Doctoral Education Research Articles

Attitudes and responses of Victorian paediatric intensive care doctors to the detection and reporting of child maltreatment.

To determine the attitudes and responses of Victorian paediatric intensive care doctors to the detection and reporting of child maltreatment. A prospective study conducted in a 30-bed paediatric intensive care unit of a university teaching hospital using data collected from a questionnaire completed by paediatric intensive care consultants and registrars. The questionnaire covered the following domains - doctors' knowledge of Victorian mandatory reporting legislation, doctors' history of reporting and doctors' current role in the detection and reporting of child maltreatment. The questionnaire was completed by 37 doctors. All but one doctor considered their role in the detection and reporting of all six forms of maltreatment (physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, exposure to domestic violence and grooming to facilitate later sexual activity with a child) very important or somewhat important. Thirty-two percent of doctors did not feel adequately trained to detect child maltreatment while 51% did not feel adequately trained to report maltreatment. If a doctor wanted to make a report to Child Protection about the physical or sexual abuse of a child, only one would likely make Child Protection their first point of contact. Paediatric intensive care doctors show a strong intent to detect and report child maltreatment across a broad range of maltreatment types. Doctors are likely to contact one or more members of a child's care team and/or one or more relevant hospital/community services before making a report to Child Protection about the physical or sexual abuse of a child. Opportunities exist for the further education of doctors in regards to the detection and reporting of child maltreatment.

Introduction to Impacting Education Themed Issue

Educational leadership doctoral granting programs have been on the rise for the last 25 years. These programs recruit students who work full-time as educational leaders while completing full-time doctoral coursework. Previous research on educational doctoral programs has found that they provide unique access to doctorates in education (EdD) for first generation students and students of color. In addition to access, educational doctoral programs create spaces for these students to improve their leadership skills. This issue leverages and shares the voices of alumni of an educational leadership doctoral program and faculty. This special issue highlights what they have learned from their scholar-practitioner journeys. We organized the contributions into three themes that make visible the leadership and scholar-practitioner journeys of our alums and faculty. Most importantly, our contributors emphasize how their doctorate degrees have impacted their capacity for research to inform their everyday practice, and how their leadership abilities were enhanced by the transformative experiences they had in their program.

Reflections on the Education Doctorate

In this reflective essay, I explore learnings and reflections along my doctoral journey and analyze how this journey has been untraditional for an education administrator. As a scholar-practitioner, I include a section on the impact of societal changes since the COVID-19 pandemic. I then document continuing challenges for women of color administrators and refine imposter syndrome theory in my own way. Finally, I offer some thoughts about how to move forward.

Exigency of Centering Equity in Educational Leadership Development

I am an example of a transformed higher education administrator. In this essay, I describe how my journey to an education doctorate impacts my work as a scholar-practitioner in higher education. The CANDEL program challenged what I thought I understood about the status quo in higher education with respect to race, socio-economic impacts, meritocracy, grit, and assumptions we make about students. The coursework and cohort model confronted my own biases and were foundational to my dissertation questions. Conducting my research on university leadership at my home institution gave me an opportunity to develop a shared equity leadership approach to solving complex problems. Equity-focused work in higher education is a long-game, ongoing, and essential to addressing the challenges facing our institutions. Without this, inequities experienced by faculty, staff and students will persist. The education doctorate and its scholar-practitioners are important drivers in shifting the American educational landscape.

Pengaruh Effleurage Massage dan Teknik Relaksasi Nafas dalam terhadap Nyeri Punggung Bawah Ibu Hamil Trimester III

Lower back pain is a common complaint among pregnant women in the third trimester. It is estimated that approximately 70% of pregnant women experience some form of back pain during pregnancy, childbirth, or postpartum. Non-pharmacological therapies such as deep breathing relaxation techniques and effleurage massage therapy can effectively reduce pain levels in these women. This study employs a quantitative approach using a quasi-experimental research method and employs purposive sampling with a sample size of 37 participants. Data analysis includes both univariate and bivariate analyses. Most respondents (64.9%) were aged between 20 and 35 years old. Additionally, the majority (64.9%) were experiencing their first pregnancy. All respondents (100%) were confirmed to have no comorbidities. Furthermore, 73% of the participants had tertiary education (Diploma, Bachelor's, Master's, or Doctorate degrees), and 62.2% continued working during pregnancy. The results of the Wilcoxon test indicated a significant effect (p = 0.000 < 0.05), confirming that effleurage massage and deep breathing relaxation techniques effectively reduce lower back pain in pregnant women. This reduction is attributed to the stimulation of tactile fibers in the skin by effleurage massage, which inhibits pain signals. In conclusion, the findings suggest that implementing effleurage massage and deep breathing relaxation techniques is beneficial for alleviating lower back pain in pregnant women. Public health advice advocates for the application of these techniques to manage such pain effectively.

Atypical jobs in psychology: Interview with Dr. J. Douglas McDonald ("Spotted Hawk").

This article outlines the career of Dr. J. Douglas McDonald, professor of psychology at the University of North Dakota (UND) and the director of the UND Indians into Psychology Doctoral Education Program. During graduate school, McDonald grew determined to develop a program that would assist American Indian students with entering the field of psychology in order to serve native populations across the United States and build cross-cultural competency and allyship within the psychological community. Upon graduating with a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of South Dakota, he created the flagship Indians into Psychology Doctoral Education program at UND, which meets these objectives, and has directed it ever since. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

“We can work on this”: exploring supervisor approaches to feedback in the context of writing for a professional doctorate

Purpose This paper aims to show how an Academic Literacies lens can contribute to a deeper understanding of writing for a professional doctorate (PD) by focusing both on the language of supervisors’ written feedback and on student and supervisor perspectives on feedback throughout Year 1 (Y1). Design/methodology/approach Firstly, written feedback summaries on formative assessments across two Y1 cohorts on a UK PD programme were analysed thematically to identify patterns in feedback practices. Secondly, two longitudinal, detailed student/supervisor case studies were developed, drawing on multiple data sources. Findings Supervisors’ written feedback enacted an encouraging dialogue around assessed writing, discursively constructing a sense of solidarity on the doctoral journey, focusing on the “long view”. Case study analysis, however, revealed tensions centred around jarring discontinuities in students’ feedback experience as they transitioned from formative to summative assessment at the end of Y1. Research limitations/implications The paper demonstrates that an Academic Literacies approach can offer valuable insights into the specific, situated context of writing for a distance learning PD and makes the case for greater attention to writing in contexts of partly taught doctorates. Practical implications Findings suggest that PD programmes should work towards providing continuity of feedback experience, through supervisor and examiner training and through assessment arrangements which support students to navigate challenging transitions between formative and summative phases of assessment. Originality/value This paper reports on an innovative research design which combined a textual “snapshot” of supervisory feedback, paying close attention to language, with detailed longitudinal case studies exploring perspectives on feedback over time. It contributes to doctoral writing research by throwing light on the relatively underexplored domain of writing in the taught phase of the PD. It contributes to doctoral education studies by highlighting the central role of feedback on writing in shaping the experience of PD researchers.

A theory of change evaluation of doctoral admission methods: A case study of a Chinese university

In response to China's incentive for "connotative development" in doctoral education, universities are actively fostering creative and innovative PhD candidates with enhanced research productivity and superior educational quality. A Chinese university, aligning with this objective, has initiated significant reforms in its doctoral admission methods, introducing a new type of student and altering the proportion of existing ones. Recognizing the complexity and uncertainty inherent in the doctoral admission process, this theory-based study employs a Theory of Change framework to systematically evaluate the immediate, intermediate, and long-term outcomes of this university's interventions. It assesses the transformative impact of these changes by integrating secondary data with qualitative insights, including focus group discussions with twelve students and semi-structured interviews with three supervisors. The study reveals that while this university has made substantial progress in achieving short-term goals, these reforms have not uniformly benefited all student categories, presenting distinct challenges and opportunities for stakeholders. Consequently, it advocates for diversifying the student composition and emphasizes inclusive pedagogical strategies to facilitate high-quality doctoral education. Importantly, this research extends beyond this university, promoting a balanced mix of student profiles and a holistic approach to shaping effective policies and practices within doctoral admission, essential for navigating global competition.

Assessment of universities that provide education in the field of health tourism in Türkiye in the light of current data

Introduction: Health tourism, defined as travels aimed to improve the physical and mental health of individuals, is growing day by day in parallel with developing technology and transportation. Factors influencing the preference of Türkiye in health tourism include cost, tourism opportunities, and cultural characteristics, as well as health facilities, staff, doctors, and the quality level of service. Due to the focus of human health, the service delivery which is very sensitive should be carried out by qualified workforce. With their role in protecting patients from unnecessary tests and treatments and facilitating effective participation in clinical decision-making processes, family physicians are also involved in the health tourism process and advocate. It is aimed to improve the service provision both qualitatively and quantitatively to meet the predicted increase in the health tourism sector in our country. In line with the realization of these goals, education and training activities offered by higher education institutions come into prominence. It’s aimed in our study to quantitatively investigate the adequacy of education in the field of health tourism in our country and to assess it in light of current data. Methods: The data of the cross-sectional and descriptive study were collected during the 2023-2024 academic years. Education programs and the number of students in the field of health tourism between 2018-2023 at 18 institutions under the Council of Higher Education (YOK) and The Measuring, Selection and Placement Center (OSYM) were examined. Obtained data were brought together with health tourism data published by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK), the International Health Services Inc. (USHAS), and the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TURSAB). Results: In Türkiye, for the first time in 2014, associate degree education started to be provided in the " Health Tourism Business" department within the Vocational School. This department, which is available in 9 universities today, has the highest percentage among associate degree preferences. Master's degree program level trainings in health tourism continue in 9 universities across 3 different departments: "Health Tourism", " Health Tourism Business " and "Health Tourism Management". Doctoral level education is provided in 1 university in the department of "Health Tourism". It is observed that the number of students and graduates enrolled in education programs in the field of health tourism is increasing every year. On the other hand, there is still no undergraduate program in this field in Türkiye. According to the data published by TUIK and USHAS, the number of visitors coming to our country for health tourism and the value of income is increasing every year. On the contrary, the number of students and graduates has not increased at the same rate in recent years. Conclusions: The number of programs and quotas in the field of health tourism opened in universities is gradually increasing. However, when evaluated together with the increase in the number of visitors coming to our country for health tourism over the years, it has been revealed that the number of qualified staff trained to meet the increasing need is still not at the desired level.

Symposium 1: Doctoral education in a national network: providing an epistemic space?

In 2018 the Swedish National Graduate School for Digital Technologies in Education (GRADE) was initiated as a cooperative venture between six Swedish universities. In 2020, the Swedish national research school for the digitalisation of teacher education (in short called UPGRADE) was initiated. GRADE and UPGRADE aims to strengthen the expertise in these areas on a national level in Sweden and, in doing so, increase both national and international cooperation in research training activities. One of the fundamental pillars of GRADE and UPGRADE is the networked character of the doctoral studies, with joint courses provided by the participating universities and arranged using an interdisciplinary approach. The doctoral students are admitted to different disciplines, among others Applied IT, Computer science, Curriculum studies, Education, Educational Work, Informatics, Media technology, Technology and Learning, and Work Integrated Learning. This implies that several issues with a bearing on the digitalization of education, will be researched by the doctoral students from different epistemological and analytical perspectives and with different methodological approaches. At the 2020 Networked Learning Conference in Kolding, a first symposium was held where six of the doctoral students from the GRADE research school presented their work (Lindberg & Lundin, 2020). These reported on theoretical frameworks ranging from the theory of practice architectures (Kemmis et al., 2014; Mahon, Francisco, & Kemmis, 2017), basic conceptual underpinnings of behaviorism (Skinner, 1974); Actor-Network Theory (ANT) (Latour, 2005); Wenger's expanded theory of Communities of Practice; a multimodal perspective including things-to-things, things-to-human and human-to-human connections (Bonderup Dohn, Cranmer, Sime, de Laat, and Ryberg, 2018; Jones, 2015); and a focus on the technologies and their functions.

Symposium 1: Tracing analytic assemblages – doing doctoral research with actor-network theory

The practices of doctoral education are intricately entangled with technologies. This methodological paper examines the practical concerns involved in doing the analytic work in a networked learning setting with Actor-Network theory (ANT). It is a story about engaging with ANT as a companion in an ethnographic research project on teaching practices in Sweden during the Covid-19 pandemic. The empirical examples are pulled from online interviews in the pandemic outbreak and two ways of assembling the analytic practices of those interviews. On the premises that method and technology are non-neutral, the focus is on how the interviews are analysed and the modes of knowing that they form. For example, the paper examines how computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software acts on the analyses of the interviews and the knowledge patterns made possible and what signals are silenced. A second analytic assemblage is deployed that traces those signals. Based on the empirical examples of doing analyses, the paper discusses how analytic assemblages change and move research and the researcher in unpredictive and performative ways that troubles the expectations of a singularised doctoral journey.

Recommendations for Integrating Anti-Racist and Inclusive Pedagogy Strategies into Doctoral Teaching Training in Public Health

Greater use of antiracist and inclusive pedagogy is necessary to address racism in public health education. To effectively prepare the next generation of public health faculty who can support diverse cohorts of students in developing the skills needed to promote health equity, such pedagogies must be integrated into doctoral teaching training. Based on our experiences as co-instructors and student of a doctoral-level course on teaching public health, we offer recommendations for integrating antiracist and inclusive pedagogies into doctoral teaching training. First, integrating student voices, such as letters to academic institutions demanding changes to address institutional racism, can prompt reflection and discussion on how doctoral students’ teaching can contribute to antiracist work. Second, pedagogy courses offer the opportunity to model inclusive teaching strategies that value the participation and perspectives of all students. Third, mentored teaching experiences provide doctoral students opportunities to meaningfully engage in course preparation and delivery, including reflexive consideration of positionality in the context of the course. Fourth, instructors and doctoral students must engage in ongoing and collaborative learning, reflection, discovery, and accountability. We encourage public health programs to assess how antiracist and inclusive pedagogies fit into doctoral teaching training and implement further steps to better prepare future faculty to become antiracist educators.

Epistemic injustice and neo-racism: how Zhihu users portray ‘Chinese doctoral supervisors’ working in Western academia

AbstractThe image of Chinese doctoral supervisors working in Western academia is riddled with stereotypes in urban myths but little research to date has been conducted on these portrayals of Chinese supervisors. Drawing on postcolonial theories, including notions of epistemic injustice and neo-racism, this research conducts a thematic analysis on around 450 Zhihu comments. It proposes that the Zhihu community has portrayed three images of the Chinese supervisors as (1) ambitious and supportive, (2) sneaky and exploitative, and (3) colonised. While the second and third images are more negative, the first image is overwhelmingly positive. In portraying these images of the Chinese supervisors, the community confronted two main underlying structural forces. These include (1) a steep ethnic/racial hierarchy where White middle-class, native speakers of English dominate and (2) an unequal classed sphere within Western academia. This paper argues that this Zhihu community displayed profound yet only partial recognition of the steep ethnic/racial hierarchy due to their internalisation of their own linguistic inferiority. Moreover, this Zhihu community perpetuates neo-racism and epistemic injustice over Chinese supervisors and postgraduate research students from working-class and rural backgrounds. Among the first to examine how Chinese doctoral supervisors are portrayed in online communities, this article provides informative insights for prospective postgraduate research applicants as well as admission professionals in Western academia. The neo-racism and epistemic injustice identified can also feed into future work on Diversity and Equality as well as decolonising efforts. Conceptually, this article innovates by combining neo-racism and epistemic injustice to form a framework that furnishes a comprehensive examination of unjust practices and portrayals in the realms of racial and knowledge inequalities in doctoral supervision. This article thus makes empirical and conceptual contributions to critical studies in international and doctoral education.

Experience in implementing the innovative training program “Virtual Propaedeutics” for education of doctors

The article describes the experience of development and implementation of a 4-month course “Virtual Propaedeutics” participated by the second-year medical students (N = 104). The program consisted of a face-to-face part (lectures and workshops) and a virtual component — interactive digital lessons, virtual clinical cases, and smart-trainer of the theoretical questions. The program was successfully completed by 83% of students , demonstrating a double increase in theoretical knowledge — from 4.49 to 8.98 (on a 10-point scale). The effectiveness of the program was also assessed by students and faculty using structured surveys.

Learning how to develop a research question throughout the PhD process: training challenges, objectives, and scaffolds drawn from doctoral programs for students and their supervisors

AbstractWith the higher education reform putting forward the professionalization of doctoral students, doctoral education has been strongly focused on generic transferable skills to ensure employability. However, doctoral training should not forget core skills of research and especially the ability to formulate research questions, which are the key to original research and difficult to develop at the same time. Learning how to develop a research question is traditionally seen as a one-to-one learning process and an informal daily transmission between a novice and a senior researcher. The objective of this paper is to offer a framework to design doctoral programs aimed at supporting the process of development of research questions for doctoral candidates guided by their supervisors. We base our proposal on two doctoral training programs designed with a pedagogical strategy based on dialogs with peers, whether they be students, supervisors, or trainers from a diversity of scientific backgrounds. The resulting framework combines three learning challenges faced by doctoral students and their supervisors when developing their research question, as well as training objectives corresponding to what they should learn and that are illustrated by the scaffolds we have used in our training programs. Finally, we discuss the conditions and originality of our pedagogical strategy based on the acquisition of argumentation skills, taking both the subjective dimensions of PhD work and the added value of interactions with a diversity and heterogeneity of peers into account.

Liver Phantoms Cast in 3D-Printed Mold for Image-Guided Procedures.

Image-guided invasive procedures on the liver require a steep learning curve to acquire the necessary skills. The best and safest way to achieve these skills is through hands-on courses that include simulations and phantoms of different complications, without any risks for patients. There are many liver phantoms on the market made of various materials; however, there are few multimodal liver phantoms, and only two are cast in a 3D-printed mold. We created a virtual liver and 3D-printed mold by segmenting a CT scan. The InVesalius and Autodesk Fusion 360 software packages were used for segmentation and 3D modeling. Using this modular mold, we cast and tested silicone- and gelatin-based liver phantoms with tumor and vascular formations inside. We tested the gelatin liver phantoms for several procedures, including ultrasound diagnosis, elastography, fibroscan, ultrasound-guided biopsy, ultrasound-guided drainage, ultrasound-guided radio-frequency ablation, CT scan diagnosis, CT-ultrasound fusion, CT-guided biopsy, and MRI diagnosis. The phantoms were also used in hands-on ultrasound courses at four international congresses. We evaluated the feedback of 33 doctors regarding their experiences in using and learning on liver phantoms to validate our model for training in ultrasound procedures. We validated our liver phantom solution, demonstrating its positive impact on the education of young doctors who can safely learn new procedures thus improving the outcomes of patients with different liver pathologies.

Predictors of emotional engagement in doctoral education

ABSTRACT The study of learning/research engagement in doctoral education has aroused increasing interest among education researchers, given its influence on PhD candidates’ experiences and outcomes. However, even if doctoral education has been recognised as emotionally intense, there is still a gap in the literature regarding the emotional dimension of engagement. This study aims to analyse the predictors of emotional engagement of PhD candidates enrolled in Portuguese higher education institutions. Data was collected through a survey and analysed using multiple linear regression and mediation analysis. Results showed that emotional engagement was fostered by autonomy-focused supervision, perceived relevance of the research project, personal development motivation, and inclusive academic context; and was hindered by professional motivation. Furthermore, our results showed that autonomy-focused supervision mediated the relationship between inclusive or competitive context and emotional engagement. This study reinforces that doctoral education has a strong emotional component and that promoting positive experiences should be an ethical imperative. As such, developing supervisors’ competencies and practices that nurture the autonomy of PhD candidates requires inclusive research contexts and working conditions that allow supervisors to dedicate the necessary time and effort to support their supervisees. It also draws attention to the need to choose research topics perceived as relevant by PhD candidates and manage motivations and expectancies.

Mothers in doctoral education: Who cares? An ecological-systems analysis of support for PhD mums

PurposeIn light of a largely negative discourse, this study aims to identify the various ways in which PhD mums have been supported in a range of contexts to develop a comprehensive typology of positive support, as well as to identify patterns that transcend institutional, national and disciplinary borders.Design/methodology/approachThe study is guided by ecological systems theory which allows for the investigation of the various interrelated systems that influence (in this case) doctoral researchers. A mixed-methods survey elicited the first-hand experiences from recent and current PhD mums across the world.FindingsThe authors have identified a range of potential supports for PhD mums, but note a careful balance is needed to ensure that PhD mums are supported in their roles as both mother and doctoral researcher, where support in one domain does not contradict nor ignore support for the other.Originality/valueThis study complements the existing knowledge body, which consists mainly of localised studies, by providing a birds-eye view of issues that transcend national, geographic and disciplinary borders. A topography provides a visual map of the various sources of potential support and the complicated relationships between them.

The Goal of Doctoral Education in Chemistry: Faculty Perspectives

The Goal of Doctoral Education in Chemistry: Faculty Perspectives

Enhancing doctoral learning through virtual communities of practice: an autoethnographic perspective

This article explores the role of virtual communities of practice in enhancing the doctoral experience, particularly in the contemporary digital era. The author emphasizes the multifaceted benefits, including elevating academic networking, optimizing knowledge management, and supporting the mental well-being of remote learners. The establishment of clear shared objectives, dynamic leadership, and a conducive environment for collaborative innovation are identified as key prerequisites for building successful virtual communities of practice. As remote doctoral education becomes more prevalent, virtual communities of practice not only facilitate academic engagement but also foster mutual support and advocacy among doctoral students. The researcher, as a final year PhD student employed autoethnography as a research method to offer an intimate and reflective exploration of her personal experiences within virtual communities of practice. This unique insider perspective adds depth to the discussion on elevating academic networking, optimizing knowledge management, and supporting the mental well-being of remote learners. Furthermore, her ongoing doctoral research focuses on the socialization process and the development of a sense of belonging among doctoral students. Motivated by her research topics, she commenced her doctoral studies during the epidemic and cultivated the practice of consistently maintaining a researcher’s reflection diary. This perspective article examines her diary, elucidating her experiences, opinions, and feelings. The researcher utilized a thematic approach to thoroughly analyze the author’s research diaries covering the period from December 2020 to August 2023. The article concludes by calling for further research into the professional identity development of doctoral students within virtual learning communities, exploring potential challenges and effective coping mechanisms to achieve inclusive practices in the complex and diverse digital era of academia.