Conceptualizing Doctoral Advising from Professors' and Doctoral Students' Perspectives using Concept Mapping

Abstract

Due to the high cost of doctoral education, high attrition of about 50%, and the constraints of higher education budgets, it is important to examine what causes doctoral students to leave their doctoral program without completion. Studies have shown that advising is one of the main contributing factors (e.g., Ferrer de Valero, 2001; Golde, 2000; Lenz, 1997). Document analysis of literature showed five distinct aspects of doctoral advising (i.e. advising approach, selection process, roles, responsibilities, and expectations, advisor-advisee relationship, and power relations) and their relation to the successful completion of students" dissertations. The purpose of this study was to use concept mapping to conceptualize how participants perceived the five components of doctoral advising in terms of their relation to completing one"s dissertation effectively. In all, 38 professors and 114 doctoral students from universities with high and very high research activities sorted and rated 40 statements, which were generated from literature. Visual mapping analysis of sorted and rated data revealed that during the dissertation process, the topmost priority of professors was to promote their interaction with students and provide students with needed support, while doctoral students were more concerned with seeking guidance and structure in carrying out their dissertations.

Exploring African Francophone Doctoral Student Experiences of Student-Faculty Relationship

“…Advisor Relationships. Previous studies stressed the importance of an advisor on doctoral student experience, program completion, and attrition rate (Adu, 2011;Gardner, 2007;Golde, 2000). When discussing academic relationships, participants described positive experiences with American faculty.…”

“…This study examined and described seven African Francophone doctoral students' relationship experiences with faculty in a Midwestern research institution. Because studentfaculty relationship is fundamental in graduate school, a wealth of research exist on the matter, including advisor-advisee relationship, mentoring in graduate education, student-faculty relationship and its impact on program completion and student attrition (Adu, 2011;Adrian-Taylor, Noels, & Tischler, 2007;Barnes & Austin, 2009;Schroeder & Mynatt, 1993;Wang & Li, 2011). While previous studies have been helpful to understand faculty roles on graduate students' growth, program completion, and sense of belonging, they do not address African Francophone doctoral students' socialization experiences, with a specific focus on the studentfaculty relationship.…”

“…An important element the authors did not describe is expectations for advisees. Studies indicated that students and faculty hold different perceptions of their roles and responsibilities (Adu, 2011), which can influence faculty-student work dynamics.…”

The Use of Concept MappingPattern Matching to Conceptualize the Desired Domain of Student Learning in the First Year of College

“…For example: local community members and national tobacco experts engaging to define "factors that affect individuals' behaviors related to tobacco, nutrition, and physical activity" (Trochim et al, 2004, as cited in Kane & Trochim, 2007, p. 2); or stakeholders defining the implication of state level health departments in "addressing epilepsy and other low prevalence chronic conditions" (p. 3). More recently, CM/PM was utilized in dissertations to determine undergraduate student learning outcomes in the area of information literacy (Messman-Mandicott, 2012) and to conceptualize the perception of academic advising by doctoral students and their faculty as it relates to successful dissertation completion (Adu, 2011).…”