ERIC Number: EJ1434736
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Sep
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0141-8211
EISSN: EISSN-1465-3435
Who Matters and Why? The Contributions of Different Sources of Social Support to Doctoral Students' Academic Engagement
European Journal of Education, v59 n3 e12649 2024
Social support is a crucial factor in the academic engagement of doctoral students, which is vital to their overall success. While past studies have mostly focused on the support from doctoral supervisors, support from other significant groups, including institutions, peers and families, has been largely neglected, and even no study has investigated their contributions to doctoral students' development. Drawing from the job demands-resources model, this study investigated the contributions of different sources (institutions, supervisors, peers and families) of social support to doctoral students' academic engagement. It further examined the mediating role of grit within these relationships. A sample of 472 doctoral students across various disciplines from 10 universities in mainland China responded to an online survey. Results showed that institutional support and supervisory support positively predicted doctoral students' academic engagement, while peer support and family support did not significantly predict academic engagement. Furthermore, grit was found to mediate the relationship between support from institutions and supervisors and academic engagement. Practical implications for higher education institutions, doctoral supervisors and programs are discussed.
Descriptors: Social Support Groups, Doctoral Students, Learner Engagement, Academic Persistence, Mediation Theory, Foreign Countries, Institutional Characteristics, Supervision
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2191/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: China
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A