Applying a Bourdieusian perspective, we investigate whether families' institutionalized cultural capital (parental education) and economic capital (family income) are associated with the duration of university studies in Finland. We use register data comprising 10,516 students enrolled in universities between 1999 and 2002 and Tobit modeling. The…

Purpose: Doctoral students' ill-being in terms of stress, exhaustion and high levels of mental health problems has been well documented. Yet, the well-being of doctoral students is more than the absence of these negative symptoms. The number of studies exploring the combination of positive and negative attributes of doctoral students' well-being…

This research explores the suitability of system-based simulation analysis for higher education (HE) policy-planning. A dynamic system model of the Finnish university funding system covering bachelor-level students is presented. The results show that the model captures the nature of the current funding system, which can be considered a zero-sum…

This article explores university students' approaches to and positions with regard to making the most of their study time. The article discusses how various normative societal expectations around students' use and management of time feature in their talk about how they organise their everyday lives. The research is based on thematic interviews (n…

Social support from the supervisor and the researcher community has been identified as one of the determinants for successful completion of doctoral studies. The study explores interrelations between the doctoral students' supervisory experience, satisfaction with supervision, experienced burnout, time-to-candidacy, and attrition intentions.…

Finnish university students graduate later than their counterparts in other countries. For several years, Finnish higher education policy, regulated by Finland's Ministry of Education and Culture, has aimed at fostering the graduation of students in a shorter time than at present. The study at hand provides insights into one of the reforms carried…

The duration of doctoral studies has increased in Europe. Personal study planning has been considered as one possible solution to help students in achieving shorter study times. This study investigates how doctoral students experience and use personal study plans in one university department of industrial engineering. The research material…

Different stochastic frontier models for panel data are used to estimate education production functions and the efficiency of Finnish general upper secondary schools. Grades in the matriculation examination are used as an output and explained with the comprehensive school grade point average, parental socio-economic background, school resources,…

Becoming a doctor can be viewed as a highly personal and unique experience, which is why many factors influence the completion or non-completion of the doctoral degree. The attention in previous research has been on the students' characteristics, and the university faculty role in promoting degree progress. Therefore, more research is needed on…