This article explores the narratives of two doctoral candidates in a curriculum and instruction program, revealing their dissertation experiences after challenging conventional norms in their coursework. Through qualitative analysis, we identify themes of cultural authenticity, power of the academy, and theory vs. practice. These themes underscore…

Thesis by publication (TBP) is well-established in some geographic and disciplinary contexts, but is still emerging in others. The unique challenges of the TBP for doctoral researchers and supervisors have been well-covered in recent studies, but there has been limited attention given to examiners, despite the high stakes of the examination…

Universal guidelines for AI's use in the context of higher education remains unestablished. Despite this, doctoral students utilized AI to help in forming research ideas and with editing manuscripts. Thereby, the socialization of doctoral students into ethical AI use became imperative. This action research study had faculty and EdD students test…

Little is known about counselor educators' experiences of gatekeeping doctoral students. Using an interpretative phenomenological approach, we examined counselor educators' experiences of gatekeeping doctoral students during the dissertation. Themes included (a) interventions, (b) prior student gatekeeping interactions, and (c) recommendations for…

This paper explores reflexivity in qualitative research, challenging conventional perspectives that revolve around the binary of 'insider' and 'outsider' positioning. While traditionally reflexivity has been understood through the lens of a researcher's socio-historical positionality, we argue for a more dynamic understanding, emphasizing that…

Making a contribution to knowledge is a cornerstone requirement of the PhD. It requires candidates to provide new understandings about a phenomenon to push the boundaries of an intellectual field. To achieve this 'boundary pushing', the findings offered in the research must have relevance for contexts beyond the site of study. In effect, the…

Online doctoral students face unique challenges in completing their dissertations, with faculty mentoring playing a crucial role in their success or attrition. This study explores online doctoral students' viewpoints of faculty dissertation mentoring, identifying distinct mentoring viewpoints. Using Q methodology, we examine how students…

This essay focuses on the components and uses of the Dissertation in Practice (DiP) relative to the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED) and the alignment of the DiP description and process to the U. S. Office of Research Integrity Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) conditions and requirements. The essay provides a cursory view of…

Many doctoral students fail to finish their degrees, often stopping out at the dissertation stage. This article reviews successful dissertation mentoring practices, focusing on mentors' roles in aiding the completion of these degrees. Drawing on Kram's mentoring support framework--psychosocial and career/instrumental factors--the review employs…

The challenges faced by parenting during doctoral education are widely acknowledged. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck universities in the United States in March 2020, doctoral student parents, like other working parents, faced the new challenge of managing workloads without access to childcare, schools, or other supports for balancing work and…

An important consideration for doctoral students as they plan for an action research dissertation is to determine the appropriate methods for their study. Doctoral students can include a cycle in the action research process to learn how to use and experiment with different methods. In deciding to include such a cycle in my doctoral action…

More and more empirical studies address doctoral candidates' health. Yet, the mechanisms linking supervision and doctoral candidates' health often remain unclear. We start to fill this research gap with classifications of supervisors produced by latent class analysis, which were introduced into structural equation models with motivation towards…

This exploratory case study examines how AI technologies, specifically a GPT-4-based synopsis chatbot, can serve as a sparring partner for doctoral students in Norway. Despite favourable conditions, only two-thirds of Norwegian PhD candidates complete their doctorates, partly due to challenges with article-based dissertations that require a…

Purpose: Expanding on Harris and Sinclair (2014, p. 5) claim that "the writing of a play is an act of inquiry", this paper aims to consider the joyful entanglements, messiness and friction-led use of creative methods within the context of a PhD in education studies. Design/methodology/approach: Amplifying the voices of both doctoral…

"The Importance of the Dissertation in Practice (DiP): A Resource Guide for EdD Students, Their Committee Members and Advisors, and Departmental and University Leaders Involved with EdD Programs" is the first book-length study that looks at the elements of high-quality Dissertations in Practice (DiPs). It serves as a resource for EdD…