In Europe, doctoral education systems have been systematically reformed. These reforms are aimed at improving the quality of research and the competitiveness of European countries. In Finland, the reform project of doctoral education started vigorously in the mid-1990s which has contributed significantly to the emergence of more structured…

This paper documents a study investigating co-construction of knowledge by doctoral students in an online learning community. In this study 12 students participated in the coursework and thesis proposal development stages of a doctoral program offered by a research-intensive university in New Zealand. Socio-cultural and social constructivist…

Graduate students occupy social positions within institutions of higher education that are rife with role strain and, relative to broader power relations within these institutions, are marginalized. In this study, we inquire how the social positions and concomitant roles of graduate students shape their mental health experiences, investigating…

This article proposes preliminary models for doctoral student professional identity development. It explores the question, What role do relationships play in doctoral students' professional identity development? In the first section, the author provides an overview of the prior research that informed this study with an emphasis on two previously…

This research focused on one mentor and her advisee and how they characterized the mentoring process and their roles in it. The mentor, a seasoned veteran, was independent, self-motivated, and passionate about her work. The doctoral student, on the other hand, sought the expertise of a more knowledgeable person to help her deal with, and reduce,…