Although first-generation students represent a substantial proportion of doctoral students, few studies have examined their experiences and outcomes. We contribute to this nascent area of inquiry by comparing experiences and outcomes of first-generation and continuing-generation students during the first 3 years of doctoral education. Contrary to…

This paper draws on Bourdieu's concepts of "field," "capital" and "habitus" to examine the learning and enculturation of alumni of a Canadian PhD programme in the discipline of Education. We introduce the concept of "doctoral capital" to help explain how and why some PhD graduates go on to secure faculty…

The problem of PhD attrition, especially at the dissertation-writing stage, is not solely related to mentoring, departments, or disciplines; it is a problem that affects the entire institution. As such, solutions require collaborative efforts for student success. Building on Yeatman's master--apprentice model, which assumes mastering disciplinary…

This study's purpose was to compare the lived experiences of doctoral women studying Education, a prototypically female field, with women studying Engineering, a prototypically male field to illustrate the phenomenon of doctoral degree progress in the two fields. Using critical feminist theory and Valian's (1999) concept of gender schemas, this…

This article investigates how doctoral students perceive their research education in different disciplines in two higher education systems, the UK and France. It explores what underlies the diversity of doctoral students' experiences. Three theoretical positions are identified: the epistemological position, conceptualisation of research objects…

The relationship a doctoral student develops with his/her advisor is a crucial aspect of doctoral training across disciplines; but research suggests that many such relationships fall short of a successful apprenticeship or mentoring ideal. Because disciplinary cultures and structures vary considerably, what makes for a successful advising…

Examined the research training experiences of Australian doctoral students working in or funded by Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs). Found that CRC-related Ph.D. students fare well compared to their counterparts in regular university departments, and that on a number of indicators CRC-related students recorded higher levels of satisfaction with…

This study compared doctoral students at three stages of their graduate career in the areas of relations with faculty, relations with peers, emphases of classes and other program experiences, personal gains due to the program, and attitudes toward the program. A sample of 596 doctoral students at the University of Illinois (Chicago) were surveyed…

A study of 1,261 doctoral students in chemistry, civil engineering, microbiology, and sociology investigated student experiences with research, employment, and personal misconduct in academic departments, including the effects of departmental structure, department climate, and academic discipline. No disciplinary differences were found, but…

A study examined the socialization experiences of 25 majority and 37 minority women doctoral students using 4 indices of social opportunity: recruitment of student by department; participation in apprenticeship and mentoring experiences; perceptions of department as either competitive or cooperative and offering support networks; and experience of…

A study investigated the effects of graduate department structure, department climate, and mentoring experiences on 1,363 doctoral students' subscription to traditional norms of science and to alternative counternorms in 4 disciplines: chemistry, civil engineering, microbiology, and sociology. Substantial ambivalence about traditional norms was…