersonal Growths

Aim/Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess to what extent current doctoral students developed self-authored perspectives, as well as to assess whether or not there was an association between the number of years in the doctoral program and the development of three dimensions of self-authorship (i.e., Epistemological, Intrapersonal, and Interpersonal). Background: Self-authorship is a way of knowing that assists adults in the management of their lives in a way that helps them succeed in society. It is important to study the development of self-authorship in doctoral students because such development is necessary for individuals to overcome the challenges they experience in doctoral programs. The importance of this study rests on the fact that self-authorship development may prompt doctoral students’ ability to succeed in the completion of their doctoral degrees, as well as to meet the challenges of their future in academia. Methodology: Forty-five doctoral students in a Teaching and Learning program were surveyed on three constructs: Epistemological, Intrapersonal, and Interpersonal. The Doctoral Students’ Self-Authorship Questionnaire was developed by the author based on Baxter Magolda’s theory of self-authorship development. Three level-two constructs of self-authorship were conceptually and operationally defined. Contribution: There is no instrument available (i.e., a questionnaire) to assess the self-authorship perspectives of doctoral students. Although it is expected that people will develop self-authored perspectives as they get older, it is unknown to what extent current doctoral students develop self-authorship. No previous studies have assessed doctoral student self-authorship. Findings: The findings showed that participants had advanced levels in all three dimensions and continued to develop towards self-authorship. However, results showed a nonsignificant association between years in the doctoral program and self-authorship development. In other words, although doctoral students spend many years in certain programs, this spent time does not contribute significantly to their development of self-authorship. Recommendations for Practitioners: The current study suggested that doctoral programs should investigate their students’ development toward self-authorship and provide them with more opportunities to better improve their self-authorship. Recommendation for Researchers: The findings suggest further research into the developmental opportunities available for students within doctoral programs that assist students’ ability to develop self-authored perspectives. Impact on Society: The findings supported the importance of assessing doctoral students’ self-authorship as part of doctoral programs. Without the assessment of doctoral student development of self-authorship in their programs, less effort might be taken to address student needs in developing self-authorship. Future Research: Future research may continue the study of self-authorship for doctoral students from different disciplines or schools, especially where attrition rates are high.