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Dissertation Experiences Of Doctoral Graduates From Professional Psychology Programs, Alan Burkard, Sarah Knox, Shauna Elizabeth Fuller, Clara E. Hill, Lewis Z. Schlosser
Dissertation Experiences Of Doctoral Graduates From Professional Psychology Programs, Alan Burkard, Sarah Knox, Shauna Elizabeth Fuller, Clara E. Hill, Lewis Z. Schlosser
College of Education Faculty Research and Publications
Worldwide, dissertation experiences are acknowledged to be challenging endeavors for students and the faculty members who advise them, and dissertation completion continues to be a concern when seeking to improve overall doctoral graduation rates. Although a number of factors have been associated with completion rates across disciplines, further research is needed within professional psychology graduate programs to understand overall student dissertation experiences. In this USA-based investigation, a mixed-method design was used to examine the experiences of 25 professional psychology doctoral graduates’ dissertation experiences, 12 of which were self-identified as positive and 13 as negative. Participants with positive experiences typically had …
Positive And Problematic Dissertation Experiences: The Faculty Perspective, Sarah Knox, Alan W. Burkard, Julie K. Janecek, Nathan Pruitt, Shauna Elizabeth Fuller, Clara E. Hill
Positive And Problematic Dissertation Experiences: The Faculty Perspective, Sarah Knox, Alan W. Burkard, Julie K. Janecek, Nathan Pruitt, Shauna Elizabeth Fuller, Clara E. Hill
College of Education Faculty Research and Publications
We interviewed 14 clinical and counseling psychology faculty regarding their experiences chairing positive and problematic dissertations. Data were analyzed using consensual qualitative research (CQR). Participants reported that advisors’ roles involved guiding/facilitating dissertations and helping students shape research ideas; students’ roles included taking responsibility, working independently, and maintaining good relationships with the chair/committee. With positive dissertation experiences, chairs and students collaborated before the dissertation, worked together well during the dissertation, and students began the dissertation feeling competent and motivated; such dissertations positively affected participants. Problematic dissertation experiences evinced difficult relationships between chair and student, and students’ low research capability; such dissertations …