hefce (2007) phd research degrees entry and completion january 2005/02 a summary part 1 ornette...
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HEFCE (2007) PhD research degrees Entry and completion
January 2005/02A Summary Part 1
Ornette ClennonKevin Gallimore
Trevor Brown
Presentation overview
I. Factors which influence completion rates of PhDs / Research Degrees
I. HEFCE (2007) PhD research degrees Entry and completion
II. Research perspective
II. Summary Factors which improve completion rates
1.1 HEFCE (2007) ‘PhD research degrees: Entry and completion
The report examines the rates of completion for a cohort of UK HEI students who began on a doctorate degree mainly by research in academic year 1996-97.
intended to inform discussion • about the quality of supervision of postgraduate• research time• rate of PhD completion
Entry to PhD programmes HEFCE (2007) • progress directly from the
same HEI. UG, MSc• 12% PT35 %• from a different HEI. • 9 % PT27 %• did not qualify at UG or MSc
level in the year before• 78 %. PT38 %
The progress of students 1996-7 to 2002-3 HEFCE (2007)
18 % full-time change to part-time
11% part-time students change to full-time
11% FT and 28 % PT remain on programme 7
years later
10 % of students
take a break min
1Y
4 % change institutions
Outcomes Definition of completion
HEFCE (2007)
A student is defined as completing when • they have been awarded a PhD and • the ‘qualification obtained’ has been returned through the
individualised HESA student record.
This will typically be up to a year after the student submitted their thesis for assessment.
Completions HEFCE (2007)
5 years 57 % FT PhD
19 % PT PhD
7 Years 71 % FT PhD
34 % PT PhD
7 Years 5 % FT MPhil
3 % PT MPhil
MPhil, PhD or both (7Y) 74 % FT 37 % PT
Differences in completion rates between institutions full-time students
Individual institutional and departments;
Significant and material variation in PhD completion rates
Accounting for all other student and programme factors
Differences in completion rates between institutions Part Time HEFCE (2007)
Institutional variation in PhD completion rates
Variation is not materially different from random
variations between individuals
Outcomes HEFCE (2007)
part-time students have fewer of the characteristics associated with high completion = lower completion rates
Students with financial backing
Students from overseas
Younger students
Students following Natural Sciences
Higher rates of completion
Broad themes from educational leadership
A qualitative multiple case study analysis four major themes:
(1) quality of academic experiences
(2) online learning environment
(3) support and assistance
(4) student self-motivation
(Ivankova and Stick 2007)
Completion time In Economics PhDs
NO DIFFERENCE in time-to-degree between
– men and women, – married and single students, – older and younger students, – larger or smaller Ph.D. programs.
Finish faster• Supported by fellowships, • Hold a prior Master's
degree.
Finish slower• Take jobs before
completing their degree,• Have children (women not
men)
(Siegfried and Stock 2001)
Gender
No overall gender
difference completion
• In applied fields Men, more likely to drop out for attractive jobs
No overall gender
difference TTC
•male graduates were more satisfied with quality of supervision than females
(Mastekaasa 2005)
(Seagram, Gould et al. 1998)
Identity transformation problematic for women.
Cultural expectations can cause tensions between women’s social relationships and academic performance.
Cultural Expectations
Academic Performance
Values
(Carter, Blumenstein et al. 2013)
Finance Financial Student Aid
Students finish faster
Increased probability of finishing successfully
(Glocker 2011)
See next slide
Financial supportImproves completion rates and time to completion
Slower completers received more years of support
Faster comple
tion
Slower comple
tion
(Seagram, Gould et al. 1998)(Ehrenberg and Mavros 1995)
Natural Sciences reported receiving more years of teaching assistantships and research
assistantships than respondents from the other disciplines.
Student Ability
• Ability makes a difference • But in science and engineering
(once ability has been controlled for)
– ethnic differences vanish – females only lag slightly behind males
(Baker 1998)
Student self-sabotaging behavioursOvercommittin
g
Procrastination
Perfectionism
(Kearns, Gardiner et al. 2008
Student Factors
• Anxiety• ProcrastinationIndividual
• Peers, • Supervisors • Faculty
Relational
• Program, • Facilities, • Annual Review
Structural
(Liechty, Liao et al. 2009)
Structure
Progress
Plan Commitment
Goal Commitment
Supervisor SupportTime Commitment
Structure
(de Valero 2001)(Martinsuo and Turkulainen 2011)
Peer support & socialisation
Progress
Peer SupportSupervisor
SupportSocialisation
(Martinsuo and Turkulainen 2011) (de Valero 2001)
Early warning signs of problems with timely completion
(Manathunga 2005)
Constantly changing the topic or planned work ,
Avoiding all forms of communication with the supervisor
Isolating themselves from the school and students
Avoiding submitting work for review
2.Summary Factors which
improve completion rates
Financial backing -
monitored and
supported
Support and assistance
Socialisation -
department,
relationships, peers
Structures- support,
plans commitmen
ts, time guidance
self-motivation, commitmen
ts
Supervisor support
Quality of academic
experiences
Online learning
environment
Culture and gender –
conscious of the effects of cultural
expectations
PT - needs specific
structure, support (internal
and external)
and socialisation
Individualised inclusive experience
References
• Baker, J. G. (1998), "Gender, race and PhD completion in natural science and engineering." Economics of Education Review, Vol. 17 No. 2, pp 179-188.
• Carter, S., M. Blumenstein, et al. (2013), "Different for women? The challenges of doctoral studies." Teaching In Higher Education, Vol. 18 No. 4, pp 339-351.
• de Valero, Y. F. (2001), "Departmental factors affecting time-to-degree and completion rates of doctoral students at one land-grant research institution." Journal of Higher Education, Vol. 72 No. 3, pp 341-367.
• Ehrenberg, R. G. and P. G. Mavros (1995), "DO DOCTORAL STUDENTS FINANCIAL-SUPPORT PATTERNS AFFECT THEIR TIMES-TO-DEGREE AND COMPLETION PROBABILITIES." Journal of Human Resources, Vol. 30 No. 3, pp 581-609.
• Glocker, D. (2011), "The effect of student aid on the duration of study." Economics of Education Review, Vol. 30 No. 1, pp 177-190.
• Ivankova, N. V. and S. L. Stick (2007), "Students' persistence in a distributed doctoral program in educational leadership in higher education: A mixed methods study." Research in Higher Education, Vol. 48 No. 1, pp 93-135.
• Kearns, H., M. Gardiner, et al. (2008), "Innovation in PhD completion: the hardy shall succeed (and be happy!)." Higher Education Research & Development, Vol. 27 No. 1, pp 77-89.
• Liechty, J. M., M. Liao, et al. (2009), "FACILITATING DISSERTATION COMPLETION AND SUCCESS AMONG DOCTORAL STUDENTS IN SOCIAL WORK." Journal of Social Work Education, Vol. 45 No. 3, pp 481-497.
• Manathunga, C. (2005), "Early warning signs in postgraduate research education: a different approach to ensuring timely completions." Teaching In Higher Education, Vol. 10 No. 2, pp 219-233.
• Martinsuo, M. and V. Turkulainen (2011), "Personal commitment, support and progress in doctoral studies." Studies In Higher Education, Vol. 36 No. 1, pp 103-120.
• Mastekaasa, A. (2005), "Gender differences in educational attainment: the case of doctoral degrees in Norway." British Journal of Sociology of Education, Vol. 26 No. 3, pp 375-394.
• Seagram, B. C., J. Gould, et al. (1998), "An investigation of gender and other variables on time to completion of doctoral degrees." Research in Higher Education, Vol. 39 No. 3, pp 319-335.
• Siegfried, J. J. and W. A. Stock (2001), "So you want to earn a Ph.D. in economics? How long do you think it will take?" Journal of Human Resources, Vol. 36 No. 2, pp 364-378.