This paper offers a meta-analysis scoping study of doctoral dissertations completed in the last 20 years in one doctoral programme of Educational Leadership (EL) at a higher education institution in Texas, aiming at identifying topical foci, epistemology, methodology and main themes. Therefore, we systematically collected, documented, securitised…

Ed.D. programs have grown in popularity over the past few decades. Utilizing a qualitative single case study approach, we explored students' motivations for pursuing an Ed.D. in higher education and their considerations related to program choice at a public research university in the midwestern United States. Data from our 14 interviews…

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of major developments in Iran's higher education system and their implications for doctoral education. In all, four major developments--massification, privatisation, internationalisation, and the coronavirus pandemic--are investigated, and their impact is analysed. The results indicated that,…

Lifelong learning comprises all learning undertaken throughout life, with a view to improving knowledge, qualifications and competences within a personal, civic, social or employment-related perspective. This EU definition, which is still valid today, was laid down in the document 'Creating a European area of lifelong learning in 2001.' Lifelong…

This article explores the implications of the national, organisational and individual cultural dimensions for the strategies of PhD supervisors. The intended outcome of PhD supervision is considered to be a doctoral graduate with advanced research skills as well as an original contribution to knowledge production. Data emanate from the interviews…

Individual development plans (IDPs) are increasingly being used in higher education to provide personalized guidance to students that can foster a more purposeful and productive education experience. In this study, we document the graduate student's perspective on the effectiveness of the IDP based on responses from students in course- and…

Scholars assert that, worldwide, doctoral provision is increasingly characterised by accelerated scales of production, competitive funding, centralised administration, and interdisciplinary, cohort-based training. The situation in the UK appears to mirror this picture but scholars have long noted that national settings mediate the forms that…

Digital scholarship programs, a university unit of relatively recent origin, provide support and community for scholars integrating digital technologies into their research, teaching, and engagement work. But they have not been well defined in higher education scholarship and sometimes not even well understood on their campuses. To clarify the…

Discussions about the role of universities have long been framed in terms of questions of what is good for the public, as well as how and whether higher education serves that good. Today, the language of 'societal impact' has become an accepted way for policymakers to frame the matter, but just who is included in the underlying definition of…

Publishing prior to completing graduate school is increasingly institutionalised through institutional policies in ways that pressurise doctoral students to publish as a graduation requirement or encourage them to do so to gain advantages in the academic job market. However, no systematic review of the role predoctoral publications play in shaping…

Becoming a researcher not only involves the acts of contributing to the body of knowledge in a field, but it also involves constructing the image or identity of a researcher. Doctoral students who aim for positions within academia upon graduation see doctoral education as a phase where they develop their research skills and prepare for…

In this article, the author discusses the mechanisms of isomorphism through three examples of organizational actions for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in doctoral education: (1) eliminating Graduate Record Examination (GRE) requirements; (2) adopting bridge programs; and (3) reforming doctoral qualifying exams. Although these actions were…

The limited research on attrition percentages in online EdD programs comprises the problem under investigation. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to describe the lived experience of students in an online EdD higher education administration program who completed all program requirements except for the dissertation at a…

Academic identity formation is strongly influenced by higher education contexts. In the past decades, the Chinese higher education sector has attempted to integrate academic internationalization at the local level. In this context, international returnees and locally trained scholars may encounter different issues in the process of constructing…

Predominantly white institutions (PWIs) struggle to attract and retain underrepresented faculty. Despite aspirations for diversity, the reality remains that underrepresented faculty are not hired and retained in numbers sufficient to change the institution's demographics. The leadership of PWIs strives for solutions to ameliorate the trend in…