A Systems Approach to Examining PhD Students’ Well-Being: An Australian Case

Dhirasasna, NiNa; Suprun, Emiliya; MacAskill, Stefen; Hafezi, Mehdi; Sahin, Oz

doi:10.3390/systems9010017

Cited by 11 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…It is important that higher education institutes don't just provide some support services but view the entire educational experience through a well-being lens (Rappleye et al, 2020). A systems approach will allow the higher education institutions to understand the different determinants and constituents of SWB (Dhirasasna et al, 2021).…”

Section: Pr Ac Tic Al Implic Ationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is important that higher education institutes don't just provide some support services but view the entire educational experience through a well‐being lens (Rappleye et al., 2020). A systems approach will allow the higher education institutions to understand the different determinants and constituents of SWB (Dhirasasna et al., 2021). An understanding of how these elements operate can help these service providers integrate people, policies and processes such that they can promote well‐being at a lower cost.…”

Section: Practical Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Well‐being of higher education consumers: A review and research agenda

Khatri

Pahwa

2022

Int J Consumer Studies

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The concept of students‐as‐consumers has gained traction with the neo‐liberal agenda taking root in the higher education arena. A key value that these consumers look for and derive from their tertiary education is well‐being. Thus, a cognizance of the nature of student well‐being (SWB) is vital for educational institutions to effectively foster the well‐being of their consumers. This calls for synthesizing existing literature to facilitate an aggregate understanding of the construct. This review paper aims to integrate the bulk of psychological, higher education and consumer literature on well‐being of students to arrive at a holistic picture. To achieve this, a framework‐based systematic review of 112 articles from the last two decades was conducted. A combination of two well‐established organizing frameworks has been used to generate structured insights. The antecedents, decisions and outcomes (ADO) framework reveals what we know about the construct. Simultaneously, the theories, contexts and methods (TCCM) framework sheds light on the different theories, contexts and methods applied in SWB research. Additionally, this paper also strives to uncover the major gaps in extant literature and provide concrete directions for future research. Scholars across the disciplines of psychology, marketing and consumer behaviour can draw on these findings and directions for conducting their research. Because the review was undertaken from a global standpoint, it has implications for researchers and practitioners across the world. Higher education institutes can use these findings to develop support mechanisms that will allow them to fulfil their pastoral role to student consumers and inculcate a positive brand image.

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Section: Pr Ac Tic Al Implic Ationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Practical Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Well‐being of higher education consumers: A review and research agenda

Khatri

Pahwa

2022

Int J Consumer Studies

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“…Although the integration of ST and MICMAC is relatively new, it has been used by researchers in various domains as an alternative to the qualitative approach to identi-fying "beyond the system" and "within the system" variables and as a way of presenting the interaction between the variables to explain dynamics of a system. For example, Dhirasasna et al [86] examined the mental wellbeing of PhD students and Omran et al [87] applied the method in food security and water security domains. The framework is a powerful analytical tool that can be easily used in any other system.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mapping the Complex Journey of Swimming Pool Contaminants: A Multi-Method Systems Approach

Heilgeist

Sahin

Sekine

et al. 2022

Water

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Swimming pool owners worldwide face the challenging task of keeping their pool water balanced and free from contaminants. However, swimming pool water (SPW) quality management is complex with the countless processes and interactions of interlinked system variables. For example, contamination with sunscreen residues is inevitable as users apply sunscreen to protect their skin from damaging ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Nanoparticulate titanium dioxide (nano-TiO2) is one such residues that have received criticism due to potential human health and environmental risks. Despite ongoing research studies, management strategies of nano-TiO2 in swimming pools are still limited. Therefore, this paper focuses on developing a multi-method approach for identifying and understanding interdependencies between TiO2 particles and an aquatic environment such as a swimming pool. Given the complexity of the system to be assessed, the authors utilise a systems approach by integrating cross-matrix multiplication (MICMAC) and Systems Thinking techniques. The developed conceptual model visually depicts the complex system, which provides users with a basic understanding of swimming pool chemistry, displaying the numerous cause-and-effect relationships and enabling users to identify leverage points that can effectively change the dynamics of the system. Such systems-level understanding, and actions will help to manage nano-TiO2 levels in an efficient manner. The novelty of this paper is the proposed methodology, which uses a systems approach to conceptualise the complex interactions of contaminants in swimming pools and important pathways to elevated contaminant levels.

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“…However, PGRs' evaluation of the supervisory relationship was not found to be a signi cant predictor of depression or wellbeing in models which accounted for an extensive range of demographic, academic, and personality factors (Milicev et al, 2021). Additionally, supervisors rate this relationship as less important for successful academic outcomes than PGRs (Dhirasasna et al, 2021). Despite this, the supervisory relationship is perceived by PGRs to strongly affect their wellbeing and outcomes (Casey et al, 2022;Dericks et al, 2019;Hunter & Devine, 2016), and understanding the reasons for this can highlight areas for improvements in institutional practices.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 88%

The mental labyrinth of postgraduate research: A qualitative study of the impact and role of the supervisory relationship on postgraduate mental health and wellbeing

White

Milicev

Bradford

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Postgraduate research students (PGRs) experience disproportionately high levels of psychological distress. Many factors contribute to this poor mental wellbeing and relate to each other in complex and dynamic ways. However, the relationship between PGRs and their supervisor(s) is known to strongly affect the wellbeing of the former. This study explores the mental health and wellbeing of PGRs with a focus on the role of the student—supervisor relationship. Using combined qualitative data from a large survey of PGRs and focus groups and reflexive thematic analysis, we found that PGRs experience the overarching process of obtaining a research degree as a mental labyrinth. Three constituent themes were identified: 1) inequity in navigating the labyrinth, 2) the labyrinth as a place of uncertainty and isolation, and 3) supervisors as labyrinth guides, not mental care providers. The results suggest that significant inequities exist which contribute to poorer mental wellbeing in particular subgroups of PGRs, both in general and specifically in relation to the supervisory relationship. Experiences of loneliness and ambiguity around progress were also identified as being detrimental to mental health. Further, although supervisors can be a vital source of support and have a positive influence on PGR mental health, students recognise supervisors cannot reasonably be expected to act as professional mental health care providers and institutions must do more to provide equitable access to mental health support services.

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A Systems Approach to Examining PhD Students’ Well-Being: An Australian Case

Cited by 11 publications

References 63 publications

Well‐being of higher education consumers: A review and research agenda

Well‐being of higher education consumers: A review and research agenda

Mapping the Complex Journey of Swimming Pool Contaminants: A Multi-Method Systems Approach

The mental labyrinth of postgraduate research: A qualitative study of the impact and role of the supervisory relationship on postgraduate mental health and wellbeing

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