Abstract
Australia has experienced a “massification” of graduate research education in recent decades as numbers of research students have risen dramatically. This massification has given rise to considerable diversity within the student population, both in terms of their characteristics and their goals/purpose for undertaking higher degrees by research. This chapter draws on recent insights from 31 of the 80 submissions to the ACOLA (Australian Council of Learned Academies) review of Australia’s Research Training System commissioned by the federal government in 2015. An international literature review was also undertaken. Focusing on doctoral education, we examine the wide range of student characteristics and aims/purposes for the doctorate, including the aims of stakeholders such as industry, and the range of institutional responses to this diversity. We critically discuss the relative merits of these various responses and suggest ways in which they can be conceptualized in a systematic way. A best practice model of managing diverse doctoral students, achieving high quality outcomes and future policy directions are put forward. We argue in this chapter, as have others, that a “one size fits all” approach to doctoral education is neither equitable nor likely to meet all stakeholder expectations. Moreover, attrition and completion rates could be improved by showing a greater focus on diverse student needs and purposes. The purposes of doctoral education vary for different stakeholders, and as such, it is vital that we cater for these diverse needs through systemic models that are tailored to student capabilities, needs, and goals.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
References
Anderson, B., M. Cutright, and S. Anderson. 2013. Academic involvement in doctoral education: Predictive value of faculty mentorship and intellectual community on doctoral education outcomes. International Journal of Doctoral Studies 8: 195–201.
Australasian Council of Deans of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities. 2015. Submission to ACOLA review. http://www.researchtrainingreview.org.au/submissions/submissions/.
Australian Business Deans Council. 2015. Submission to ACOLA review. http://www.researchtrainingreview.org.au/submissions/submissions/.
Australian Council of Graduate Research. 2015. Submission to the Australian Council of Learned Academies Review of Australia’s Research Training System, August. http://www.researchtrainingreview.org.au/submissions/submissions/.
Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA). 2015. Review of Australia’s Research Training System. http://www.researchtrainingreview.org.au/submissions/submissions/.
Australian Technology Network (ATN). 2015. Submission to the ACOLA review. http://www.researchtrainingreview.org.au/submissions/submissions/.
Baillie, C., J.A. Bowden, and J.H.F. Meyer. 2013. Threshold capabilities: Threshold concepts and knowledge capability linked through variation theory. Higher Education 65 (2): 227–246.
Baker-Sweitzer, V. 2009. Towards a theory of doctoral student professional identity development: A development networks approach. The Journal of Higher Education 80 (1): 1–33. Ohio State University.
Barnacle, R., and I. Mewburn. 2010. Learning networks and the journey of becoming ‘doctor’. Studies in Higher Education 35 (4): 433–444.
Blass, E., and S. Bertone. 2013. Developing a toolkit and framework to support new postgraduate research supervisors in emerging research areas. http://www.researchsupervisiontoolkit.com. Canberra: Office for Learning and Teaching, Department of Education.
Bowden, J.A. 2004. Capabilities-driven curriculum design. In Effective teaching and learning in engineering, ed. C. Baillie and I. Moore. London: Kogan Page.
Bowden, J., and F. Marton. 1998. The university of learning: Beyond quality and competence in higher education. London: Kogan Page.
Campbell, T.A. 2015. A phenomenological study on international doctoral students’ acculturation experiences at an American university. Journal of International Students 5 (3): 285–299.
Centre for the Study of Research Training and Impact. 2015. Submission to ACOLA review. http://www.researchtrainingreview.org.au/submissions/submissions/.
Charles Sturt University. 2015. Submission to the ACOLA review. http://www.researchtrainingreview.org.au/submissions/submissions/.
Cho, S., W.K. Crenshaw, and L. McCall. 2013. Toward a field of intersectionality studies: Theorizing power, empowering theory, signs. Journal of Women in Culture and Society 38 (4): 785–810.
Cooperative Research Centres Association. 2015. Submission to the ACOLA review. http://www.researchtrainingreview.org.au/submissions/submissions/.
Cotterall, S. 2015. The rich get richer: International doctoral candidates and scholarly identity. Innovations in Education and Teaching International 52 (4): 360–370.
Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA). 2015. Submission to the ACOLA review. http://www.researchtrainingreview.org.au/submissions/submissions/.
Deakin University. 2015. Submission to the ACOLA review. http://www.researchtrainingreview.org.au/submissions/submissions/.
Devlin, M. 2010. Non-traditional student achievement: Theory, policy and practice in Australian higher education, keynote address, first year in higher education international conference, 27–30 June, Adelaide.
Eckersley, B., and D. Maunders. 2007. Cluster supervision for project-based research degrees: Developing best practice. In Supervising postgraduate research: Contexts, processes, theories and practices, ed. P. Green. Melbourne: RMIT University Press.
Flinders University. 2015. Submission to the ACOLA review. http://www.researchtrainingreview.org.au/submissions/submissions/.
Gardner, S. 2010. Contrasting the socialisation experiences of doctoral students in high- and low-completing departments: A qualitative analysis of disciplinary contexts at one institution. The Journal of Higher Education 81 (1): 61–81. Ohio State University.
Gardner, S.K. 2009. Conceptualizing success in doctoral education: Perspectives of faculty in seven disciplines. Review of Higher Education 32 (3): 383–406.
Gonzalez, J.C. 2006. Academic socialisation experiences of Latina doctoral students: A qualitative understanding of support systems that aid and challenges that hinder the process. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education 5 (4): 347–365.
Gopaul, B. 2011. Distinction in doctoral education: Using Bourdieu’s tools to address the socialisation of doctoral students. Equity and Excellence in Education 44 (1): 10–21.
Green, P. 2005. Complex contexts, relations and practices: The space for research supervision. In Supervising postgraduate research: Contexts, processes, theories and practices, ed. P. Green. Melbourne: RMIT University Press.
Green, P., and J. Bowden. 2012. Completion mindsets and contexts in doctoral supervision. Quality Assurance in Education 20 (1): 66–80.
Green, P., and R. Usher. 2003. Fast supervision: Changing supervisory practice in changing times. Studies in Continuing Education 25 (1): 37–50.
Griffith University. 2015. Submission to the ACOLA review. http://www.researchtrainingreview.org.au/submissions/submissions/.
Hall, L., and L.D. Burns. 2009. Identity development and mentoring in doctoral education. Harvard Educational Review 79 (1): 49.
Hancock, S., and E. Walsh. 2016. Beyond knowledge and skills: Rethinking the development of professional identity during the STEM doctorate. Studies in Higher Education 41 (1): 37–50.
Holley, K., and S. Gardner. 2012. Navigating the pipeline: How socio-cultural influences impact first-generation doctoral students. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education 5 (2): 112–121.
Innovative Research Universities. 2015. Submission to the ACOLA review. http://www.researchtrainingreview.org.au/submissions/submissions/.
Kiley, M. 2014. Coursework in Australian doctoral education: What’s happening, why and future directions. Canberra: Office for Learning and Teaching and Australian National University.
Klenowski, V., L. Ehrich, C. Kapitzke, and K. Trigger. 2011. Building support for learning within a doctoral education programme. Teaching in Higher Education 16 (6): 681–693.
Kuang-Hsu Chiang (Iris). 2003. Learning experiences of doctoral students in UK universities.International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy 23 (1/2): 4–32. https://doi.org/10.1108/01443330310790444.
Langer, E.J. 1989. Mindfulness. Cambridge: AMerloyd Lawrence Book.
Langer, E.J. 2009. Counterclockwise: Mindful health and the power of possibility. New York: Ballantine Books.
Langer, E., and M. Moldoveanu. 2000. The construct of mindfulness. Journal of Social Issues 56 (1): 1–9.
Lovitts, B.E. 2001. Leaving the ivory tower: The causes and consequences of departure from doctoral study. Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield.
Lyotard, J.F. 1984. The postmodern condition: A report on knowledge. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
Macquarie University Submission. 2015.
Marginson, S., C. Nyland, S. Edenawati, and H. Forbes-Mewitt. 2010. International student security. Leiden: Cambridge University Press.
McAlpine, L., and G. Akerlind. 2010. Becoming an academic: Universities into the 21st century. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
McAlpine, L., and J. Norton. 2006. Reframing our approach to doctoral programs: An integrative framework for action and research. HERDSA 25 (1): 3–17.
McKinley, E., B. Grant, S. Middleton, K. Irwin, T. Williams, and R. Les. 2011. Working at the interface: Indigenous students’ experience of undertaking doctoral studies in Aotearoa New Zealand. Equity and Excellence in Education 44 (1): 115–132.
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Higher Education Consortium. 2015. Submission to the ACOLA review. http://www.researchtrainingreview.org.au/submissions/submissions/.
Nettles, M.T., and C.M. Millett. 1990. Success in doctoral programs: Experiences of minority and white students. American Journal of Education 98: 494–522.
Neumann, R. 2002. Diversity, doctoral education and policy. Higher Education Research and Development 21 (2): 167–178.
Pearson, M. 1999. The changing environment for doctoral education in Australia: Implications for quality management, improvement and innovation. Higher Education Research and Development 18 (3): 269–297.
Pearson, M., J. Cumming, T. Evans, P. Macauley, and K. Ryland. 2011. How shall we know them? Capturing the diversity of difference in Australian doctoral candidates and their experiences. Studies in Higher Education 36 (5): 527–542.
Pilar, M. 2007. Academic capitalism and doctoral student socialisation: A case study. The Journal of Higher Education 78 (1): 71–96.
Radda, H. 2012. From theory to practice to experience: Building scholarly learning communities in non-traditional doctoral programs. Insight: A Journal of Scholarly Teaching 7: 50–53.
Rayner, S., J. Lord, E. Parr, and R. Sharkey. 2015. Why has my world become more confusing than it used to be? Professional doctoral students reflect on the development of their identity. Management in Education 29 (4): 159–163.
RMIT. 2015. Submission to ACOLA review. http://www.researchtrainingreview.org.au/submissions/submissions/.
Rujipak, T. 2009. The re-entry adjustment of Thai students in the transition from graduation in Australia to the return home. Unpublished PhD, Swinburne University of Technology.
Sallee, M. 2011. Performing masculinity: Considering gender in doctoral student socialisation. The Journal of Higher Education 82 (2): 187–216.
Simmons, B., A. Holbrook, J. St George, M. Lawry, and A. Graham. 2008. Developing a researcher perspective during a fine art degree: Issues relating to supervision. Paper presented at the AARE (Australian Association for Research in education) annual conference, Brisbane.
Sonn, C., B. Bishop, and R. Humphries. 2000. Encounters with the dominant culture: Voices of indigenous students in mainstream higher education. Australian Psychologist 35 (2): 128–135.
Taylor, A. 2007. Learning to become researching professionals: The case of the doctorate of education. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education 19 (2): 154–166.
Taylor, E., and J.S. Antony. 2000. Stereotype threat reduction and wise schooling: Towards the successful socialisation of African American doctoral students in education. Journal of Negro Education 69 (3): 184–198.
University of Canberra. 2015. Submission to the ACOLA review. http://www.researchtrainingreview.org.au/submissions/submissions/.
University of Melbourne Graduate Student Association. 2015. Submission to the ACOLA review. http://www.researchtrainingreview.org.au/submissions/submissions/.
University of Queensland. 2015. Submission to the ACOLA review. http://www.researchtrainingreview.org.au/submissions/submissions/.
University of South Australia. 2015. Submission to the ACOLA review. http://www.researchtrainingreview.org.au/submissions/submissions/.
University of Technology Sydney. 2015. Submission to the ACOLA review. http://www.researchtrainingreview.org.au/submissions/submissions/.
Wallgren, Lillemor, and Lars O. Dahlgren. 2007. Industrial doctoral students as brokers between industry and academia: Factors affecting their trajectories, learning at the boundaries and identity development. Industry and Higher Education 21 (3): 195–210.
Wasburn-Moses, L. 2007. Minority students’ perceptions of their doctoral programs in special education. Journal of Teacher Education 58 (5): 456–469.
Wright, L., E. Lange, and J. Da Costa. 2009. Facilitating adult learning and a researcher identity through a higher education pedagogical process’. US-China Education Review 6, 11, 60: 1–16.
Note: all submissions to the ACOLA review can be accessed via this weblink: http://www.researchtrainingreview.org.au/submissions/submissions/.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this entry
Cite this entry
Bertone, S., Green, P. (2018). Knowing Your Research Students: Devising Models of Doctoral Education for Success. In: Erwee, R., Harmes, M., Harmes, M., Danaher, P. (eds) Postgraduate Education in Higher Education. University Development and Administration. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0468-1_30-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0468-1_30-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-10-0468-1
Online ISBN: 978-981-10-0468-1
eBook Packages: Springer Reference EducationReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Education