A Picture of the Research Field of Doctoral Education from the Students’ Perspectives: Studies Using Questionnaires and Scales

Abstract

Studies of how students experience their Ph.D. education have been promoted as an indicator to improve doctoral programmes (assessment-oriented studies) and/or to enhance understanding of career development among this collective (research-oriented studies). Interest in the latter group has increased in recent years as researcher development has become a field of study in the context of higher education. In this respect, a database of studies measuring the Ph.D. experience could be of use to researchers. We therefore conducted a review of 53 empirical studies, focusing only on large-scale research based on data obtained from questionnaires and scales, published between 1991 and 2018. In terms of results, we provide an overview of studies conducted in the last 27 years, reveal the core elements that are traditionally considered in measuring the Ph.D. experience, and identify some gaps and contributions in clarifying this generic term. Directions for future research are offered.