scholarly journals Understanding Sampling and Recruitment in Social Work Dissertation Research

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 415-436 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca G. Mirick ◽  
Ashley Davis ◽  
Stephanie P. Wladkowski
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Sampling Strategy ◽  
Marginalized Populations ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Doctoral Level ◽  
Relational Support ◽  
Central Value ◽  
Dissertation Research ◽  
Study Participants

The field of social work has increasingly focused on improving the quantity and rigor of its research. For many social work doctoral students, their first independent research experience begins with their dissertation, and yet, little is known about the factors that facilitate students’ success during this process. Sample recruitment is one step where significant and unexpected challenges can occur. As social justice is the central value of the profession, social work doctoral students may focus on research with vulnerable or marginalized populations; however, little research has been done that focuses on social work dissertations, samples used, and the process of recruitment. In this study, 215 doctoral-level social work graduates who completed their degree within the past ten years were surveyed about their dissertation research, with a focus on the sampling strategy and recruitment processes. Findings show that students have a wide diversity of experiences with the dissertation process. While 64.6% anticipant challenges around recruitment and sampling, only 54.9% encounter challenges. Less than half (44.7%) of study participants received guidance during this process and most (80.5%) felt the dissertation experience impacted subsequent research, both positively (40.5%) and negatively (9.8%). Based on these findings, doctoral programs are encouraged to increase supports available to dissertating students, particularly those recruiting study participants from vulnerable and marginalized populations. These supports include community connections, skills for obtaining gatekeeper buy-in, and both relational support and advice from dissertation committees and other colleagues. 

Enacting a Cycle of Inquiry Capstone Research Project in Doctoral-Level Leadership Preparation

2016 ◽  
pp. 1460-1481
Author(s):  
Shelby Cosner ◽  
Steve Tozer ◽  
Paul Zavitkovsky
Keyword(s):  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Leadership Preparation ◽  
Program Improvement ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Preparation Program ◽  
Doctoral Level ◽  
Cycle Of Inquiry ◽  
Principal Preparation Program ◽  
The University ◽  
Professional Doctorates

Over the last decade, the doctorate in Urban Education Leadership at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) has been redesigned to respond to two distinct but important challenges: (a) the challenge of creating greater distinction between the academic and professional doctorates, and (b) the challenge of improving the nature and quality of its principal preparation program. Within the context of a broader multi-year program improvement and redesign effort, program faculty designed and enacted an alternate Culminating Research Experience (CRE) for their doctoral students. This CRE emphasizes the leadership of cycles of inquiry for school-wide improvement over a two-year period of time and the subsequent analysis of this work using empirical and scholarly literature. The accounting provided in this article advances existing literature by making visible many of the important granular details associated with this CRE as well as considerations associated with its design and implementation within a doctoral-level leadership preparation program.

Enacting a Cycle of Inquiry Capstone Research Project in Doctoral-Level Leadership Preparation

2016 ◽  
pp. 162-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shelby Cosner ◽  
Steve Tozer ◽  
Paul Zavitkovsky
Keyword(s):  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Leadership Preparation ◽  
Program Improvement ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Preparation Program ◽  
Doctoral Level ◽  
Cycle Of Inquiry ◽  
Principal Preparation Program ◽  
The University ◽  
Professional Doctorates

Over the last decade, the doctorate in Urban Education Leadership at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) has been redesigned to respond to two distinct but important challenges: (a) the challenge of creating greater distinction between the academic and professional doctorates, and (b) the challenge of improving the nature and quality of its principal preparation program. Within the context of a broader multi-year program improvement and redesign effort, program faculty designed and enacted an alternate Culminating Research Experience (CRE) for their doctoral students. This CRE emphasizes the leadership of cycles of inquiry for school-wide improvement over a two-year period of time and the subsequent analysis of this work using empirical and scholarly literature. The accounting provided in this article advances existing literature by making visible many of the important granular details associated with this CRE as well as considerations associated with its design and implementation within a doctoral-level leadership preparation program.

scholarly journals Disruptions, distractions, and discoveries: Doctoral students’ reflections on a pandemic

2020 ◽  
pp. 147332502097334
Author(s):  
Chinyere Y Eigege ◽  
Priscilla P Kennedy
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Research Priorities ◽  
Research Strategies ◽  
Current Events ◽  
Research Agendas ◽  
Work Education ◽  
The Impact

This paper describes the reflections of two social work PhD students based on their personal and professional experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic. The students describe their positionality and use that to expound on the impact of the pandemic on their lives. They reflect on the disruptions to their social work education and research priorities including transitioning to online learning and modifications to research agendas. They then discuss ongoing distractions such as worries about getting sick, mental health concerns, and financial constraints. They share their discoveries about glaring disparities in coronavirus infection and death rates, the need to adjust research agendas in response to current events, and the urgency for qualitative research strategies to add meaning to the numbers being reported. In addition, the authors describe shared experiences and intersections they discovered while writing this essay. Finally, recommendations for practice include recommitting to social work values to help surmount the ongoing waves of this pandemic; reimagining social work education so that disparities and injustice intersect with every subject taught and graduates become experts at leading social change; and harnessing the untapped potential of qualitative research to drive real, systemic change.

scholarly journals The development of doctoral degree curriculum in England: Perspectives from professional doctoral degree graduates

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Miguel Dos Santos ◽  
Ho Fai Lo
Keyword(s):  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Career Counseling ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Life Experience ◽  
Doctoral Degree ◽  
University Administrators ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Doctoral Level ◽  
Professional Doctorate ◽  
The Rich

The paper investigates two issues surrounding the field of higher education leadership, particularly in doctoral education, namely the reasons why potential doctoral students decided to enroll in a professional doctorate instead of a traditional Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and how did professional doctorate status enhance its graduates’ professional development and career promotion.  Guided by the Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), 20 professional doctorate graduates who are members of a professional association in London were invited as participants. The paper discovers that in the view of professional doctorate graduates, the program offers the flexibility for professionals to enjoy the rigorous education at doctoral level.  Second, the curriculum of the professional doctorate allows graduates to apply both theories and practical applications into their current workplace directly.  Third, the rich supports from lecturers enhancing the prosperity of professional doctorate graduates’ life experience.  This study provides solid evidence and recommendation for university administrators, policy makers, organizational employers, and potential doctoral students in the United Kingdom and other Anglophone countries to understand the learning outcomes and gained skills of professional doctorates. Keywords: career counseling; doctoral student experience; professional doctorate; qualitative

Attracting doctoral students: case of Baltic universities

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (7) ◽  
pp. 1017-1041
Author(s):  
Alexander Tarvid
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Doctoral Degree ◽  
Access To Higher Education ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Doctoral Level ◽  
Baltic Countries ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Doctoral Programmes

Purpose In the context of falling demand for higher education and, in particular, doctoral studies, it is important to understand how to attract new students. The purpose of this paper is to present an analysis of the decision-making process the PhD students of Baltic universities followed when choosing whether to continue their education at doctoral level and in which institution to do it. Design/methodology/approach It uses the data gathered in 2014 from all major Baltic universities providing access to higher education at doctoral level. Findings At macro-level, the three Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) are rather different in the supply of doctoral programmes and the level and dynamics of the popularity of doctoral-level studies in the population. Besides, strong country-specific effects on the goals students pursued when they enrolled in a doctoral programme and the information about the university or the programme they found useful are observed at micro-level. The main result is related to systematic differences in the perceptions students have about the benefits they will get from a doctoral degree across the current (at doctoral level) and previous (at Bachelor’s and Master’s levels) fields of study, as well as depending on labour-market experience and family and social circle. Practical implications These findings suggest that Baltic higher education institutions should employ different marketing communication strategies when attracting new doctoral students, depending on the field of study and the country they operate in. Originality/value This is the first comprehensive study on the motivation of enrolment at doctoral level in the Baltic countries. It gives the management of Baltic universities a general picture of the motivation to get a PhD degree and factors affecting the choice of university, which can be readily incorporated into universities’ strategy.

scholarly journals Exploring the causes of stress and coping with it amongst doctoral level students: Highlighting the importance of information collection and management

2016 ◽  
pp. 19-39
Author(s):  
Sheikh Usman Yousaf ◽  
Bushra Usman ◽  
Muhammad Akram
Keyword(s):  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Time Management ◽  
Information Collection ◽  
Stress Coping ◽  
Doctoral Level ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Information Ambiguity

Stress may hinder the efficiency and performance of individuals. However, little attention has been given to academic stress especially stress experienced by doctoral level university students. Understanding and comprehending the causes of their stress and relevant coping strategies is indeed essential for their better performance. Hence, to address this gap, the purpose of the study was to explore the stressors produced by academic environment and the stress coping strategies adopted by doctoral scholars. Unit of analysis were the individuals enrolled in doctoral studies at the Business School of University Kebangsaan, Malaysia. In-depth analysis of eight doctoral level students revealed that they, in general, share the same experiences and adopt similar coping strategies as were reported to have been experienced and adopted by students of other disciplines (i.e., nursing or psychology students). However, a lack of ability to manage information, information ambiguity and ambiguity regarding quality of one's own work emerged as the major stressors in this study, which have not previously been commonly highlighted by past researches. This study, therefore, reveals that information collection, scarcity of information resources, information ambiguity and work related ambiguity are major stressors for doctoral students. Further, it is also identified that social support, problem diversion, effective information management and time management are significant stress coping techniques. The implications and future recommendation are also discussed in the paper.

PROBLEMS IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FIELD INSTRUCTION PROGRAM AMONG SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS IN HANOI, VIETNAM

2020 ◽  
Vol 65 (11) ◽  
pp. 110-122
Author(s):  
Nam Pham Tien ◽  
Trang Nguyen Thu ◽  
Huong Tieu Thi Minh
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Community Development ◽  
Quantitative Study ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Field Instruction ◽  
Personal Community ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
Depth Interviews

Social work students are coping with challenges in the community development field instruction (CDFI) program. Therefore, this study aims to find out problems in CDFI program among social work students in Hanoi, Vietnam. The total number of quantitative study participants was 30, and eight (8) social work students participated in in-depth interviews. Our results showed that problems in the CDFI program include personal, community, and supervision problems. These problems posed a challenge to social work students. We had suggestions to stakeholders to improve CDFI program.

The Future of Social Work Education

2019 ◽  
pp. 83-88
Author(s):  
Spencer James Zeiger
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
The United States ◽  
New Faculty ◽  
Online Programs ◽  
Social Work Educators ◽  
The Future ◽  
Work Education ◽  
Study Participants

Former social work educators, and social work educators standing on the threshold of The Next Chapter, have wisdom to share regarding the future of social work education. We must pay attention to their ideas; our profession is at stake. Topics covered in this chapter include doctoral preparation (with the growth of social work education programs in the United States and a large wave of social work educators retiring, attracting well-prepared new faculty has never been greater); online concerns (most study participants were reluctant to give online programs a ringing endorsement); and the need for increased content on aging (as baby boomers progress through their lifespan, and as life expectancy increases with medical advances, the number of older adults requiring social services will continue to rise).

Using a Trauma-Informed, Socially Just Research Framework with Marginalized Populations: Practices and Barriers to Implementation

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 169-181
Author(s):  
Laura A Voith ◽  
Tyrone Hamler ◽  
Meredith W Francis ◽  
Hyunjune Lee ◽  
Amy Korsch-Williams
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Low Income ◽  
African American Men ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Marginalized Populations ◽  
Unequal Distribution ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
Social Justice Orientation ◽  
Trauma Informed ◽  
Barriers To Implementation

Abstract Social workers, including social work researchers, are called on to challenge social injustices and pursue social change. Research has shown a strong association between trauma and adversity and marginalized populations, exposing the unequal distribution of trauma and its effects throughout society. Given the focus on marginalized populations in social work, the social justice orientation of the field, and the intersection of trauma with marginalized populations, a framework to guide social work researchers in conducting trauma-informed, socially just research with marginalized populations is warranted. Therefore, this article provides a framework integrating trauma theory, trauma-informed principles, and intersectionality as a guide for social work research. The proposed framework is illustrated using a case study of low-income, predominantly African American men recruited from a criminal justice setting, acknowledging facilitators and barriers to implementation. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications for researchers and doctoral student training.

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