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This study explores the fit between doctoral students and their working environment by analyzing students' and supervisors' perceptions of resources and challenges involved in the doctoral process. The data were collected using online surveys. Altogether 1184 doctoral students and 431 supervisors completed the survey. The results suggest that the fit between the doctoral students' and supervisors' perceptions of resources and challenges is linked to the doctoral students' satisfaction with their studies and the supervisory relationship. In faculties where the students' and the supervisors' perceptions of resources and challenges were similar, the students reported being more satisfied with their overall study process and supervisory support. The findings indicate that the fit between students and their working environment is related to how the students' experience their doctoral process.

The literature emphasizes the importance of integrating doctoral students into scholarly communities and practices at the very beginning of their studies. Although the importance of student participation in a scholarly community has been recognized empirical evidence concerning the quality of participation that promotes such engagement is scarce. This study focuses on exploring doctoral students’ sense of relational agency in terms of their scholarly communities and how this is related to study persistence and experienced socio-psychological well-being. Altogether 669 doctoral candidates from three faculties (humanities, medicine, and behavioural sciences) from a large research-intensive Finnish University completed a doctoral student survey. The results showed that a minority of the students perceived themselves as active relational agents in terms of their scholarly communities. However, students who perceived themselves as active relational agents experienced less lack of interest in their studies, less negative emotions, and less often considered abandoning their studies than students who perceived themselves as passive objects in their communities.        

PurposeThis article is intended to contribute towards furthering the understanding of researcher development as demonstrated by doctoral students' learning within scholarly communities. The article does this by reporting the findings of a study that explored the students' key learning experiences during their doctoral journey.Design/methodology/approachThe 19 participants were natural science doctoral students from a top‐level research community in Finland. The data were collected through interviews that were qualitatively content analysed.FindingsThe participants emphasised the significance of participation, development as a scholar, developing specific research competences as well as learning to balance between doctoral research and other institutional tasks. They situated the key learning experiences in collaborative academic contexts such as research activities, taking courses, and academic meetings. The participants generally perceived their experiences as positive and enhancing.Originality/valueSignificant learning experiences identified by natural science doctoral students themselves are rarely studied. The results of the study reported in this article may be used by doctoral trainers, supervisors and students to create environments that foster students' learning and researcher development through their participation in scholarly communities.