Reproducing “academic successors” or cultivating “versatile experts”: influences of doctoral training on career expectations of Chinese PhD students

Chun

International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well

2019

Purpose: A review of literature reveals that stress is prevalent among PhD students who are experiencing higher levels of stress than age-matched general population normative data, and has drawn attention worldwide. However, few studies have examined the factors influencing the psychological well-being of Chinese PhD students and the type of supports most needed. Method: This study was conducted by a qualitative method employing the Grounded Theory. Through purposive sampling, 10 Chinese PhD students were selected on the basis of theoretical sampling, and data were collected through semi-structured, in-depth interviews with the participants. Results: Chinese PhD students experienced stress of nuanced nature at their varied years of PhD study. The obtained codes were categorized under four themes, including graduation, job prospects, relationship and other factors. Conclusion: Chinese PhD students experienced stress from a variety of sources, corroborating with and reinforcing previous research findings. By exposing the explanations of the factors for stress confronting Chinese PhD students, this study compels us rethink the relationship between the widely existing stress and relevant policy or regulations, and proposes suggestions for counselling and policy reform.

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Towards the contributing factors for stress confronting Chinese PhD students

Chun

International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well

2019

“…Empirically, Hua indicated that higher education, rather than primary education, significantly affects TFP [7]. Gu et al (2017) contended that graduate education can improve the economy through its spillover effects [8]. In agreement, Bloom noted that this effect is particularly prominent in developing countries [9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Higher Education Levels on Total Factor Productivity Growth

Liu

2019

Sustainability

China is facing challenges to sustainable economic growth. Higher education of Chinese residents can affect total factor productivity (TFP) growth and hence has an influence on economic sustainability. However, currently, there is limited literature on the nexus between higher education and TFP in China. Therefore, this paper empirically analyzes the heterogeneous and spatial effect of higher education on the regional TFP growth using a dynamic spatial econometric model with provincial panel data from 2003 to 2016. The results indicate that different levels of higher education have significant effects on TFP growth and are mainly reflected in the spatial spillover effect. Bachelor and doctoral education (particularly doctoral education) demonstrated significant positive effects, whereas the technical school and master education had significant negative effects. When decomposing this effect into technical efficiency and technical progress to explore the mechanism of influences, the latter plays the major role. Therefore, the Chinese government can promote TFP growth and economic sustainability by expanding the scale of bachelor and doctoral education and improving the quality of technical and master education.

Arts and Humanities in Higher Education

“…The review method adopted in this study comprised searching library databases; national education and research organizations; publicly available university reports and statistics tracking PhD graduate outcomes published from 2013. We located a total of 10 studies of PhD graduate careers in this time: three in Europe and the UK (Boman et al., 2017; CFE Research, 2014; Vitae: CRAC, 2016); four in Canada (Jonker, 2016; McGill Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, 2015; School of Graduate Studies University of Toronto, 2018; UBC Faculty of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies, 2017); two in the USA (Duke Graduate School, 2018; Stanford Institutional Research & Decision Support, 2018) and one in China, undertaken with doctoral students at eight universities (Gu et al., 2017).…”

Section: Phd Graduate Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Each year the world sees a staggering number of doctoral graduates: combining the most recent estimates by the OECD and China suggests a figure of around 400,000 (China Academic Degrees & Graduate Education Development Center 2017 cited by Gu et al., 2017; OECD.Stat, 2019). It is little wonder, therefore, that understanding the career pathways and other outcomes of doctoral graduates is of interest to governments and research institutions worldwide.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

HASS PhD graduate careers and knowledge transfer: A conduit for enduring, multi-sector networks

Barnacle¹,

Cuthbert²,

Schmidt

et al. 2019

Rising worldwide scrutiny of the PhD has focused on issues such as return on investment and career outcomes. This article investigates PhD graduate careers and knowledge transfer looking at the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS). Firstly, our extensive literature review of PhD graduate outcomes reveals limited knowledge of HASS careers and a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) bias. Secondly, our case study of graduates suggests HASS PhDs provide a vital conduit for end-user engagement and knowledge transfer. Our findings deepen knowledge about the careers of HASS PhDs by revealing pre-existing professional networks may be harnessed to inform end-user relationships throughout candidature and post-graduation. Contrary to dominant assumptions, these networks may endure even for graduates in the academy. This under-recognized phenomenon demonstrates the multi-sector knowledge transfer capacity of HASS researchers with implications for their research capability and career development needs and perceptions of the value of their research.