UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ UKCGS Conference, Oxford March 31,2015 Sami Kollanus University of Jyväskylä, Finland FROM WEAK MOTIVATION TO GRADUATION - FOUR UNEXPECTED STORIES

UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ University of Jyväskylä 1863 Jyväskylä Teacher Seminary Multidisciplinary - 7 faculties 15,000 students staff 2,600 London Paris Madrid Rome Athens Berlin

UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ

Case unit Finnish doctoral education –Free, no tuition fees –Unlimited studying time –Flexible study structures Faculty of information Technology –180 doctoral students –30 % women, 25 % international –Relatively young and fast graduates Participants: Full time & Finnish students

UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ Research data 30 interviews –26 in different phases in their studies –4 recently graduated doctors Follow-up 3 years after the interviews

No/slow progress Expected progress Weak orientation & progress (n = 5) Weak orientation & progress (n = 5) Semi-orientation & progress (n = 4) Semi-orientation & progress (n = 4) Strong orientation & Progress (n = 6) Strong orientation & Progress (n = 6) Weak orientation & No/slow progress (n = 5) Weak orientation & No/slow progress (n = 5) Semi-orientation & No/slow progress (n = 7) Semi-orientation & No/slow progress (n = 7) Strong orientation & No/slow progress (n = 3) Strong orientation & No/slow progress (n = 3) Orientation & progress

No/slow progress Expected progress Semi-orientation & progress (n = 4) Semi-orientation & progress (n = 4) Strong orientation & Progress (n = 6) Strong orientation & Progress (n = 6) Weak orientation & No/slow progress (n = 5) Weak orientation & No/slow progress (n = 5) Semi-orientation & No/slow progress (n = 7) Semi-orientation & No/slow progress (n = 7) Strong orientation & No/slow progress (n = 3) Strong orientation & No/slow progress (n = 3) Orientation & progress Weak orientation & progress (n = 5) Weak orientation & progress (n = 5)

UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ Factors in successful doctoral path Student: –Talented, intelligent, intellectually able –Proper motivation –Instrumental value of PhD for career plans –Physical and emotional stamina –Focused, self-directed –Social relatedness: Integrated with peers and faculty members –Personal issues: family situation, health –Earlier grades? Department –Supervising/advising –Financial support –Faculty attrition –Departmental politics

UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ #1 Annie Industry -> employment in a research project No plan for doctoral studies The department expected PhD studies Worked alone - didn’t feel getting support from the supervisor(s) or the project team Didn’t see PhD providing much value for the future career ”I just do my work here”

UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ … #1 Annie New supervisor Career change to industry -> one important meeting: –”I didn’t understand how much I had already done” –Motivation to finish the uncompleted degree (individual challenge + uncompleted task) short leaves from the work in industry to finish the doctoral thesis (change for fun) Graduated in ~5 years

UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ #2 Jim Long path to M.Sc. Didn’t plan doctoral studies Work as a teaching assistant The department expected doctoral studies Found high intrinsic motivation to research Very little support form the supervisor Jim: ”independent learning process”

UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ … #2 Jim A lot of teaching responsibilities PhD needed for an academic position Challenging research topic –A lot of independent learning –Difficulties in the evaluation process Graduated in ~6 years

UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ #3 Peter Was asked to work for a research project during master’s studies (pretty technical work) Master’s thesis in the project Wasn’t so much into research –More practically oriented –Writing was challenging –Questioned meaning of the PhD Continued (as a PhD student) in the research group after M.Sc. -> no actual plan for PhD

UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ … #3 Peter Wrote several articles with the research group Career change to industry Graduated in ~5 years

UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ #4 Dan Master’s thesis in a research project Planned industrial career Random contact to the university through a company -> work in a research project PhD studies for professional development Supervision worked pretty well Got more interested in research during the doctoral path Graduated in 4 years Ei niin itsenäinen, mutta tunnollinen

UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ Factor#1 Annie#2 Jim#3 Peter#4 Dan Supervision SemiWeak Strong Initial motivation Weak PhD -> career plans WeakStrongWeakSemi Faculty attrition Weak Peer support Weak StrongWeak Research environment StrongWeakStrongWeak Self-directed Strong Weak

UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ Conclusion Key factors in successful doctoral path are individual Even one strength among several weak factors may enable successful graduation So what? –How could we take this into account in doctoral education? –Is there a useful way to identify individual differences in the beginning of the studies (or even in application stage)? –Is this even a relevant question in doctoral education? Do we even want this kind of students or only the students with ambitious aims for an academic career?

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