Showing papers in "International Journal of Doctoral Studies in 2009"

The Business Professional Doctorate as an Informing Channel: A Survey and Analysis

Abstract: Although growing in popularity in other countries, the business professional doctorate has yet to gain traction in the U.S. Such programs, intended to offer advanced disciplinary and research training to individuals who later plan to apply that training to employment in industry, are frequently seen to be inferior to their academically-focused Ph.D. program counterparts. Furthermore, if the sole purpose of a doctorate is to develop individuals focused on producing scholarly research articles, that assessment may well be correct. We argue, however, that such a narrowly focused view of the purpose of doctoral programs is self-defeating; by exclusively focusing on scholarly research and writings, we virtually guarantee that our research will never make it into practice. The paper begins by identifying a variety of types of doctoral programs that exist globally and placing these in a conceptual framework. We then present a detailed case study of the information systems (IS) doctoral programs offered in Osnabrueck, Germany—where as many as 90% of candidates choose careers in industry in preference to academia. Finally, we propose— supported using both conceptual arguments drawn from the study of complex informing and observed examples—that the greatest benefit of business professional doctorates may be the creation of enduring informing channels between practice and industry. Presented in this light, the business professional doctorate should be viewed as an essential part of the broader research ecology, rather than as a weak substitute for the disciplinary Ph.D.

Doctoral dissertations by publication: building scholarly capacity whilst advancing new knowledge in the discipline of nursing

Abstract: Internationally universities are increasingly challenged by government and industry to boost their research profile. Undertaking successful research studies is a means of generating income while enhancing the credibility of both institutions and individual academic staff. Research training therefore is an important strategy to support this endeavour. Traditionally, the process of research training culminates in the completion of a doctoral qualification. Undertaking doctoral studies requires candidates to commit to an extensive period of indenture during which they develop their knowledge about a particular methodology, refine skills in using research methods, and produce research findings in the form of a dissertation. A key part of this process is developing skills in writing for publication and the dissemination of their doctoral research findings. We argue that using a traditional approach to the production of a doctoral dissertation develops student’s knowledge and skills in conducting an independent piece of research. However, the production of a traditional thesis does not focus strongly enough on developing the important skills of writing for publication and knowing how to effectively and strategically disseminate research findings. Choosing to submit a doctoral dissertation by publication or partial publication provides candidates with the opportunity to complete research training and produce an authoritative research report, while at the same time developing skills in publishing journal articles and other manifests. Producing a dissertation by partial or full publication also opens the work up to independent scrutiny at various points during the candidate’s research training which strengthens the final results.

The Experience of Nurse Faculty Members Enrolled in Doctoral Study

Abstract: The focus of this paper is to describe the results of a study that examined the experience of nurse faculty members pursuing a doctoral degree. Influential factors in the student experience are identified from the student perspective and student recommendations for supportive practices are shared. Two hundred and seventy-seven nurses participated in a web-based survey. Participants described the rewards and challenges inherent in graduate study. Key enhancing and detracting factors were career goals and multiple life responsibilities, respectively. Primary recommendations for workplace support were adjustments in role responsibilities. The key recommendation to doctoral programs was for student centered program and course planning. This study contributes to our understanding of the doctoral student experience and can serve to guide the development of quality practices.

The Need for Teaching Doctoral Students How to Teach

Abstract: This paper discusses four factors that explain the renewed interest in teaching in business schools. However, this renewed interest has not yet impacted doctoral programs. Few doctoral programs offer systematic teacher training. The key barrier to such programs is the lack of a faculty champion within the school to organize and implement a course. The paper presents three models that can help a potential faculty champion to incorporate teacher training into doctoral programs. Ke ywords: doctoral programs, systematic teacher training.

Volunteer Support of English as an Additional Language (EAL) for Doctoral Students

Abstract: Introduction English-as-an-additional-language (EAL) research students are a prized resource for universities desirous of doctoral output Universities wanting more annual doctoral completions (see confirmation of these phenomena in Carter, 2006; Powell, 2006; Walsh, 2006) compete for local and international students, with "strong growth in the numbers of postgraduate [EAL (English-as-an-additional-language)] students in the major education-provider countries" (Ryan & Zuber-Skerritt, 1999, p 3) Yet international students bring with them the challenges of writing about 80,000 words in competent academic prose in English when it is not their native language: the dissertation The human stories behind doctoral internationalisation show that "Speakers of English as an additional language still appear to be less empowered and more disabled in the institution" (Hutchings, 2006, p 248); it is something of an understatement to note that "Such students often have difficulty meeting the demands of the kind of writing required of them in this particular genre" (Paltridge & Starfield, 2007, p 2) Resources for EAL students are seldom adequate (Strauss, Sachfleben, & Turner, 2006), and EAL students may feel that they and their writing are somehow marginalised (Ali & Kohun, 2007; Zamel, 1995) Doctoral drop-out rates have traditionally been high--as high as 50% in some disciplines (Bair & Haworth, 1999; McAlpine & Norton, 2006; Mendoza, 2007)--and individuals who struggle with prose may lose hope and leave In such cases, institutional loss is also personal tragedy; the cost of futility is high Furthermore, writing frustrations often spill into supervisors' in-trays, yet supervisors are under increasing pressure in a changing university environment (Davies, 2003; Forgasz & Leder, 2006; McGrail, Rickard, & Jones, 2006) How might the responsibilities of a university be synchronised with its desire for fast doctoral completion rates from EAL students? Most tertiary institutions are careful about recruitment, but even those EAL students who have ranked well in International English Language T esting System (IELTS) testing can find the size and complexity of their doctoral writing task disheartening Many institutions, including my own, provide English for academic writing classes and nonetheless EAL researchers face an enormous challenge in the production of a dissertation In New Zealand the PhD is commonly based on a dissertation only, so students do not get the same amount of practice within courses that the USA system entails Many international students arrive at a new campus in a culturally different city to begin the lonely task of writing their dissertation My response as co-ordinator of a Student Learning Centre doctoral programme has been to establish across-campus support from native English speaker volunteers to EAL doctoral students This support group is called DEAL (doctorates for EAL students) following on from a preexisting EAL undergraduate programme named REAL (Results for EAL students) that already existed in the Student Learning Centre learning centre Both international (Asian, European and Pacific Islander) and local students whose first language is not English made use of the support These students self-identify as EAL This support is not compulsory, so only candidates who feel they would like to develop their writing choose to attend DEAL has now operated for over four years, during which time we have sought to "maximis[e] the benefits of volunteerism and improve intergroup relations" (Karafantis & Levy, 2004, p 248) DEAL provides a case-study of volunteerism that may be adaptable elsewhere Because the two groups who participated, doctoral students and retired volunteers, both benefitted in a symbiotic relationship, the support has proved to be a sustainable 'community of practice' (Wenger's 1998 term) DEAL assumes that "support, encouragement and motivation are key benefits of writing interventions" (McGrail et al …

Differential Item Functional Analysis by Gender and Race of the National Doctoral Program Survey

Abstract: One way that policies get enacted in higher education is through educational research. In 2000 the National Association of Graduate-Professional Students conducted the National Doctoral Program Survey (NDPS) in an effort to learn more about doctoral students’ experiences and to influence doctoral education policy at both the local and national level. However, the National Doctoral Program Survey (NDPS) have only been reported in the aggregate. This aggregate reporting is appropriate if the items on the survey are measuring the same construct with the same level of accuracy across all respondents, but if this is not the case, then the veracity of the study results can be severely compromised. The purpose of this study was to examine the NDPS instrument using differential item functioning (DIF) analysis to determine if survey items functioned differently across gender and race/ethnicity. We identified 29 of the 48 items as displaying DIF, meaning women and students of color were either more likely or less likely to agree with their Caucasian male peers on certain items. Therefore, some caution may need to be exercised when interpreting the NAGPS data for diverse groups of students.