At Western Michigan University, the Graduate Center for Research, Writing, and Proposal Development sustains both doctoral students and graduate advising faculty through the doctoral dissertation process and represents one best practices approach that promotes persistence in graduate education--an especially important benefit, given the national…

This study examines the experiences of Latina faculty during their doctoral education. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted with tenure-track Latina faculty (who primarily self-identified as Chicanas, Latinas, and Mexican Americans) across the west and southwest United States. Resiliency theory was used to help structure and understand…

This qualitative study involved five doctoral counselling students from a major Canadian university who shared critical incidents of barriers and facilitators of reflective practice in their graduate experiences. Sixteen incidents engendered reflection while eight hindered open reflection. Conditions found to facilitate reflective practice…

This paper will investigate the ontological and existential learning experience of a group of laterlife computer learners in Sydney, Australia. The research, undertaken as a PhD project, focused on the interpretation and understanding of the learning experience from the perspective of the learners. Hence, a qualitative method was used because it…

This theoretical paper examines current practice in work-based studies where recognition of prior unaccredited work is normally limited to around 50% of the total programme. The basis of this limiting concept is challenged and consideration is given to a number of factors that have contributed to it. Comparison is made with the current practice of…

The graduate careers of nearly 5,000 Ph.D.-seeking students from 11 departments in each of 3 major universities were investigated with a special focus on minority students. Minorities and women were found to be underrepresented in graduate school, and to have generally lower candidacy and graduation rates than their white and male counterparts. In…

This study focused on four students and a professor from a mathematics education doctoral program at a research university. Participant observation, informal interviews, and document collection were used to collect data on students' discourse competency development. Two overarching categories emerged during data analysis: (1) what students had to…

Although portfolios have gained acceptance in K-12 education, they have only recently been explored for inclusion in administrator-preparation programs. This paper describes the use of portfolios in the leadership-preparation programs at the University of New Mexico (UNM). The Ed.D program, which has been significantly modified to accommodate to…

This project examined the experiences of mid-life, female doctoral students from a feminist perspective, focusing on their development of personal and scholarly "voice." An 18-month project, entitled "Doctoral Study as Heroic Journey," was both a cooperative inquiry and a curricular innovation that involved an experiential workshop and four…

The study of biography, particularly the different roles people assume to overcome institutional constraints and prejudice, provides important insight into connections between society and the individual and between leaders and followers. Biography can be used effectively to examine leadership issues, particularly from an African-American…

Dissertations have been an important aspect of doctoral degrees for many years. However, some educators feel that dissertations are an outdated and ineffective part of the doctoral program. A study examined the role dissertations play in doctoral programs. Questionnaires sent to educational administration faculty at the University of Arkansas,…

Reports on a study, "Graduate School Adjustments to the 'New Depression' in Higher Education," published by the National Board on Graduate Education. Presents findings on shifts in enrollment from higher- to lower-rated programs, impact of federal cutbacks in support, program changes, and graduate student responsiveness to the labor market. (GS)

The study examined attitudes of graduate students (N=172) in the College of Education at the University of Tennessee (Knoxville) toward their programs. A 12-item self-administered questionnaire was developed in which 6 questions addressed administrative issues and 6 related to instructional ones. Initial analysis of results utilizing computer…

An introductory leadership course in an Ed.D. program in Child and Youth Studies, a redesigned early and middle childhood program at Nova University (Florida), is described. The course's purposes are first, to enable professionals to understand the impact of demographic, social, economic, political, and technological transitions on the…

This chapter presents the history, philosophy, and curriculum of the IDD (Instructional Design and Development) program at Florida State University. The origins of the program are described, the primary factors that influenced the program as it now exists are detailed, and the major competency areas of the program are examined. The current…