The purpose of this study is to explore the lived experiences of African American women in pursuit of doctoral degrees in the southwest, their challenges and motivations, and plans for the their next chapter. Drawing from critical race theory and a sociocultural framework, this qualitative study uses Dan McAdams' "Life Story Interview"…

Scholars often view pursuing the doctoral degree as the process of socialization into the academic profession. Yet, doctoral students have several career pathways from which to choose. With this study, we build upon existing literature to develop a more comprehensive understanding of current doctoral students' preparation for academia and other…

Physical sciences and engineering doctoral programs serve as the most important conduit through which future academics are trained and prepared in these disciplines. This study examined women doctoral students' protege-mentor relationships in Physical sciences and engineering programs. Particularly, the study examined the influence of such…

Given the growing population of older adults with more reported mental health needs, there are not sufficient psychologists interested in working with this population. This study looked at why interest is so low, looking particularly at the correlations between interest in working with older adults and knowledge about aging, ageism, aging anxiety…

Counselor development has been conceptualized as a gradual progression from the cognitive, technical, and relational rigidity of novices to the optimally effective cognitions, interventions, and therapeutic alliances of master practitioners (Hogan, 1964; Loganbill, Hardy, & Delworth, 1982; Skovholt & Ronnestad, 1992a; Stoltenberg, 1981).…

Attrition rates in Ph.D. programs are at approximately 50% in traditional Ph.D. programs and 10-20% higher in online Ph.D. programs. Understanding the relationship between student factors, measures of student success (retention, graduation, year to degree), and student satisfaction is important to support and improve retention, graduation rates,…

Purpose: Doctoral candidates are now located within a research context of performativity where the push to successfully complete in a timely manner is central. The purpose of this paper is to develop a model of completion mindset within a completion context to assist research students and supervisors. Design/methodology/approach: The research was…

Professional doctorates have been established in the allied health professions by clinicians seeking the highest levels of independent practice. Allied health professional doctorates include nursing practice (DNP), occupational therapy (OTD), psychology (PsyD), social work (DSW), and marriage and family therapy (DMFT). Lessons learned from the…

This paper outlines the potential of the portfolio as a product of doctoral work, especially in the Professional Doctorates. It compares the traditional mode of a single, lengthy but clearly focused doctoral dissertation with the portfolio as a collection of shorter research reports, held together by a linking paper articulating the thesis. We…

The study reported here, one part of a larger study on doctoral education, describes a pilot study that used Activity Theory to shape a methodological tool for better understanding the tensions inherent in the doctoral experience. As doctoral students may function within a range of activity systems, we designed data collection protocols based on…

Ethical issues abound in any relationship that is defined by differences between the parties in rank, status, and power. Such is the case in the relationship between a doctoral student in clinical psychology and his or her mentor. In this article, we examine several potential areas of ethical concern within the mentor-student relationship. We…

Employing metaphor analysis, the present study explores the nature of unconscious beliefs of PhD students. This research aims at analyzing the metaphors produced by Iranian PhD students about learning and teaching in both current and ideal situations. Using the Iranian context of education, this study intended to: first, collecting the metaphors…

This presentation will discuss how Barry J. Zimmerman's four levels of development for self-regulation (i.e., observation, emulation, self-control, and self-regulation) is consistent with the way he educates his doctoral students. In the first level, students learn by "observing" the professor as he teaches. Zimmerman, as an educator in the…

The mission types of 105 current doctoral programs in higher education and the extent to which their missions have changed since a similar study was conducted by Dressel and Mayhew in 1974 was studied. The curricula offerings of these programs by degree type (e.g., Ed.D. & Ph.D.) were compared with Fife's 1991 findings. Finally, the study…

This dissertation reports my study of the institutionally situated challenges involved in designing and maintaining Rhetoric and Composition doctoral program websites via two primary research methods. First, I conduct content analyses of nine methodically selected doctoral program websites in order to develop a detailed set of site…