The problem addressed through this study is that the completion rates of doctoral programs in the United States range as low as 40%. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of higher education leaders (HELs) on their successes and challenges in increasing completion rates in their doctoral programs. The list of values…

Shifting doctoral contexts disrupt conventional doctoral educational practice. A research development framework is thus necessary; one that can advance quality research but also enhance skills for social impact beyond the qualification. The doctoral intelligence framework has been conceptualised to provide a map of the doctoral terrain and…

When multilingual students face the challenge of writing a doctoral capstone or dissertation, delays in academic progress may occur. The aim of this study was to identify writing challenges multilingual doctoral students face and provide recommendations regarding learner-centered resources to support timely academic success, as literature…

Early assurance (EA) entry into Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) programs allows students an uninterrupted path to becoming physical therapists. There is a lack of evidence to determine whether EA is a successful entrance model. Therefore, the study's purposes are to: (a) determine whether students who receive EA entry have different program…

While there are a multitude of contributing factors, under-represented student success in STEM appears to be critically interdependent with teaching and learning practices that are responsive to diverse epistemologies and inclusive pedagogies. However, the professional literature has yet to identify a set of faculty development best practices that…

The purpose of this qualitative, transformational, phenomenological, action research study is to ascertain how race, class, and gender coalesce to impact the success of Black women at predominantly white institutions. The term "success" in the context of this study holds layered meanings, particularly from a Black feminist perspective…

Doctoral students' program non-completion continues to be a worldwide phenomenon. Given the challenges across the globe following the 2020-22 pandemic, we need scholarly and skilled PhD and education (EdD) doctoral program graduates. A place to look for retention improvement is by studying what students learn and how they are taught in their…

Physical therapy educational researchers have studied various factors that may or may not predict success on the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE). One factor that has not been studied extensively is the use of the Academic Practice Examination and Assessment Tool (APEAT) as a formative assessment. The purpose of this study was to…

Mentoring relationships between research supervisors and doctoral students play a key role in doctoral students' success. Self-determination theory assumes that the quality of these relationships can be defined in terms of fulfillment of students' basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Studies on how supervisors and…

The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of Black alumni of exclusively Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) who completed doctoral degrees in various disciplines. The specific focus was the participants' college and graduate experiences which led to graduate persistence, success, and ultimately graduation from a doctoral…

Research evaluating holistic admission practices in social work doctoral programs is nascent. This systematic literature review aims to answer two questions: What holistic admissions practices exist in U.S. graduate education? and Are these practices effective in increasing racial and ethnic diversity? In September 2019 we conducted searches of…

By taking the step to talk openly about his failure, the author stumbled upon one of several important lessons that he learned from this experience. The author recognized that he did not have to pretend anymore. In this article, the author shares his story of developing a "growth mindset" to overcome his own failure and support his…

This study examined the relationship of the scores on the Practice Exam & Assessment Tool (PEAT) to the scaled scores on the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE). A correlation analysis examined the relationship of the exam scores from three cohorts of Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students on the PEAT and NPTE. This study sought to…

For decades, the cohort model has been utilized to bring graduate degrees to working adults who cannot put their family lives and careers on hold to attend a university in the more traditional way. With the growing access to reliable digital tools, some cohorts have taken advantage of the ability to meet online with live-streaming applications…

In the U.S, education is both a right and a privilege and there is a relationship between the level of education and weekly wages (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018). Despite this, less than two percent of the population has a doctoral degree. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to focus on these perceived characteristics and the degree to…