Exploring the Psychological Benefits of Using an Emerging Video Technology to Coach and Retain Doctoral Learners

Abstract

Aim/Purpose: Retention of doctoral students, particularly during the dissertation stage, has been a decades-old concern. The study examined the value of dissertation chairs’ use of a cloud-based video technology for coaching doctoral students, and its influence on psychological factors previously linked to retention. The psychological aspects included social presence, research self-efficacy, social isolation, and motivation Background: Prior research identified the importance of addressing psychological factors that lead to student retention and the development of future researchers capable of producing quality research. Methodology: An exploratory case study included a survey of dissertation chairs, interviews of dissertation chairs and doctoral students, and review of documents and artifacts in a university in the southwestern United States. Contribution: The findings revealed several aspects of the video technology that dissertation chairs and their doctoral students identified as valuable from a psychological perspective, and there were several unexpected findings. Findings: Coaching using an emerging video technology positively influenced psychological factors leading to improved research self-efficacy, scholarly writing, efficiency and effectiveness of the academic coaching process, which resulted in student retention. Students identified the relationship established with their dissertation chair while using video technology led to their decision to remain in the doctoral program. Recommendations for Practitioners: Use coaching opportunities to develop research self-efficacy as well as to increase social presence, which will help reduce social isolation and increase student retention. Recommendation for Researchers: Integrate emerging cloud-based video technologies for conducting research to engage multiple researchers at different locations. Impact on Society: This virtual coaching approach can improve the research capabilities and reten-tion of doctoral students in today’s online world during the dissertation phase. Future Research: To validate the relationships found in this study, future research should focus on the quantitative aspects of the psychological factors identified in this study.

Transitioning from Face-to-Face to Remote Learning: Students’ Attitudes and Perceptions of using Zoom during COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Many studies focused on the use of video-conferencing tools (E.g., Anastasiades et al, 2010;Candarli & Yuksel, 2012;Delaney et al, 2004;Ghazal et al, 2015;Karal et al, 2011;Knipe & Lee, 2002;Mader & Ming, 2015;Oh & Lee, 2012). Some studies focused specifically on the use of Zoom in the classroom (E.g., Archibald et al, 2019;Maul et al, 2018;Sayem et al ,2017;Wang et al, 2018). Over the past few months in particular, researchers have started investigating online learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic (Adnan & Anwar, 2020;Agarwal & Kaushik, 2020;Basilaia et al, 2020;Bao, 2020;Demuyakor, 2020;Murphy, 2020;Naciri et al, 2020;Toquero, 2020).…”

“…They identified the following reasons for that: relative ease of use, cost-effectiveness, data management features, and security options. Maul et al (2018) investigated the perceived value of the use of Zoom for dissertation chairs to coach and mentor doctoral students. The participants of this study were dissertation chairs and students in the College of Doctoral Studies at a university in the southwestern United States.…”

Blended learning innovation of social media based active English during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…This application enables many people to see each other at the same time. Maul, Berman, & Ames (2018) mention that the use of Zoom application affects students psychologically, which contributes to the increase in their learning motivation.…”

Identifying Significant Personal and Program Factors that Predict Online EdD Students’ Program Integration

“…Finally, as the frequency of synchronous communication increased so did students' program integration. Technologies offer opportunities for sustained communication and interaction between faculty and students (Rockinson-Szapkiw, et al, 2010); therefore, integration in an online course can be supported through the frequent use of synchronous web technologies, such as video conferencing software as previous research has found (Maul et al, 2018).…”

“…However, online doctoral students in other studies have reported that balanced use of both synchronous and asynchronous communication enhanced their sense of connection with faculty and peers, and ultimately, persistence (Teng, Chen, Kinshuk, & Leo, 2012;Fuller, Risner, Lowder, Hart, & Bachenheimer, 2014). Maul, Berman, and Ames (2018), in an exploratory case study of online doctoral programs (e.g., DBA, EdD, and PhD) in the dissertation phase, found that the use of online video coaching improved academic success, belonging and integration, and ultimately retention. The researchers also noted that the frequency of use may influence a doctoral students' success.…”