Peer support interventions have been widely used within the Higher Education sector as a means to enhance student success and retention. However, much of the evidence to measure the impact of mentoring and coaching has relied on anecdotal, self-reported evidence from the participants. In addition there is much confusion in the terms to describe peer support interventions making it difficult to compare and contrast the different programmes. The need for evidence of a more robust, quantitative nature has long been called for by a number of authors such as Jacobi (1991), Capstick (2004) and Medd (2012). This is a mixed methods case study of an extant coaching programme in Higher Education in the UK. It makes explicit the process of the peer coaching intervention by use of individual case stories and measures the impact of the peer coaching on academic attainment in the form of module grades. In addition, the use of a control group enables a comparison to be made of the academic attainment of non-coached students with those who received peer coaching. Academic behaviour confidence of those who were coached was also measured pre and post-coaching using the Sander and Sanders (2009) ABC questionnaire. There was found to be a statistically significant impact in the academic attainment of those students who received coaching when compared to those students in the control group who did not. It was seen that the peer coaching had a beneficial impact for particular groups of students such as those in their first year of study and those who were performing less well at the outset as well students within the business school. There was found to be a significant increase in the academic behaviour confidence of those who received coaching as well as a reduced attrition rate when compared to those in the control group.

No / Radiography aspires to be a research active profession, but there is limited information regarding the number of individuals with, or studying for, a doctoral award. This study aims to profile UK doctoral radiographers; including their chosen award, approach and employment status. This was a prospective cohort study utilising an electronic survey. No formal database of doctoral radiographers existed therefore a snowball sampling method was adopted. The study sample was radiographers (diagnostic and therapeutic) based in the UK who were registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and who held, or were studying for, a doctoral award. A total of 90 unique responses were received within the timescale. The respondents comprised 58 females (64.4%) and the majority were diagnostic radiographers (n = 71/90; 78.9%). The traditional PhD was the most common award, although increasing numbers were pursuing Education or Professional Doctorates. An overall increase in doctoral studies is observed over time, but was greatest amongst those working in academic institutions, with 63.3% of respondents (n = 57/90) working solely within a university, and a further 10% employed in a clinical–academic role (n = 9/90). This study has demonstrated that radiography is emerging as a research active profession, with increasing numbers of radiographers engaged in study at a doctoral level. This should provide a platform for the future development of academic and clinical research.

This study focused on the testimonios [life narratives] of 33 Mexican American Ph.D.s who successfully navigated educational systems and obtained their doctorates in a variety of disciplines at 15 universities across the United States. The theoretical and methodological frameworks employed were critical race theory (CRT), Latina/o critical race theory (LatCrit), and narrative analysis in order to examine power relations, multiple forms of oppression, and the intersections of race, social class, and gender within educational contexts. CRT and LatCrit frameworks were expanded by attending to the experiences of middle class participants and participants who identified as second- or third-generation college students, which challenge traditional paradigms that essentialize Mexican American communities. This study uncovered and contextualized the ways that Mexican American Ph.D.s resisted and reproduced power relations, racism, sexism, and classism through master narratives constructed by the dominant culture to justify low rates of Mexican American educational attainment. The findings suggested that as the dominant culture develops master narratives, Mexican American communities reproduce these stories as well. Mexican American communities also crafted counter-narratives that resisted the master narratives. The dominant culture master narratives were: Mexican American families do not value education; Mexican American women are not allowed to get an education; The dominant culture and Mexican American communities reproduce masculinist ideology; If Mexican Americans would work hard enough and persevere, they can succeed in education; The U.S. is a colorblind, gender-blind, and class-blind society; and Mexican Americans are only in college/graduate school because they are minorities. In addition, Mexican American communities constructed two master narratives in an effort to advocate for educational equity and increase research in Mexican American communities: Mexican Americans must struggle through educational systems and Mexican American Ph.D.s should research Mexican American issues. This study provided a venue for narratives on Mexican American educational attainment that reflected struggle and survival, privilege and merit, as well as overcoming obstacles and not finding any barriers along the way. These narratives have the power to reshape, reframe, and transform discourses of deficiency to those of empowerment and resistance in K-12 education, postsecondary education, and graduate school.

This study was designed to investigate the experiences of first-generation women from South-Central Appalachia who completed a doctorate degree in educational leadership (EdD). Research indicates that nearly one third of doctoral recipients reported being first-generation, and the majority of these students concentrated in certain academic areas such as education. Furthermore, the literature suggests that there is a strong correlation between educational achievement levels and family background as well as cultural and geographic factors. While the amount of literature on minority groups has increased over the past 20 years, literature on the people and culture of Appalachia is limited. When first-generation status is paired with the challenges faced by females from Appalachia, such students could face particular issues that may impede their success. A qualitative, grounded theory approach was used for data collection and analysis. Ten face-to-face intensive interviews with women who met the criteria for this study were conducted. The purpose of these interviews was to enter into these women’s perspective, find out what was in and on their minds, and hear their stories. From the raw data 15 themes emerged which were 1) Support, 2) Parental Support), 3) Precollege Support, 4) Support from Precollege Orientation Experiences, 5) Support from Mentors, 6) Support from Cohorts, 7) Socioeconomic Status, 8) Intrinsic Motivation, 9) Transformation, 10) Self-Efficacy, 11) Persistence, 12) On Being Appalachian, 13) Kinship, 14) Dialect, and 15) Bicultural Identity. This research was significant because it was the first that looked specifically at the lived experiences of first-generation women from South-Central Appalachia who competed a doctorate of education EdD focusing on educational leadership and will contribute to the small body of research regarding first-generation, doctoral students.

Little is known about the experiences of doctoral students who are active duty military or veterans seeking a degree in counselor education and supervision (CES). The purpose of this research was to positively impact the counseling profession by ensuring adequate representation of military-competent counselors through an exploration of the academic journey of military students. This research sought to highlight military students' perceptions of barriers and contributors to degree completion. Selection criteria for participants involved any United States military personnel classified as active or inactive. These military personnel had to have earned within the past 12 months or were currently enrolled in a counselor education and supervision PhD program at an institution accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs. This research adopted a phenomenological hermeneutic theoretical approach to explore the lived experiences of 6 military students on their journey to degree completion in a CES doctoral program. The central research question focused on the lived experiences of military CES students related to their journey towards degree completion. Key results emerged in the form of themes that contributed to degree completion such as helping other veterans/giving back and programmatic fit. Themes that showed prevalent barriers to degree completion included professional identity development, military students and degree completion, environmental factors, and access to military counselors. The implications of this study for social change include supporting academic institutions in reducing the attrition rates of military CES students.

This study sought to understand why some students at Eagle University (pseudo.) complete the doctoral program in instructional technology while others do not. The study explores factors and issues affecting doctoral attrition and completion of the Ph.D. in instructional technology (IT) in the College of Education at Eagle University, a major research university with very high research activity. Participants in the study were eleven former doctoral students from Eagle University (pseudo.), six of whom met the requirements for graduation (completers) and five of whom ended the pursuit of the doctoral degree in instructional technology at EU (non-completers). A qualitative study informed by phenomenology, the purpose of the study was to explore these phenomena from the perspective of the students. Postmodernism served as the theoretical framework. Participants were interviewed using the structured interview guide developed by the researcher. Two important findings were that only one of the eleven students knew what to expect from the program; and that completers were more likely to report that their primary motivation for pursuing the Ph.D. was for personal satisfaction. Recommendations were made based on student feedback, and included implications for students as well as implications for the university/program. Examples of advice for students were: 1) contemplate their goal(s) in pursuing the Ph.D. and consider the impact if something happened to alter that goal, and 2) seek out doctoral support groups and begin to establish relationships with current members. Two selected recommendations for the university/program were 1) develop a pre-application seminar or eLearning module to provide potential doctoral students with a realistic understanding of the program, and 2) consider developing a mentoring program that matched more experienced students or non-advisory professors to new students. Results of the study indicated that multiple factors affected both completers and non-completers; and these factors were often similar. However, among the key factors separating completers from non-completers were the determination of the student and the quality of the advisor relationship.

This study sought to understand why some students at Eagle University (pseudo.) complete the doctoral program in instructional technology while others do not. The study explores factors and issues affecting doctoral attrition and completion of the Ph.D. in instructional technology (IT) in the College of Education at Eagle University, a major research university with very high research activity. Participants in the study were eleven former doctoral students from Eagle University (pseudo.), six of whom met the requirements for graduation (completers) and five of whom ended the pursuit of the doctoral degree in instructional technology at EU (non-completers). A qualitative study informed by phenomenology, the purpose of the study was to explore these phenomena from the perspective of the students. Postmodernism served as the theoretical framework. Participants were interviewed using the structured interview guide developed by the researcher. Two important findings were that only one of the eleven students knew what to expect from the program; and that completers were more likely to report that their primary motivation for pursuing the Ph.D. was for personal satisfaction. Recommendations were made based on student feedback, and included implications for students as well as implications for the university/program. Examples of advice for students were: 1) contemplate their goal(s) in pursuing the Ph.D. and consider the impact if something happened to alter that goal, and 2) seek out doctoral support groups and begin to establish relationships with current members. Two selected recommendations for the university/program were 1) develop a pre-application seminar or eLearning module to provide potential doctoral students with a realistic understanding of the program, and 2) consider developing a mentoring program that matched more experienced students or non-advisory professors to new students. Results of the study indicated that multiple factors affected both completers and non-completers; and these factors were often similar. However, among the key factors separating completers from non-completers were the determination of the student and the quality of the advisor relationship.

No description available.

Yes / Research is critical to evidence‐based practice, and the rapid developments in technology provide opportunities to innovate and improve practice. Little is known about the research profile of the medical radiation science (MRS) profession in Australia and New Zealand (NZ). This study provides a baseline of their doctoral activity. A cross‐sectional survey of MRS professionals in Australia and NZ holding a doctorate or undertaking doctoral studies, was performed using an online tool (Bristol Online Survey®, Bristol, UK). A chain‐referral sampling technique was adopted for data collection. An email invitation with a link to the survey was generated and distributed through email and social media. The survey contained questions related to participant demographics, doctoral status, qualification route, funding and employment. There were 63 responses to the survey comprising 50.8% diagnostic radiographers (DRs; n = 32), 23.8% radiation therapists (RTs; n = 15), with the remaining 25.4% (n = 16) equally split between sonographers and nuclear medicine technologists (NMTs). A total of 40 (63.5%) of respondents had completed their doctoral qualification. In NZ, only DRs held a doctoral award constituting 0.3% of DRs and 0.2% of the total registered MRS population. In Australia, there was a greater proportion of doctoral NMTs (n = 8/1098; 0.7%) than RTs (n = 15/2394; 0.6%) and DRs (n = 27/12,001; 0.2%). Similar to other countries, findings show a very small percentage of doctoral MRS professionals in Australia and NZ. Strategies to engage and support individuals in research, up to and beyond doctoral study, need to be embedded in practice.

O presente trabalho tem como objetivo principal analisar comparativamente os egressos dos programas de doutorado pleno e doutorado sanduíche no exterior das áreas de Ciências Agrárias, Ciências Biológicas, Ciências da Saúde e Ciências Exatas e da Terra para identificar a contribuição desses programas de mobilidade internacional para o Sistema Nacional de Pós-Graduação no Brasil - SNPG. Para isso foram coletados dados dos egressos dos programas de doutorado pleno e doutorado sanduíche no exterior da Capes do ano de 2006 e então realizada a comparação com a base de dados dos docentes do SNPG. A partir dessa análise foi possível obter os dados da taxa de entrada dos egressos dos programas no SNPG, a qualidade desses pesquisadores e a produção científica qualificada desse grupo nos anos de 2007 a 2014. Para responder aos questionamentos levantados nessa pesquisa sobre qual dos dois grupos de egressos formam mais doutores que retornam para o SNPG brasileiro e qual deles possui taxa mais expressiva de produção científica qualificada, chegou-se a algumas conclusões. Em relação ao indicador de taxa de entrada do doutor no SNPG e qualidade desse pesquisador verificou-se que o programa de doutorado sanduíche possui maior entrada embora a diferença seja muito pequena quando comparado ao grupo de doutorado pleno, desses, o programa de doutorado sanduíche possui maior número de pesquisadores qualificados com bolsa de Produtividade em Pesquisa do CNPq. Em relação à produção científica, os egressos do programa de doutorado sanduíche produzem a uma taxa semelhante em relação aos egressos de doutorado pleno, no entanto, na avaliação da produção científica qualificada, de acordo com o Qualis da Capes, os egressos do programa de doutorado pleno no exterior possuem 69% das publicações nos estratos A1, A2 e B1 enquanto que os egressos do programa de doutorado sanduíche possuem 62% nesses mesmos estratos. Essa análise nos leva à conclusão que a formação no exterior é extremamente benéfica para as duas modalidades de bolsa, no entanto, quando o foco é a produção científica qualificada, que possui maior impacto, há indicativos que a formação plena no exterior seja mais eficiente. / The main objective of the present work was to analyze comparatively the alumni of the full doctorate and sandwich doctorate programs abroad in the areas of Agrarian Sciences, Biological Sciences, Health Sciences, Exact and Earth Sciences to identify the contribution of these international mobility programs to the National Postgraduate System in Brazil - SNPG. For this, data were collected from the alumni of 2006 of the full doctoral and sandwich doctorate programs abroad of Capes in comparison to the database of the professors of the SNPG. From this analysis it was possible to obtain the data of the entrance of the alumni of these programs in the SNPG, and the qualified scientific production of that group in the years of 2007 to 2014. To answer the research question about which of the two groups of alumni returned to the Brazilian National Postgraduate System and which has the most expressive rate of qualified scientific production, it was concluded that the sandwich doctoral program group has a higher entrance in the SNPG although the difference is very small when compared to the full doctorate group. Of these, the sandwich doctorate program has the highest number of qualified researchers that received the Research Productivity grant from CNPq. In relation to the scientific production, alumni of the sandwich doctorate program produce at a similar rate in relation to alumni of full doctorate, however, the evaluation of qualified scientific production, according to Qualis of Capes, states that the full doctoral program abroad have 69% of the publications in the A1, A2 and B1 stratum while the graduates of the sandwich doctorate program have 62% in these stratum. This analysis leads us to the conclusion that training abroad was extremely beneficial for the two groups of scholarship, however, when the focus is the qualified scientific production, which has the greatest impact, full training abroad indicates to be more efficient.