ERIC Number: EJ953553
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012-Feb
Pages: 29
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0361-0365
EISSN: N/A
Doctoral Student Satisfaction: An Examination of Disciplinary, Enrollment, and Institutional Differences
Barnes, Benita J.; Randall, Jennifer
Research in Higher Education, v53 n1 p47-75 Feb 2012
Previous research suggests that it is the department, not the graduate school that bears the greatest responsibility for doctoral students' progress and success (Ehrenberg et al., Doctoral education and the faculty of the future (pp. 15-34). Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, "2009") dictating the need to examine and understand how doctoral students experience their education at the department level. In the present study, we analyzed the NAGPS' "2000 National Doctoral Program Survey" (NDPS) data in an effort to understand the differences in the satisfaction levels of doctoral students (current, recent graduates, and former) across various academic disciplines (e.g. social sciences, humanities, engineering) and different institutional types (e.g. research extensive and research intensive). Employing both traditional (ANOVA) and item-level (Rasch Rating Scale Model) analyses we found that although "overall" satisfaction with doctoral experiences appears to be equivalent/similar across multiple disciplines, student satisfaction within disciplines varied significantly and consistently with respect to specific academic experiences.
Descriptors: Social Sciences, Doctoral Programs, Rating Scales, Humanities, Satisfaction, Enrollment, Differences, Institutional Characteristics, Intellectual Disciplines, Statistical Analysis, Item Response Theory, Academic Achievement, Higher Education, Engineering Education
Springer. 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-348-4505; e-mail: service-ny@springer.com; Web site: http://www.springerlink.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A