PhD Thesis Research Articles

Perceived Parenting Styles, Emotional Intelligence and Conflict Resolution Styles among Young Adults

Purpose: Parenting styles greatly influence the development of emotional intelligence and conflict resolution styles among young adults since the very early years of their lives. The understanding how parenting styles and emotional intelligence impact conflict resolution styles of young adults has become progressively urgent. The existing study purposes to inspect the relationship between perceived parenting styles, emotional intelligence, and conflict resolution styles among young adults. The practical implication of this research will provide the future generations in better upbringing of their children that possess high levels of emotional intelligence. Methodology: The study was carried out in a single phase. The study was quantitative, and it was conducted to assess the perceived parenting styles by young adults including assessing their emotional intelligence and identifying their conflict resolution style. The sample of the study was 280 (M=140, F=140) recruited from different universities in Islamabad, Pakistan. Three scales were used for assessment: The Perceived Parenting Styles Scale (PPSC), The Schutte Self Report Emotional Intelligence Test (SSEIT) and the Conflict Resolution Styles Inventory (CRSI). Findings: The authoritative parenting style positively correlated with emotional intelligence (r = .47, p < .01) and positive problem-solving (r = .17, p < .01), while negatively relating to conflict engagement (r = -.31, p < .01) and self-protection (r = -.26, p < .01). In contrast, authoritarian and permissive styles were negatively related to emotional intelligence (r = -.13 and r = -.19, respectively) and positively associated with conflict engagement. Males scored higher on emotional intelligence (M = 121.96, SD = 13.73) than females (M = 118.35, SD = 15.87), and PhD students exhibited higher conflict resolution scores than Master's and undergraduate students. These findings highlight the impact of parenting styles on emotional intelligence and conflict resolution skills among young adults. Unique Contributions to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study is guided by The Social Learning Theory by Bandura (1977) sets that young adults copy ways of behaving gained from their childhood, particularly from their parents. Parenting styles perceived during childhood and adolescence could impact how people approach conflicts and social interactions. Another theory which backs this study is Emotional Intelligence theory by Daniel Goleman suggests that individuals consist of a bunch of skills and abilities that would help them in recognizing, understanding and managing their own self emotions as well as emotions of other people. The study recommends that research be conducted in other demographic regions or on a broader level. The study also recommends that other variables such as personality traits and changes over tine should be considered as well for better outcomes.

Daring to Be a Mother: A Case Study on Being Black, Being Pregnant, and Being a STEM Doctoral Student

This singular holistic case study examined the experience of a Black pregnant mother pursuing doctoral studies in a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) field at a predominantly white flagship institution in the southern United States. We employed the tenets of critical race feminism in this study to demonstrate the ways in which structural racism and pervasive gender stereotypes, specifically as they relate to Black women, present obstacles to successful completion of doctoral STEM studies. We narrate her story to highlight the insight inherent within her intersecting identities that challenges dominant narratives about a Black pregnant doctoral student. In bringing to the fore four themes surfaced: the triple consciousness of layered Blackness, the pregnant Black tax, Chemical imbalance: mapping a white man’s reality onto a Black mother’s body, and internal struggles and the complex intra-actions that birthed them – we present a counternarrative to the dominant white-male centred STEM discourse that permeates the field. We conclude by extrapolating, from this case, considerations for faculty and institutions to understand better and act to comprehensively support Black students, in general, and Black mothers.

What are the influences on KS2 teachers of comprehension and how are they shaping their learning and development?

ABSTRACT This article is based on a doctoral study which devised a novel framework to examine influences on Key Stage 2 (KS2) teachers of reading comprehension. It provides an understanding of the impact of professional knowledge and reading comprehension instruction research on teachers. Analysis of 14 interviews with primary teachers found they valued 5 areas of comprehension teaching. Goos’ (2013) adaptation of Valsiner’s [1997. Culture and the Development of Children’s Action: A Theory of Human Development. 2nd ed. John Wiley] zone theory and Lave and Wenger’s (1991) Communities of Practice (CoP) are used to explore teachers’ development in teaching comprehension through their interactions with the social environments of schools.

A Model for Enhancing Organizational Capacity in State Islamic Higher Education Institution Study Programs to Achieve International Reputation

Capacity building in organizations is an innovative strategy aimed at enhancing efficiency, effectiveness, productivity, and accountability to achieve global recognition. This article investigates organizational capacity building within the Doctoral Study Program in Islamic Education Management at the Postgraduate Program of the State Islamic University of Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang, an institution committed to attaining an international reputation. Using a qualitative approach and descriptive analysis, data were gathered through interviews, observation, and documentation. The study reveals that: (1) the development of organizational capacity to achieve international recognition focuses primarily on human resource development and organizational strengthening; (2) visionary leadership is the most crucial factor in reaching international status; and (3) the process of building organizational capacity involves socializing the goals of international recognition, empowering existing resources, managing the transition through the ADKAR Prosci model, and striving to become an internationally recognized Islamic university. These findings suggest that enhancing organizational capacity in an effective, efficient, and sustainable manner can significantly improve the productivity, performance, and accountability of study programs, contributing to their international reputation.

Bridging Professional Practice and Academia: Using the Pilot Study as a Practice-Based Pedagogy in an EdD Program

Professional practice doctoral education is distinguished by its focus on practice-based pedagogies aimed at fostering students’ development as researching professionals—individuals who are adept at using evidence to tackle educational issues. To advance students’ research competence, the doctoral study should facilitate the integration of theoretical knowledge acquired in the program with their professional worlds, a process that can be considered as boundary crossing. Drawing upon the theory of boundary crossing, we used the pilot study as a practice-based pedagogy in an EdD course, which aims to link students’ professional practice with their developing scholarly practice. We explored how students encountered the boundary between professional practice and academia and how they navigated the tensions inherent in this boundary-crossing process. We found that the pilot study served as a boundary object, generating tensions at the boundary between students’ professional and academic worlds. In navigating the tensions, students utilized research as a mediating tool, leveraging productive dissonance, reflection, and idea sharing within Critical Friends groups. We draw implications about the use of the pilot study in professional practice programs to support students in their transition from practitioners to scholarly practitioners and researchers.

The introduction of the impact of motivation cultivation on english autonomous learning among university students-a mediating role of learning strategy

My PhD dissertation research topic is “The Impact of Motivation Cultivation on English Autonomous Learning among University Students in Hunan, China-A Mediating Role of Learning Strategy”, as my topic introduces, Dependent Variable (D.V.) is “English Autonomous Learning”, Independent Variable (I.V.) is “Motivation”, Mediating Variable (M.V.) is “Learning Strategy”. The method this paper has mainly adopted is quantitative methodology. The results have showed reviewing research background, identifying research gaps, proposing problem statement, exploring the conceptual and operational definitions of terminology, stating the research significance, this paper concluded such key constituents of the introduction of my PhD dissertation research as conceptual framework, research objectives, research questions, and hypothesis

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perceptions of Women of Reproductive Age Regarding Fertility and Elective Oocyte Cryopreservation: A Study from the Al-Qassim Region.

Oocyte cryopreservation is used for fertility preservation, medical reasons, and social reasons to overcome physiological decline in fertility with age. There was no research to find the knowledge, attitude, and perception of women regarding oocyte cryopreservation in our region. This study thus aimed to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of women of reproductive age in Al-Qassim, Saudi Arabia, regarding fertility and elective oocyte cryopreservation. An Arabic-language online survey was conducted over six months targeting women aged 18-45 years in the Al-Qassim region. A total of 612 participants completed the questionnaire, which covered topics such as reproductive aspirations, knowledge of fertility, knowledge of elective oocyte cryopreservation, and concerns regarding fertility preservation. Data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 21.0 (Released 2012; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States). The majority of participants (47.1%) wereaged 18-25 years. Participants' perceptions towards fertility preservation and social egg freezing were mixed, indicating varying levels of awareness about fertility issues. A statistically significant relationship was found between education level and knowledge of oocyte cryopreservation (p-value=0.004). Women with higher education levels (bachelor's, master's, and PhD degrees) demonstrated significantly greater knowledge(p-value=0.004) about oocyte cryopreservation compared to those with lower education levels. The study highlights the influence of educational attainment on knowledge of oocyte cryopreservation. These findings align with broader trends in health education, suggesting that higher educational attainment correlates with betterfertility health literacy. Enhancingfertility health literacy through educational programs may lead to more proactive health behaviours and betterawareness about available assisted reproductive technologies.

Intellectual Capital of Medical and Health Sciences and the Efficiency of its Formation at Scientific Institutions

The formation of intellectual capital (IC) of medical and health sciences at scientific institutions (SIs) is highly topical for all people on the world. The object of the research is formation of IC of medical and health sciences at SIs while the subject of the research is the comparative analyses of the efficiency of the involvement of academic staff and PhD students in the formation of IC of medical and health sciences at SIs of Latvia. The objective of the research is to study the involvement of academic staff and PhD students in the formation of IC of medical and health sciences at SIs in Latvia in the period from 2013 to 2018. The following tasks were determined to reach the objective: to study the formation of IC of medical and health sciences at SIs; to identify the concept of the efficiency of the involvement of academic staff and PhD students in the formation of IC of medical and health sciences; to calculate main indicators thereof, and, to carry out the comparative analysis of indicators characterising the efficiency of the involvement of academic staff and PhD students in the formation of IC of medical and health sciences at SIs in Latvia. Research me-thods used in the paper are content analysis, economic analysis, and economic experiment.

International students' perceived quality of university health centre services: an exploratory sequential mixed methods study.

This study aims to investigate international students' perspectives on service quality and analyse factors contributing to the perceived service quality of the university health centre. International students are at increased risk of experiencing poor mental health, isolation from families and cultures, language barriers, financial stress and academic pressures. It is important that universities support international students to enable them to complete their degrees and reach their desired level of achievement and performance. One of the supports required by international students is the availability of healthcare services. Therefore, improving the quality of services to meet international students' requirements, including healthcare services, is essential. A three-phase exploratory sequential mixed methods design was used. Phase 1 aims to explore international students' perceptions of primary healthcare quality by conducting in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Phase 2 is to form questionnaire items based on the results of the qualitative study. The questionnaire is subject to pilot testing to measure validity and reliability. Phase 3 analyses factors influencing international students' perceived primary healthcare service quality. Multiple regression was used to analyse factors contributing to the perceived service quality of international students. The qualitative strand revealed five major themes representing the study participants' thoughts about the quality of services in the university healthcare context. Perceived quality attributes identified in this study were primarily empathy, equity, effectiveness, efficiency and safety. The quantitative strand found that 35.57% of participants consider the perceived quality of the centre as good. The highest and lowest service quality attributes were related to safety and efficiency, with a score of 21.12 ± 3.58 and 19.57 ± 4.34, respectively. The multiple linear regression analyses showed that PhD students from Health Faculty and Scholarship awardees were significantly associated with the perceived quality of healthcare services. Thus, the university management needs to improve service quality considering the diversity of international students' socio-demographic characteristics.

The Ethical Responsibilities of Researchers in Light of the Technological Advancement and Artificial Intelligence Methods: A Case Study of Management Ph.D. Researchers at Midocean University

This study aimed to assess the integration, ethical considerations, and governance of artificial intelligence (AI) within the PhD programs at Midocean University. It specifically sought to understand PhD researchers' perceptions and attitudes towards AI and identify areas for enhancement in AI-related policies and educational initiatives. A descriptive analytical approach was adopted, utilizing an electronic questionnaire distributed to 105 PhD researchers, with 54 completing the survey. The questionnaire was designed to measure various aspects of AI usage, ethical concerns, and governance practices. Statistical analysis was conducted to evaluate the relationships between AI awareness, ethical application, and governance perceptions. The findings revealed diverse perceptions of AI among researchers, indicating both opportunities and challenges in AI integration. The statistical analysis confirmed significant correlations between AI awareness and positive perceptions of ethical AI usage. However, the response rate and sample size posed limitations on the generalizability of the results. The study highlights the need for Midocean University to strengthen its AI governance frameworks and expand ethical guidelines to keep pace with technological advancements. Recommendations include enhancing AI-related educational programs, updating AI policies regularly, and promoting interdisciplinary research to foster an informed and ethically aware research community.

Designs in finite classical polar spaces

AbstractCombinatorial designs have been studied for nearly 200 years. 50 years ago, Cameron, Delsarte, and Ray-Chaudhury started investigating their q-analogs, also known as subspace designs or designs over finite fields. Designs can be defined analogously in finite classical polar spaces, too. The definition includes the m-regular systems from projective geometry as the special case where the blocks are generators of the polar space. The first nontrivial such designs for $$t > 1$$ t > 1 were found by De Bruyn and Vanhove in 2012, and some more designs appeared recently in the PhD thesis of Lansdown. In this article, we investigate the theory of classical and subspace designs for applicability to designs in polar spaces, explicitly allowing arbitrary block dimensions. In this way, we obtain divisibility conditions on the parameters, derived and residual designs, intersection numbers and an analog of Fisher’s inequality. We classify the parameters of symmetric designs. Furthermore, we conduct a computer search to construct designs of strength $$t=2$$ t = 2 , resulting in designs for more than 140 previously unknown parameter sets in various classical polar spaces over $$\mathbb {F}_2$$ F 2 and $$\mathbb {F}_3$$ F 3 .

The Future of Doctoral Training in Nonprofit Studies: New Students and New Challenges

The past decade has witnessed important shifts affecting the training of doctoral students studying nonprofits. The student body has become larger and more diverse as more students gain access to graduate school, more universities introduce doctoral programs, and the increasing use of the PhD or the Doctorate in Public Administration (DPA) as a professional qualification drives practitioners to seek these degrees. At the same time, academic hiring has not kept pace with the number of graduates, while non-academic employers are increasingly interested in hiring PhDs and DPAs. How should educators respond to these challenges? Combining market data with our experiences as teachers and pracademics from several different disciplines, we offer a roadmap for the evolution of doctoral training. We argue that doctoral programs must focus on meeting employer needs ahead of boosting recruitment. This includes focusing on training students for practitioner jobs and moving away from defining student success as an academic job offer. Programs must embrace the diversity of their students and attend to the needs of the whole student by developing peer support structures, encouraging faculty mentorship, adopting new teaching practices, including interdisciplinary perspectives, and creating resources that orient students to both doctoral study and post-graduation employment.

Migration Trajectories of Uzbek Students in France and the UK

This paper offers a comprehensive overview of select findings extracted from a PhD dissertation, employing a comparative analysis to investigate the trajectories of Uzbek students in both France and the UK during the period from 2004 to 2009. The paper advocates for the integration of the trajectory element into existing theories on international student mobility and international migration, with a particular emphasis on the context of South-North mobility. Utilizing qualitative research methods, including interviews, surveys, and participant observation, the study underscores the significance of tracking migrants' pathways over an extended period for a nuanced comprehension of migrant strategies and state policies with which they contend. The evidence suggests that stringent measures significantly influence the trajectories of migrants, not necessarily compelling a return to their countries of origin. Migration for studies goes beyond financial considerations as it also addresses the demands of a new social hierarchy emerging within the home country. In essence, migration for studies exposes individuals to diverse perspectives, surpassing the simplistic notion of a linear journey from point A to point B.

The people behind the papers - Jake Turley.

During wound healing, epithelial cells divide, migrate and change shape. However, it is unclear how much these different cell behaviours contribute to the closure of the wound. A new paper in Development applies deep learning models to analyse large imaging datasets from the Drosophila pupa and quantify the contributions of the different cell behaviours. To learn more about the story behind the paper, we caught up with first author Jake Turley. Jake was a PhD student in Bristol, UK, but is now a Research Fellow at the Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore.

First person – Georgia Cullen

ABSTRACT First Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Biology Open, helping researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Georgia Cullen is first author on ‘ Development of germline progenitors in larval queen honeybee ovaries’, published in BiO. Georgia conducted the research described in this article while a PhD student in Peter Dearden's lab at the University of Otago. She is now a post-doc in the lab of Nicholas Teets at the University of Kentucky, investigating evolution, development, germlines, soma, oogenesis, insects, and genetic modification.

To leave or not to leave? Expectations, factors, and trajectories of academic careers in the light of doctoral programme reforms

ABSTRACT This paper investigates the various career path types and impact factors that influence the career trajectory of PhD graduates, with a view to understanding how they pursue their careers inside and/or outside the academic sector after graduation. Based on data from the Austrian graduate tracking system ATRACK (N = 24,610), seven distinct career types were created. The first three of these career types target a consistent stay within the higher education (HE) sector, a consistent stay within the research and development (R&D) sector, or a consistent stay within the research sector (either HE or R&D). Our findings indicate that approximately one-third of PhDs remain within the Austrian research sector, while another third consistently pursue careers outside of it. On the one hand, the income of graduates 36 and 120 months after graduation indicates that earnings outside the higher education (HE) sector are significantly higher. On the other hand, the gender pay gap is also more evident outside the HE sector. In light of these findings, it becomes pertinent to question whether the prevailing academic career orientation in PhD programmes remains an accurate reflection of the professional requirements of the labour market, and whether it should be further adapted to ensure a diverse range of employment opportunities within and beyond academia.

Exploring the virtuous circle of societal value creation and capture by non-profit organizations from a Bourdieusian perspective

ABSTRACT For non-profit organizations, the way that societal value is created, captured and articulated remains ambiguous. While value creation is well-established in the literature, the understanding of value capture, particularly in its non-economic dimensions, is in its nascent stages. However, understanding value capture beyond its economic dimension is crucial, as it impacts the capacity to create more societal value. Drawing on Bourdieu’s theory of forms of capital (economic, social, cultural, and symbolic), this research proposes a theoretical framework to explain societal value creation and capture for the non-profit sector, illustrated by the case study of Doctors Without Borders.

Caught ‘in-between’: insights into international students’ doctoral thesis writing practices in China

ABSTRACT An increasing number of international students pursue doctoral studies in China, a non-traditional learning destination compared with English-dominated Western countries. Despite considerable research on the challenges doctoral students face when writing theses in English in Western countries, relatively few studies have explored comparable issues in China. Drawing upon Bourdieu’s thinking tools of field, habitus, and capital and the notion of in-between space, this qualitative exploratory study analysed 23 international doctoral students’ thesis-writing experiences in a Chinese university. Findings suggest challenges in English and Chinese-based writing co-exist in students’ thesis-writing practices, especially regarding grammar and vocabulary issues. The lack of understanding of Chinese sociocultural contexts and support from universities and supervisors negatively impacted thesis writing in both languages. Many students relied on translations, technology-based tools, and external helpers to resolve such issues, progressively forming a technology-mediated in-between writing habitus. These practices cultivate a hybridised higher education ‘sub-field’ with blurred linguistic boundaries. The study highlights the need for greater support for international doctoral students’ writing practices in emerging learning destinations like China.

COLLECTIVE MEMORY: KAZAKH EXODUS FROM ALTAY MOUNTAINS

This paper examines the collective memory and identity processes of Kazakhs in Istanbul, Turkey, who settled there in the early 1950s. Now numbering around 20,000, these Kazakhs fled their homeland in the Xinjiang-Uyghur Autonomous Region after failed uprisings against the Chinese government in the 1930s and 1940s. After a period in India, they were accepted into Turkey as migrants with Turkish ancestry. The study focuses on the Kazakh exodus during the 1930s and 1940s, emphasizing how this history shapes their present identity. The trauma of this migration remains deeply embedded in their collective memory, influencing not only their identity and political views but also decisions in areas such as voting, political alliances, and even naming their children. The paper mainly draws on the findings from the author’s PhD dissertation, which was defended in 2020.

Perceptions, attitudes, and clinical experiences of Brazilian dental practitioners towards molar incisor hypomineralisation: a cross-sectional study.

To evaluate perceptions, attitudes, and clinical experience of Brazilian dental practitioners regarding molar incisor hypomineralisation (MIH). An online survey with 27 questions, covering professional profile data, perceptions, and knowledge on clinical management of MIH, was employed. Descriptive analyses, chi-square, Fisher's exact, and Cramer's V tests were used. Sample comprised 100 participants, equally distributed between those working in private or public sectors. Most private sector practitioners had 21-30years of clinical experience (28%) and master's degree (50%), while most public sector practitioners had 11-20years of clinical experience (32%) and a PhD degree (32%). Most participants (86%) recognized MIH in their practice. Statistically significant differences were observed in frequency (p = 0.001), incidence (p = 0.039), and lesion type (p = 0.043) between practitioners from both sectors. Uncertainly in management was reported by 49%, mainly in public sector. For mild MIH in incisors, no treatment was chosen (43%), and the treatment longevity was the only significant factor reported (p = 0.012). In cases of mild MIH in first permanent molars (FPMs), 51% of respondents opted to keep the affected tissue and apply fissure sealant. Glass ionomer (GI) restoration was commonly indicated for FPMs with severe MIH with moderate loss of structure and sensitivity (38%). In cases with substantial structural loss and pulpal involvement, the most chosen treatment was endodontic intervention combined with preformed crowns. Brazilian dental practitioners face MIH in clinical practice. Although, public sector professionals are less confident in diagnosis and treatment, no significant differences in treatment preferences between public and private sector dental practitioners were identified.