The Hidden Realities of Life as a Doctoral Student
Hopwood, N., Alexander, P., Harris-Huemmert, S., McAlpine, L. and Wagstaff, S. (2011)
In V.Kumar and A. Lee (eds.) Doctoral Education in International Context: Connecting Local, Regional and Global Perspectives. Malaysia, Universiti Putra Malaysia Press.
Abstract
Introduction This chapter is about the daily experiences of doctoral students. It discusses findings from studies conducted in three countries (UK, Canada, USA) by an international team of researchers, providing case studies from the UK project. Existing literature suggests that everyday experiences are significant, variable, but rarely investigated, documented or acknowledged.
This chapter makes explicit aspects of students’ work and lives that are often hidden from view, either because students feel reluctant to discuss such issues, especially with supervisors or other faculty members, or because institutions perhaps inadvertently contribute to unrealistic stereotypes of ‘normal’ students. We hope that this chapter offers students (and their supervisors) a chance to reflect on their working habits, study challenges, and on the relationships between academic work and other aspects of their lives.
We are mindful that a significant audience for this chapter may be located in South East Asia, and that our research was conducted in the UK and North America. While the multinational nature of our research gives us some grounds to expect a broadly similar picture in other parts of the world, we do not assume that our findings neatly generalise to other contexts. This is partly because doctoral experience always takes the form of local particularities that reflect national systems, institutional practices, and students’ personal backgrounds, interests and approaches to work. Issues relating to national, cultural and religious diversity add further complexity and richness to the picture in any one location. We would encourage readers to consider the extent to which the findings we report here are reflected in the particulars of their own context (national, cultural, institutional, personal etc.) and, if not, what the differences might mean.
Cite this article
Hopwood, N., Alexander, P., Harris-Huemmert, S., McAlpine, L. and Wagstaff, S. (2011)
The Hidden Realities of Life as a Doctoral Student.
In V.Kumar and A. Lee (eds.) Doctoral Education in International Context: Connecting Local, Regional and Global Perspectives. Malaysia, Universiti Putra Malaysia Press.