Purpose With the growing emphasis on interdisciplinary and convergence research, this study aimed to examine the experiences, challenges and academic identity, reported by graduate students in a large convergence science research center. Convergence research approaches are increasingly being adopted as a way to address complex societal problems by engaging researchers from different disciplines to work together to address problems that cannot be addressed by one discipline alone. This study examined the experiences, challenges and academic identity, for graduate students in a large convergence science research center. Design/methodology/approach This exploratory study took the form of a case study. The context was a research center that included researchers from ten different universities and 28 different disciplines that included science, engineering, data analytics, computational science, social science and education. Participants were graduate students engaged in conducting research. The case study tracked the nine students for one year. Participants were interviewed every other month to document research experiences, perceptions of the beliefs of others, academic self-concept and self-efficacy for research as well as interests, attainment value, utility value and costs of being a graduate student. Findings The analyses of the interviews showed students changed their academic identities and, in many cases, added additional identities as they worked in convergence research teams. Participants reported experiencing challenges with language while working across different disciplines, and an increased commitment to the center’s sustainability goals. Research limitations/implications There were limited numbers of participants, the lack of a comparison group, and all were volunteers. Students’ perspectives are limited to this group of individuals and results are bound to their unique experiences and the convergence context. Practical implications There were challenges with disciplinary-based language, an awareness of a lack of knowledge and shifts in academic identity. However, unexpected sources of support included the public expression of epistemic humility, and a shared mission to address environmental issues. Social implications All graduate students encounter difficulties learning to do research and finding their way in large research universities, but for those in convergence science research centers this task can be difficult. The students’ reported changes in academic identity highlight the need to provide students in convergence science research programs with additional support as they learn to work in these complex and challenging environments. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first to examine graduate students’ experience in convergence research contexts. The challenges they faced, the changes in understanding the research mission, and the shifts in academic identity, shed light on this new form of graduate research experience.
Purpose Graduate supervision plays a critical role in students’ progress and satisfaction in thesis-based graduate programs, yet students experience supervision in markedly different ways that can be obscured by institutional averages. This study aims to investigate how supervision approach relates to graduate students’ satisfaction with their progress toward degree completion. Design/methodology/approach Using data from the 2023 Graduate Student Experience Survey administered at a large research-intensive Canadian university, the authors analyzed responses from 478 thesis-based master’s and doctoral students across disciplines. The survey captured student perceptions of supervision and meetings, communication, academic milestones, well-being, professional learning and overall program experience. Hierarchical clustering of supervision-related survey items revealed two distinct student groups: a majority reporting consistently positive supervisory experiences and a smaller subgroup expressing dissatisfaction and lack of support in their research progress. The authors examined group differences using nonparametric tests, and a regularized logistic regression model identified five supervisory practices associated with students’ perceived progress and success. Findings Students reporting higher satisfaction and stronger progress were more likely to describe supervisors who demonstrated relational awareness and understanding of their individual needs, clearly explained research methodologies, supported proposal development, provided guidance for academic writing and publication and offered timely assistance in identifying funding opportunities. The findings highlight the experiences of a meaningful minority of graduate students whose unsatisfactory experiences with supervision diverge sharply from institutional averages. Research limitations/implications The study findings point to supervisory development that equips supervisors with adaptive and responsive mentoring approaches, and demonstrates the value of graduate student experience surveys for revealing patterns of support and vulnerability within doctoral and master’s education. Practical implications This study identifies five supervision practices to strengthen student progress and increase satisfaction. Originality/value This study contributes new insights on misaligned expectations regarding supervisor roles and responsibilities by highlighting the experiences of a dissatisfied minority, whereas using only aggregate positive measures of satisfaction can obscure important aspects of infrequently discussed and potentially silent student experiences. Adding to research by Cardilini et al. (2022) on student−supervisor mismatches, the graduate students in the dissatisfied subgroup indicated a pattern of infrequent meetings, hesitancy to seek guidance and limited encouragement for professional learning, which may point to relational and communicative gaps in supervision rather than to isolated procedural issues.
Purpose Doctoral candidature is a critical phase in which students are trained to conduct rigorous inquiry and to communicate original research through theses. After completion theses, some graduates transition into teaching and/or research roles in higher education, particularly within the precarious conditions of the sessional workforce. While existing literature has examined professional identity formation of academics, limited research has focused on sessional workforce, as they experience less structured support and greater uncertainties. This study aims to address this gap by examining how two recent doctoral graduates experienced the sessional workforce and the implications for their professional identity development. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents a collaborative autoethnography of two recent doctoral graduates who critically reflect on their doctoral education and experiences as sessional academics in Australian higher education. Drawing on reflexive narratives, the authors examine the enablers and constraints and evaluate the extent to which doctoral education prepared them for the pedagogical, relational and institutional demands of higher education. Findings The findings demonstrate that professional identity formation is a relational process shaped through three dimensions: fitting into the mould by developing familiarity with workplace norms and achieving proximity to dominant practices; developing confidence towards self-authorship; and carrying forward identities developed during doctoral candidature through the internalisation of publication-oriented values, research-informed teaching and the cultivation of professional habits. Originality/value This article contributes to ongoing debates about professional learning practices and policy by emphasising the need for structural support that aligns doctoral education more closely with the realities of the contemporary higher education workforce. This support is crucial for sustainable academic career development.
Purpose Sense of belonging has attracted significant research attention in higher education, as it is associated with various positive student outcomes. This paper aims to review the literature on sense of belonging at the doctoral level and seeks to understand how belonging is conceptualised as well as factors and outcomes associated with it. Design/methodology/approach The authors’ used a scoping review approach to search for relevant literature from major databases and journals in higher education in February and March 2024. From an initial 1202 items, further abstract and content screening resulted in 24 articles to be included in the review. Findings The review indicates that the conceptualisation of belonging reflects existing literature with some specificities of the doctoral context. Factors associated with sense of belonging fall into five themes: academic factors, social connections and experiences, physical location and space, personal factors and culture. A sense of belonging is reported to have a positive impact on mental health and wellbeing, engagement and satisfaction with doctoral studies, course retention, academic self-concept and teaching career aspirations. Originality/value The review offers a nuanced understanding of this concept for future research and practices. Insights from the factors associated with belonging can inform institutions and staff working with doctoral candidates in designing meaningful opportunities to foster a sense of belonging.
Purpose Interdisciplinary research is increasingly promoted as essential to solving society’s complex problems, yet little is known about whether doctoral graduates who most fully engage in interdisciplinary training – those completing interdisciplinary dissertations – are rewarded within academic labor markets that remain deeply disciplinary. This study aims to examine the individual and institutional factors that influence the likelihood that interdisciplinary dissertation completers in the USA obtain faculty positions immediately after graduation. Faculty employment is a critical outcome for understanding whether doctoral education reproduces the interdisciplinary capacity it seeks to build. Design/methodology/approach Using 2021 microdata from the U.S. Survey of Earned Doctorates containing 12,104 doctoral graduates across 130 institutions, hierarchical generalized linear models were estimated with graduates nested within institutions to test predictors of immediate faculty employment. Findings Broad field of study was the strongest predictor of faculty employment for interdisciplinary dissertation completers, while demographic and institutional characteristics showed limited associations once disciplinary field was accounted for suggesting that national policies promoting interdisciplinarity have not yet reshaped disciplinary hiring logics. Originality/value By focusing on interdisciplinary dissertation completers, this study extends graduate student socialization theory and provides new evidence on the alignment – or misalignment – between national policy goals promoting interdisciplinarity and the realities of academic hiring. Implications for graduate schools, departments and faculty mentoring practices are discussed.
