Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Doctoral candidates'

A number of studies have been conducted on the attrition rates of undergraduate and graduate students. However, the body of knowledge concerning attrition for doctoral students, especially those who have attained the level of “all but dissertation” (ABD), is limited. The purpose of this research was to examine retention and attrition factors of doctoral candidates from a typical Higher Education Doctoral Program (Research II Public Institution) who were admitted to candidacy from 1991 through July 2000. Participation of the subject population was limited to those who had attained the level of ABD--those who had previously fulfilled the residency, coursework, foreign language or tool-subject requirements, and successfully completed the comprehensive/qualifying exams. This population included current ABDs, previously attrited ABDs, and graduates of the degree program. The research study was qualitative and intended to identify the effect of specific, predetermined factors that may have influenced or affected the progress of current, previous, and graduated students towards the doctoral degree in higher education. This study obtained responses to questions from the questionnaire/survey instrument concerning factors that affected program completion or attrition. Students had the opportunity to elaborate on factors from their dissertation, advisement, and personal, financial, and employment experiences that affected their ability to complete the program through open-ended question responses. By examining key factors in the doctoral degree experience from the three sample groups (current ABDs, previous ABDs, and graduated Ed.Ds), this study was able to draw some conclusions about doctoral attrition. Reconstructing and comparing the experiences of ABDs from the point of candidacy to the point of attrition or completion of the program determined trends, commonalities, and issues affecting achievement. Results of this study add to the limited research concerning ABD attrition and provide an insight from the student perspective as to the obstacles and support variables in the quest for the doctoral degree.

The primary purpose of this study is to examine the reasons for attrition of doctoral candidates in the College of Human Resources and Education in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Graduate students granted candidacy status have fulfilled the following requirements: successful completion of course work, successful completion of the written and oral preliminary examinations, and completion of the residency requirement. The population for this study was students, identified by the Office of Graduate Studies, who attained doctoral candidacy between 1983-1992. During this period, 94 students out of 354 attaining candidacy did not complete the degree. From the 94 students identified, 55 students were eliminated by the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies faculty for one of the following reasons: the student is presently working on dissertation with faculty member, the student was advised not to continue after preliminary examination, or the student was not in the EDAD program, thus leaving 39 candidates. By limiting the study to doctoral candidates who have not completed the degree, it is possible to focus on the experiences of candidates who most likely will not obtain a doctorate. The focus of this study was to develop a picture of how the doctoral degree attrition evolves over time. This was to be accomplished by allowing candidates the opportunity to expound on the doctoral degree experience in a semistructured interview setting. Responses from semistructured interviews were analyzed in order to reconstruct the experiences of those candidates who did not complete the degree and also to determine which barriers were dominant in the process. Results of the interviews were analyzed first for differences between candidates' opinions in general, and then to identify factors that each candidate perceived had promoted, had no effect on, or had impeded degree completion. Also, factors that most affect the decision not to complete the doctoral degree as ranked by the candidates were analyzed. Candidate responses revealed that time and financial management along with professional obligations and personal reasons were the most significant factors in degree non-completion. A secondary factor was that of financial concern and inability of how to obtain information and resources to address this concern. Findings of this study permitted the researcher to identify several factors affecting doctoral degree completion at one institution; the next step might be to operationalize these factors by describing the patterns of attrition, desegregating attrition by the stages of study, and identifying connections between the levels of attrition at various levels.
Ed. D.

This study investigates information literacy and scholarly communication within the processes of doctoral research and supervision at a distance. Both doctoral candidates and supervisors acknowledge information literacy deficiencies and it is suggested that disintermediation and the proliferation of information may contribute to those deficiencies. Further to this, the influence of pedagogic continuity—particularly in relation to the information seeking behaviour of candidates—is investigated, as is the concomitant aspect of how doctoral researchers practise scholarly communication. The well-documented and enduring problem for candidates of isolation from the research cultures of their universities is also scrutinised. The contentious issue of more formally involving librarians in the doctoral process is also considered, from the perspective of candidates and supervisors. Superimposed upon these topical and timely issues is the theoretical framework of adult learning theory, in particular the tenets of andragogy. The pedagogical-andragogical orientation of candidates and supervisors is established, demonstrating both the differences and similarities between candidates and supervisors, as are a number of independent variables, including a comparison of on-campus and off-campus candidates. Other independent variables include age, gender, DETYA (Department of Education, Training & Youth Affairs) category, enrolment type, stage of candidature, employment and status, type of doctorate, and English/non-English speaking background. The research methodology uses qualitative and quantitative techniques encompassing both data and methodological triangulation. The study uses two sets of questionnaires and a series of in-depth interviews with a sample of on-campus and off-campus doctoral candidates and supervisors from four Australian universities. Major findings include NESB candidates being more pedagogical than their ESB counterparts, and candidates and supervisors from the Sciences are more pedagogical than those from Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, or Education. Candidates make a transition from a more dependent and pedagogically oriented approach to learning towards more of an independent and andragogical orientation over the duration of their candidature. However, over tune both on-campus and off-campus candidates become more isolated from the research cultures of their universities, and less happy with support received from their supervisors in relation to their literature reviews. Ill The study found large discrepancies in perception between the support supervisors believed they gave to candidates in relation to the literature review, and the support candidates believed they received. Information seeking becomes easier over time, but candidates face a dilemma with the proliferation of information, suggesting that disintermediation has exacerbated the challenges of evaluation and organisation of information. The concept of pedagogic continuity was recognised by supervisors and especially candidates, both negative and positive influences. The findings are critically analysed and synthesised using the metaphor of a scholarly 'Club' of which obtaining a doctorate is a rite of passage. Recommendations are made for changes in professional practice, and topics that may warrant further research are suggested.

This study takes a close look at the characteristics of the feedback received by PhD candidates and explores how they then interpret that feedback. Over 200 PhD candidates participated in the study by providing data over a six month period using a custom-built Internet-interfaced database. Each candidate completed a self-concept test both at the beginning and again at the end of this period. In between, they completed an 'e-diary' in which they recorded data about every feedback interaction that they experienced over the six months. From the data collected, the Researcher developed a model showing how feedback is processed and the effect that this process has on PhD candidates.

La present tesi persegueix un doble propòsit. Per una banda, contribuir a la comprensió de les característiques i desenvolupament de la identitat dels investigadors i investigadores en formació, amb l’objectiu últim d’aportat dades rellevants, recomanacions i estratègies que permetin optimitzar l’Educació Doctoral a Catalunya. Per l’altra, desenvolupar una Aplicació Web que permeti als agents educatiu de l’àmbit de l’educació doctoral basar les seves propostes formatives en evidències a temps real sobre les trajectòries doctorals dels seus candidats, així i com proporcionar als propis candidats doctorals un espai de generació de nous coneixements i estratègies per afrontar les contingències, dificultats i problemes de la trajectòria doctoral. El primer estudi, titulat «Les xarxes de suport doctoral: característiques i relacions amb les condicions de la recerca i el desenvolupament de la Identitat», explora quines són les persones significatives amb les que els candidats doctorals parlen dels problemes i dificultats que afronten durant el doctorat, quin és el tipus de suport que aquestes proporcionen i com impacten en el desenvolupament de la identitat de l’investigador. El segon estudi de la tesi, titulat «El Self Dialògic dels candidats doctorals: core positions i trajectòries de carrera professional» pretén analitzar en més profunditat les característiques de la identitat dels candidats doctorals adoptant com a marc conceptual la Teoria del Self Dialògic. Per altra banda, en aquest estudi també perseguim aportar dades rellevants per afrontar un dels grans reptes de l’àmbit de l’Educació Doctoral: ¿Com facilitar les transicions dels recents doctors a nous contextos de recerca i desenvolupament no acadèmics? El tercer estudi, titulat «Tensions en el desenvolupament de la identitat com investigadors: una interpretació des de la Teoria del Self Dialògic», analitza en detall les tensions que emergeixen en el self dialògic dels candidats doctorals durant el procés de construcció i integració de la seva I-position com investigadors, així i com les estratègies dialògiques que utilitzen per resoldre-les. Recolzant-nos en les dades dels dos estudis previs, en aquest tercer estudi concebem la identitat dels candidats doctorals com una multiplicitat de posicions identitàries en continuo intercanvi dialògic entre elles, vinculades a les experiències prèvies i a les diverses esferes d’activitat en les que el doctorand participa. Finalment, la tesi inclou un capítol sobre el disseny i desenvolupament de l’aplicació web REDES-id que s’orienta a alguns dels reptes identificats en la literatura especialitzada de l’àmbit i incorpora funcionalitats basades en els resultats dels tres estudis presentats. Aquesta aplicació -actualment en distribució i funcionament- permet recollir dades a temps real sobre els aspectes clau de les trajectòries doctorals, a la vegada que actua com a espai epistèmic per tots els usuaris als qui va dirigida: escoles de doctorat, coordinadors de programa, supervisors, tutors i candidats doctorals. D’aquesta manera, les universitats podran basar les propostes formatives en evidències reals sobre: (a) els esdeveniments significatius (positius i negatius) que generen les oscil·lacions emocionals de les trajectòries doctorals; (b) les característiques de la xarxa de suport amb la que el candidat col·labora per tal de gestionar, afrontar i resoldre els esdeveniments significatius de la seva trajectòria doctoral; (c) el posicionament nuclear del candidat doctoral durant la trajectòria i la relació amb el desenvolupament i integració de la seva posició com investigador en el seu self dialògic; i (d) les expectatives i objectius de la carrera professional post-doctoral dels candidats doctorals.
This thesis pursues a dual purpose. On the one hand, it contributes to the understanding of the characteristics and development of the Researcher Identity, with the ultimate objective of providing relevant data, recommendations and strategies to optimize Doctoral Education in Catalonia. On the other hand, it presents an epistemic Web Application, based on the results of this thesis, which allows Coordinators of Doctoral Education to base their formative proposals on real-time evidence about the doctoral trajectories, and acts as a learning space for doctoral candidates to generate new knowledge and strategies to face the contingencies, difficulties and problems of the doctorate. The first study of the thesis, entitled "Doctoral Support Networks: characteristics and relationships with Research Conditions and Identity", explores the significant people with whom doctoral candidates talk about the problems and difficulties of the doctorate; what kind of support they provide; and how they impact on the development of their Researcher Identity. The second study, entitled "The Dialogical Self of Doctoral Candidates: Core positions and Career paths", aims to analyse doctoral candidates' identity adopting as a conceptual framework the Dialogical Self Theory. On the other hand, in this study, we also seek to provide relevant data to face one of the significant challenges of the field of Doctoral Education: How to facilitate the professional transitions of doctoral holders to new non-academic sectors? The third study, entitled "Tensions involved in the Development of the Researcher Identity: An interpretation from Dialogical Self Theory", analyses the emerging tensions during the processes of construction and integration of the (new) I-position as researchers, and which dialogic strategies doctoral candidates use to manage and solve them. Finally, the thesis also includes a chapter about the design and development of the Web Application "REDES-ID", which is oriented to solve the main challenges identified in the specialised literature through the incorporation of several functionalities based on the results of the thesis. This application, currently in distribution and operation, allows the collection of real-time data about the most relevant elements of doctoral trajectories while acting as an epistemic space for diverse users: doctoral schools, program coordinators, supervisors, tutors and doctoral candidates. In this way, Higher Education Institutions will be able to base their training proposals on real evidence about: (a) Doctoral candidates' significant (positive and negative) events that generate the emotional swings of doctoral trajectories; (b) the characteristics of Doctoral Support Networks with which doctoral candidate collaborate in order to manage and solve the significant events; (c) Doctoral candidates' Core positioning and its relationship with the development of the I-position as Researcher; and (d) Doctoral candidates' career expectations, goals and needs.

This study is situated within a context of the changing role and value of the university, particularly in terms of a renewed focus on the importance of 'practical' research. It seeks to explore candidates' experiences of the culture of three doctoral research degrees in the School of education, RMIT University. The degrees in question are the Doctor of Philosophy by thesis, the Doctor of Philosophy by project and the Doctor of Education. The research sought to problematise and contest current understandings of doctoral candidates' experiences by highlighting complexities in the process and identifying differences and similarities between each of the three degrees. The main research question is 'How do candidates perceive the respective cultures of traditional, practice-based and professional doctoral education?' A nested, multiple-case study of the three doctoral modes was used to address three sub-questions, which focused on the norms and practices of candidates ; the extent to which their needs and expectations were met; and differences in their notions of research and practice. Differences and similarities between the degrees are analysed, leading to answers to the fourth sub-question which sought to identify what can be learned in terms of supervisor pedagogy and learning support. The research design was underpinned by a Bourdieuian epistemology and a critical theoretical perspective. Bourdieu's theory of practice with its conceptual tools of habitus, field, capital, agent and practice allowed analysis of candidates' experiences and the doctoral structures within which their practice resides through one critical lens. The data revealed many issues common to all doctoral programs. These include the importance of understanding the various habitus' and relative amounts of cultural capital of candidates, and the impact of a perceived lack of learning community. Other findings related to ambivalence regarding the types of cultural and social capital appropriate for do ctoral candidates not aiming to work in an academic environment where these are in conflict with the workplace. Three meta-themes were developed: tensions between and within the field; challenges to autonomous principles; and the importance of habitus and cultural capital in doctoral study. The study added to the literature aimed at increasing understanding of candidates' trajectories toward success in the doctoral field, thereby informing supervisor and learning support pedagogy. Five recommendations were proposed, aimed at producing a vibrant doctoral learning community with a deeper understanding of candidates' issues.

Approximately 50% of doctoral students in social science, humanities, and educational doctoral programs fail to earn the Ph.D. This number is 10% to 15% higher for students enrolled in online or limited-residency programs. Using in-depth interviewing and qualitative data analysis techniques, this study examined participants' recollections of their experience as students in a limited-residency doctoral program and their reasons for withdrawal. The study addresses the following question "What is the nature of the participants' experiences of doctoral attrition in a limited-residency doctoral program?" The use of a grounded theory analysis helped identify obstacles that ultimately cause students to withdraw from limited-residency programs. The elucidation of these barriers led to the development of a theoretical model comprised of three components; each clarified relationships between attrition and a support issue (i.e., advisor support, dissertation support and program support). These components were then combined into a single theoretical model that identified the nature of participants' experience of attrition. The theoretical model helps identify steps faculty and administration could take in order to reduce attrition. The study's findings are presented in a discussion of themes found throughout the participant's narratives. Recommendations for effective doctoral education practices from existing literature are supported in the findings of this study. The limited-residency doctoral program may consider offering several forms of support to improve doctoral retention. Additionally, the program should give close attention to the relationship between the advisor and the student. Recommendations were made regarding significant program factors, accountability measures for dissertation committees and chairperson, improved monitoring of attrition, and improving the overall communication with the dissertation students. The concluding chapter includes implications of the findings and recommendations for further research regarding doctoral student attrition.

Across the United States, there is a growing number of students for whom English is not their first language. These students experience many challenges adjusting to new educational environments. These students are often denied access to the full curriculum in mathematics (Reyes & Fletcher, 2003) and the resulting opportunities for higher level educational experiences in mathematics and the resulting higher economic employment options. Educators need support in understanding and responding to the linguistic and cultural challenges that these students face in learning mathematics. A course entitled Language, Culture, Mathematics and the LEP Learner is part of the doctoral courses available to Curriculum and Instruction students at UNC Charlotte. The course focuses on theoretical and applied models of teaching and learning mathematics for English as Second Language Learners. Research and current practice are reviewed with an emphasis on the design, implementation, and assessment of instruction for this population of learners. A qualitative analysis of students’ final research projects using narrative analysis methodologies showed that students (1) position issues within a larger sociocultural framework (2) advocate for the negotiation of pedagogical principles that blend language learning strategies with effective mathematics pedagogy and (3) identify assessment policies and processes that are supportive and limiting for these learners.

Across the United States, there is a growing number of students for whom English is not their first language. These students experience many challenges adjusting to new educational environments. These students are often denied access to the full curriculum in mathematics (Reyes & Fletcher, 2003) and the resulting opportunities for higher level educational experiences in mathematics and the resulting higher economic employment options. Educators need support in understanding and responding to the linguistic and cultural challenges that these students face in learning mathematics. A course entitled Language, Culture, Mathematics and the LEP Learner is part of the doctoral courses available to Curriculum and Instruction students at UNC Charlotte. The course focuses on theoretical and applied models of teaching and learning mathematics for English as Second Language Learners. Research and current practice are reviewed with an emphasis on the design, implementation, and assessment of instruction for this population of learners. A qualitative analysis of students’ final research projects using narrative analysis methodologies showed that students (1) position issues within a larger sociocultural framework (2) advocate for the negotiation of pedagogical principles that blend language learning strategies with effective mathematics pedagogy and (3) identify assessment policies and processes that are supportive and limiting for these learners.

This thesis addresses the need to reconceptualise the doctoral experience at a time when the boundaries between education, training, research, work and career development are becoming increasingly blurred. It does so by means of a detailed analysis of what candidates do and how they operate in a variety of disciplinary, employment and other contexts.¶ In order to synthesise and interpret the outcomes of that analysis a broader concept of the doctoral enterprise is developed within which the lived experience is embedded. It is argued that effective representation of the doctoral enterprise is as important as its reconceptualisation, and that both processes are required to generate in-depth understanding of the complexity, diversity and particularity of this phenomenon.¶ Case narratives incorporating the perspectives of candidates—as well as those whom they deem to be influencing their research and learning—are employed to portray distinctive elements of doctoral work and its associated outcomes. Quantitative data and analysis derived from a national survey of doctoral candidates are combined subsequently with this qualitative material in order to generate further insight regarding doctoral activities and the entities that are integral to their enactment.¶ Drawing on theories of practice, an integrative model of the doctoral enterprise is then presented. This comprises two basic components, one of which is a set of doctoral practices classified in terms of curriculum, pedagogy, research and work. The other is a set of doctoral arrangements that reflect configurations of entities inclusive of the participants, the academy and the community.¶ The purpose of the model is to increase understanding of the dynamic and evolving nature of the doctoral enterprise and the interrelationships involving practices and arrangements. This model has implications for candidates and others involved directly in the doctoral enterprise, regardless of their sector, role or status.

The purpose of this study was to obtain information regarding the effectiveness of currently used admissions criteria (undergraduate grade point average; master's degree grade point average; Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) and Miller Analogies Test (Mat) scores; ratings on essays, interviews, and letters of recommendation; and an accomplishment coefficient) for doctoral study at University of the Pacific School of Education in Stockton, California. Archival data compared these measures with certain criteria for finishing the doctoral program (first-semester grade point average, overall doctoral degree grade point average, passing or failing comprehensive examinations and number of trials to do so, years to appointment of dissertation committee, grade in the intermediate statistics course, years to awarding of degree, and whether the degree was completed). Subjects included all students admitted to the school's doctoral programs between 1976 and 1990 who took at least nine units in the pursuit of that degree. Data from 337 student records were analyzed and produced the following statistically significant results: There were small but significant correlations between certain clusters of admissions criteria (GRE and MAT scores and master's degree grade point averages) and certain program criteria (first-semester and overall doctoral grade point averages, statistics grade, and number of trials to pass doctoral comprehensive examinations). Multiple linear regression also indicated a small but significant ability to predict a few criteria from the GRE and MAT. Multiple linear regression also indicated a small but significant ability to predict a few program criteria within individual School of Education departments. The admissions criteria did not, in most cases, significantly differentiate those students who were successful in the doctoral program as measured by the chosen criteria. Implications of these findings were discussed in the final chapter. The study concluded with recommendations for further use of the data and for future research.

This study sought to determine the extent a relationship exists between locus of control and the rate of completion for proposal and dissertation defense among doctoral students. Levenson's Internal, Powerful Others, and Chance scales were utilized to identify locus of control orientation. Findings indicated that: (1) a majority, 102, scored highest on the Internal scale; (2) Internal scale scores above the median related to increased probability of a proposal and dissertation defense and to reduced time in reaching those points; (3) no significant difference was found between male and female defensive externals in completing the proposal or dissertation defense; and (4) females tended to score higher than males on the Internal scale. Among conclusions drawn are: (1) Internal scale scores above the median relate to a reduced length of time to complete the proposal and dissertation defense; and (2) few doctoral candidates scoring higher on the Powerful Others or Chance scales were identified in this doctoral program after the point of qualifying examinations.

Zur Zeit gibt es keinen quantitativen Gesamtüberblick und keinen bundesweiten Vergleich der Zahlen von Studienanfängern, Absolventen mit abgelegter Tierärztlichen Prüfung (TP), Tierärzten mit Approbation sowie Kammermitgliedschaften. Es wird untersucht, wie sich das Verhältnis zwischen der Anzahl der von den veterinärmedizinischen Bildungsstätten erteilten TP zur Anzahl der in Deutschland erteilten Approbationen und diese wiederum zu den bestehenden Pflichtmitgliedschaften in den Landestierärztekammern für den Untersuchungszeitraum der Abschlussjahrgänge 2000 bis 2010 darstellt. Es wurde Datenmaterial der Stiftung für Hochschulzulassung, der fünf veterinärmedizinischen Bildungsstätten, des Deutschen Tierärzteblattes, der Approbationsbehörden und der Zentralen Tierärztedatei Dresden genutzt. Anschließend wurden die Daten mittels Recherche in öffentlichen Medien ergänzt. Insgesamt wurden n = 8036 Personen zur Untersuchung herangezogen, wovon n = 6715 (84 %) auswertbar waren, dabei lag der Frauenanteil stets bei durchschnittlich 82 %. Es zeigte sich, dass die überwiegende Mehrheit (92 %) der auswertbaren Personen ihre Approbation innerhalb der ersten drei Monate nach Bestehen der TP erhielt. 84 % ließen nur maximal drei Monate zwischen Approbationserhalt und Kammerbeitritt vergehen. 75 % der Absolventen bleiben ihrem Ausbildungsland treu bzw. kehren dorthin zurück, eine veterinärmedizinische Hochschule bzw. Fakultät hat somit einen fachkräftebindenden Effekt für das jeweilige Bundesland. Im Bereich der Haupttätigkeitsfelder geht der Trend nach wie vor in Richtung „Praktiker“ (52 %). Personen ohne Berufsausübung bzw. Doktoranden nehmen den zweitgrößten Anteil (17 %) der Tätigkeitsfelder ein. Dabei steht die Einstufung der Doktoranden der Tiermedizin in tierärztlich „Tätige“ oder „nicht Tätige“ zur Diskussion, da diese in Deutschland noch in einer rechtlichen Grauzone liegt. Das Anmeldesystem ausgehend von der Approbationsbeantragung bis zur Kammermitgliedschaft bei den Tierärzten in Deutschland, mit weniger als 3 % nicht registrierter Kammermitgliedschaften sowie weniger als 1 % niemals beantragter Approbationen, funktioniert recht gut. Dies scheint in erster Linie am starken Pflichtbewusstsein der deutschen Tierärzte zu liegen. Lücken in der Zusammenarbeit zwischen Approbationsbehörden und Landestierärztekammern bzw. Fehlerquellen bei der Datenübermittlung fielen bisher nicht auf und die rechtliche Verfolgung von Versäumnissen einzelner Tierärzte spielt in der Kammerverwaltung eine untergeordnete bis gar keine Rolle, da rechtliche Vergehen tatsächlich Ausnahmen darstellen. Dennoch sollten die Datenbasis und auch der Datenfluss zwischen den beteiligten Institutionen vereinheitlicht, verifiziert und auch regelmäßig ausgewertet werden, denn ohne die Anwendung von Kontroll- und Sanktionsmaßnahmen ist die rechtsverbindliche Pflichtmitgliedschaft de facto eine reine Selbstverpflichtung. Eine einheitliche Stellungnahme zum Status der Doktoranden seitens der berufspolitischen Organe ist dringend notwendig. Doktoranden sollten zur Gruppe der tierärztlich „Tätigen“ zählen und der Nachweis der Approbation für alle mit der Promotion einhergehenden Arbeitsschritte Pflicht sein. In Anbetracht einer diesbezüglich bisher fehlenden bundeseinheitlichen Regelung, ist die Frage, ob man in Deutschland ohne Probleme mit fehlender Approbation tierärztlich tätig werden kann, eindeutig mit „ja“ zu beantworten.

Mit diesem Buch werden zum einen die Tagung der Kompetenzschulen an sächsischen Hochschulen, die am 30. Mai 2013 mit dem Thema „Nachhaltigkeit – Eine Leitidee in der Weiterbildung des wissenschaftlichen Nachwuchses“ an der TU Bergakademie Freiberg stattfand, und zum anderen die Projektergebnisse der sächsischen ESF-geförderten Kompetenzschulen dokumentiert. Die zentrale Diskussionsfrage lautet, in welcher Form eine nachhaltige Kompetenzentwicklung des wissenschaftlichen Nachwuchses an sächsischen Hochschulen erfolgen kann. Dabei wird der Begriff der nachhaltigen Kompetenzentwicklung unter zwei unterschiedlichen Gesichtspunkten erörtert: Wie können wichtige Schlüsselkompetenzen bei Promovierenden nachhaltig, im Sinne von beruflich zukünftig relevant und anwendbar entwickelt werden? Und wie können darüber hinaus Kompetenzen entwickelt werden, die zu einem ökologisch, ökonomisch bzw. sozial nachhaltigen Handeln anregen? Im Kontext dieser zwei Fragestellungen wird die Rolle der sächsischen Kompetenzschulen diskutiert, deren Ziel in einer über die fachliche Qualifizierung hinausgehenden Kompetenzentwicklung in den Bereichen arbeitsmarktrelevanter Schlüssel- und Führungskompetenzen liegt. Dazu geben sechs geförderte Kompetenzschulprojekte Einblick in ihre strukturellen Rahmenbedingungen, inhaltlichen Schwerpunktsetzungen sowie Best-Practice-Erfahrungen, welche jeweils eine nachhaltige Kompetenzentwicklung für die Promovierenden an der entsprechenden Hochschule fördern sollen. Des Weiteren berichten Doktorandinnen und Doktoranden über ihre Erfahrungen in Bezug auf ihre persönliche Weiterentwicklung und beurteilen die Angebote der Kompetenzschulen aus ihrer jeweils individuellen Perspektive. Eingebettet wird die Rolle der Kompetenzschulen dabei in die Diskussion der Fragestellung, welche Kompetenzen Promovierende benötigen, um „fit“ für die Zukunft zu sein. Dabei wird neben den zentralen Schlüsselqualifikationen auch die Bedeutung solcher Kompetenzen erörtert, die ein ökologisch, ökonomisch sowie sozial nachhaltiges Handeln ermöglichen.
This book summarizes the key outcomes of a conference on „Sustainability as a guiding principle in qualifying young scientists“. In May 2013 the conference was held at TU Bergakademie Freiberg as a joint event of all Competence Schools in Saxony. It also documents the overall project results achieved within these six Saxon Competence Schools, which are funded by the European Social Fund. The central question being discussed is how young scientists’ skills can be developed sustainably at Saxon universities. The term “sustainable competency development” is used to refer to two different aspects: (1) How can key competencies that are important for young scientists be developed in a sustainable manner? Sustainable is here understood as relevant and practically-oriented with regard to young scientists’ future professional life and career. And (2) how can young scientists be enabled to act ecologically, economically as well as socially sustainable? Referring to these two questions the role of Saxon Competence Schools is being discussed which aim at qualifying young scientists in skills that are particularly relevant for the labour market – key and leadership competencies – apart from their expert qualification. For this purpose six funded Competence Schools deliver insights into their structural conditions and their main focusses as well as their best-practice experiences that are meant to enable a sustainable competency development for young scientists at their universities. Furthermore doctoral candidates report on their experiences regarding their personal development and evaluate the competence schools’ offers based on their individual perspective. The role of Competence Schools is additionally discussed concerning the question, which skills young scientists need in order to be well-prepared for future challenges. This question not only focuses on key competencies, but also on the importance of those competencies that enable young scientists to act in an ecologically, economically as well as socially sustainable way.

The purpose of this study was to use elements for developing teacher identity, personal philosophy, beliefs about teaching and learning, and reflection to frame an examination of the effect of Positive-Attitude Cues (PACs) on teacher candidates’(n = 135) mathematics anxiety and expressive writing. Participants were randomly assigned to a treatment (PACs) or control group (No-PAC) and their dispositions about mathematics were examined using the Revised Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale (MARS-R); which had a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.96 and an expressive writing task before and after the intervention. A significant main effect of test time showed that participants in the posttest condition: (M = 67.54, SD = 19.06) responded with less total mathematics anxiety than participants in the pretest condition (M = 73.22, SD = 19.78), F (1, 133) = 40.61, p < .001, d = -.29; (M = 41.56, SD = 11.82) responded with less learning mathematics anxiety than participants in the pretest condition (M = 45.36, SD = 12.98), F (1, 133) = 38.56, p < .001, d = -.31; and (M = 25.98, SD = 8.03) responded with less mathematics test anxiety than participants in the pretest condition (M = 27.88, SD = 7.74), F (1, 133) = 29.55, p < .001, d = -.24. Also, there was a significant increase in the percentage of positive expressive writing tasks by PAC participants pre (N = 27) (M = .40, SD = .49) versus post (N = 56) (M = .84, SD = .37) intervention; p < .001 (2-sided); and no-PAC participants pre (N = 24) (M = .35, SD = .48) versus post (N = 60) (M = .88, SD = .33) intervention; p < .001 (2-sided). The results of this study can inform leadership and policy related to educator preparation.

To questions about the who, what and why of item omission on tests in short-response format, very few answers have been provided from a combination of the discipline areas of psychology and educational measurement. In this research study, an empirical approach is taken subsequent to the proposal of a theoretical model. It posits that the three clusters constituting "presage" have effects, some direct, some indirect, some positive, some negative, on the "product"-short-response omit rate-and also influence the hidden (and therefore unable-to-be-measured) "process"-the interaction between item and person. Data were obtained on the 1997 QCS Test population (N = 29 273). A 120-item questionnaire was administered to a random sample of 1908 students, interviews were conducted with selected students, and information was extracted from the test construction matrix. The results are analysed in terms of background and psychological characteristics of the candidate and features of the testing process. It is concluded that the predeterminants of the propensity to omit short-response items include sex of candidate, type of school attended, test-irrelevant thinking, academic self-concept, test-taking strategies, and self-imposed difficulty. One of the subsidiary findings is concerned with attitudes to high-stakes testing, another with the consequences of the contextualization of test items for a certain type of student.

Being a lecturer and serving in the Higher Degrees Committee of the Department of Public Administration and Management at Unisa for several years, gave me exposure to master’s and doctoral candidates’ scholarly work. I realised that the doctoral candidates, in particular, were facing methodological challenges. This realisation triggered my curiosity in the methodological preparedness of doctoral candidates. My scholarly curiosity prompted me to undertake a preliminary literature review which has identified a number of scholarly contributions on the quality of research in Public Administration. These studies have not established or attempted to establish conceptual frameworks for understanding this phenomenon. I deduced that the lack of scholarly contributions on the methodological preparedness of doctoral candidates indicates a knowledge gap that compromises scholarly understanding of methodological preparedness, both as a concept and a phenomenon. The main purpose of this research was to generate theory, by means of the development of a conceptual framework, in response to the identified knowledge gap in the literature. Consequently, a qualitative theory generating research design was chosen and actualised in three interrelated research phases. Phase 1 provides a theoretical perspective by turning to the scholarly literature and institutional documents to obtain a deepened understanding of the concept methodological preparedness relevant to Public Administration doctoral candidates. This phase serves, firstly, to provide an overview of the characteristics of the doctorate in Public Administration as an immediate context for methodological preparedness, and secondly, to do a concept analysis to identify and describe the meaning of the concept methodological preparedness with reference to a doctoral candidate. Phase 2 aimed to make sense of the methodological preparedness of Public Administration doctoral candidates at Unisa by exploring, through an Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), how doctoral candidates and supervisors make sense of this phenomenon. This study makes a methodological contribution by employing the IPA for the first time in the South African Public Administration fraternity. Phase 3 generates a conceptual framework for understanding the methodological preparedness of Public Administration doctoral candidates at Unisa. The framework contributes to the understanding of the under- vi researched concept and phenomenon methodological preparedness of doctoral candidates in Public Administration. This study has shown that a candidate’s methodological preparedness (the state of being competent to independently make a methodological decision relevant to his or her doctoral research project), is not a once-off gate-keeping phenomenon, but an ongoing and fluent state of being.
Public Administration
D. Litt. et Phil. (Public Administration)

This thesis addresses the need to reconceptualise the doctoral experience at a time when the boundaries between education, training, research, work and career development are becoming increasingly blurred. It does so by means of a detailed analysis of what candidates do and how they operate in a variety of disciplinary, employment and other contexts.¶ In order to synthesise and interpret the outcomes of that analysis a broader concept of the doctoral enterprise is developed within which the lived experience is embedded. It is argued that effective representation of the doctoral enterprise is as important as its reconceptualisation, and that both processes are required to generate in-depth understanding of the complexity, diversity and particularity of this phenomenon.¶ ...

Zur Zeit gibt es keinen quantitativen Gesamtüberblick und keinen bundesweiten Vergleich der Zahlen von Studienanfängern, Absolventen mit abgelegter Tierärztlichen Prüfung (TP), Tierärzten mit Approbation sowie Kammermitgliedschaften. Es wird untersucht, wie sich das Verhältnis zwischen der Anzahl der von den veterinärmedizinischen Bildungsstätten erteilten TP zur Anzahl der in Deutschland erteilten Approbationen und diese wiederum zu den bestehenden Pflichtmitgliedschaften in den Landestierärztekammern für den Untersuchungszeitraum der Abschlussjahrgänge 2000 bis 2010 darstellt. Es wurde Datenmaterial der Stiftung für Hochschulzulassung, der fünf veterinärmedizinischen Bildungsstätten, des Deutschen Tierärzteblattes, der Approbationsbehörden und der Zentralen Tierärztedatei Dresden genutzt. Anschließend wurden die Daten mittels Recherche in öffentlichen Medien ergänzt. Insgesamt wurden n = 8036 Personen zur Untersuchung herangezogen, wovon n = 6715 (84 %) auswertbar waren, dabei lag der Frauenanteil stets bei durchschnittlich 82 %. Es zeigte sich, dass die überwiegende Mehrheit (92 %) der auswertbaren Personen ihre Approbation innerhalb der ersten drei Monate nach Bestehen der TP erhielt. 84 % ließen nur maximal drei Monate zwischen Approbationserhalt und Kammerbeitritt vergehen. 75 % der Absolventen bleiben ihrem Ausbildungsland treu bzw. kehren dorthin zurück, eine veterinärmedizinische Hochschule bzw. Fakultät hat somit einen fachkräftebindenden Effekt für das jeweilige Bundesland. Im Bereich der Haupttätigkeitsfelder geht der Trend nach wie vor in Richtung „Praktiker“ (52 %). Personen ohne Berufsausübung bzw. Doktoranden nehmen den zweitgrößten Anteil (17 %) der Tätigkeitsfelder ein. Dabei steht die Einstufung der Doktoranden der Tiermedizin in tierärztlich „Tätige“ oder „nicht Tätige“ zur Diskussion, da diese in Deutschland noch in einer rechtlichen Grauzone liegt. Das Anmeldesystem ausgehend von der Approbationsbeantragung bis zur Kammermitgliedschaft bei den Tierärzten in Deutschland, mit weniger als 3 % nicht registrierter Kammermitgliedschaften sowie weniger als 1 % niemals beantragter Approbationen, funktioniert recht gut. Dies scheint in erster Linie am starken Pflichtbewusstsein der deutschen Tierärzte zu liegen. Lücken in der Zusammenarbeit zwischen Approbationsbehörden und Landestierärztekammern bzw. Fehlerquellen bei der Datenübermittlung fielen bisher nicht auf und die rechtliche Verfolgung von Versäumnissen einzelner Tierärzte spielt in der Kammerverwaltung eine untergeordnete bis gar keine Rolle, da rechtliche Vergehen tatsächlich Ausnahmen darstellen. Dennoch sollten die Datenbasis und auch der Datenfluss zwischen den beteiligten Institutionen vereinheitlicht, verifiziert und auch regelmäßig ausgewertet werden, denn ohne die Anwendung von Kontroll- und Sanktionsmaßnahmen ist die rechtsverbindliche Pflichtmitgliedschaft de facto eine reine Selbstverpflichtung. Eine einheitliche Stellungnahme zum Status der Doktoranden seitens der berufspolitischen Organe ist dringend notwendig. Doktoranden sollten zur Gruppe der tierärztlich „Tätigen“ zählen und der Nachweis der Approbation für alle mit der Promotion einhergehenden Arbeitsschritte Pflicht sein. In Anbetracht einer diesbezüglich bisher fehlenden bundeseinheitlichen Regelung, ist die Frage, ob man in Deutschland ohne Probleme mit fehlender Approbation tierärztlich tätig werden kann, eindeutig mit „ja“ zu beantworten.:Inhaltsverzeichnis I Abkürzungsverzeichnis III 1 Einleitung 1 2 Literaturübersicht 3 2.1 Approbation 3 2.2 Bedeutung „tätiger“ Tierarzt 5 2.3 Aufgaben und Stellung der Tierärztekammern 6 2.4 Zentrale Tierärztedatei 7 2.4.1 Entstehungsgeschichte und Funktionsweise 7 2.4.2 Aufgaben 8 2.4.3 Die Jahresstatistik der Bundestierärztekammer 8 3 Material und Methodik 10 3.1 Stiftung für Hochschulzulassung 10 3.2 Veterinärmedizinische Bildungsstätten 10 3.3 Deutsches Tierärzteblatt 11 3.4 Approbationsbehörden 11 3.5 Jahresstatistik der Bundestierärztekammer 12 3.6 Datenbasis 12 3.7 Zentrale Tierärztedatei Dresden 12 3.8 Internetrecherche 14 3.9 Angaben zum Datenschutz 14 3.10 Methodenkritik 15 4 Ergebnisse 17 4.1 Allgemeine Datenlage der veterinärmedizinischen Bildungsstätten 17 4.2 Untersuchter Gesamtdatensatz der Approbierten und Repräsentativität der Datenbasis aus dem Deutschen Tierärzteblatt 24 4.3 Zeitspanne zwischen Ablegung der Tierärztlichen Prüfung und Erhalt der Approbation 25 4.4 Zeitspanne zwischen Approbation und Kammermitgliedschaft 26 4.5 Approbation ohne Kammermitgliedschaft 27 4.6 Ergebnisse der Internetrecherche 28 4.6.1 Korrigierte Zahlen zur Approbation ohne Kammermitgliedschaft 28 4.6.2 Weder Kammermitgliedschaft noch Approbation 30 4.7 Tätigkeitsbereiche 31 4.8 Verbleib 32 4.9 Austritt aus der Kammerzugehörigkeit 35 5 Diskussion 36 5.1 Zu den Datensätzen und deren Verarbeitung durch die einzelnen Institutionen 36 5.2 Zu den Datensätzen der Tierärztlichen Prüfungen 37 5.3 Zu den Approbationszahlen 38 5.4 Zum Zeitraum zwischen Tierärztlicher Prüfung und Approbation 39 5.5 Zum Zeitraum zwischen Approbation und Kammermitgliedschaft 40 5.6 Zu den Tätigkeitsbereichen 41 5.7 Zum Verbleib 43 5.8 Zu den „Nichtgemeldeten“ 44 5.8.1 Schwächen der Zentralen Tierärztedatei/Datenerfassung 44 5.8.2 Einflussfaktor „Ausländer“ 45 5.9 Auswirkungen und Konsequenzen bei Verstößen gegen die Approbationspflicht und Kammermitgliedschaft 46 5.10 Situation der Doktoranden – Approbation ein Muss? 49 6 Zusammenfassung 52 7 Summary 54 8 Literaturverzeichnis 56 Anhang 62 Danksagung 75

Mit diesem Buch werden zum einen die Tagung der Kompetenzschulen an sächsischen Hochschulen, die am 30. Mai 2013 mit dem Thema „Nachhaltigkeit – Eine Leitidee in der Weiterbildung des wissenschaftlichen Nachwuchses“ an der TU Bergakademie Freiberg stattfand, und zum anderen die Projektergebnisse der sächsischen ESF-geförderten Kompetenzschulen dokumentiert. Die zentrale Diskussionsfrage lautet, in welcher Form eine nachhaltige Kompetenzentwicklung des wissenschaftlichen Nachwuchses an sächsischen Hochschulen erfolgen kann. Dabei wird der Begriff der nachhaltigen Kompetenzentwicklung unter zwei unterschiedlichen Gesichtspunkten erörtert: Wie können wichtige Schlüsselkompetenzen bei Promovierenden nachhaltig, im Sinne von beruflich zukünftig relevant und anwendbar entwickelt werden? Und wie können darüber hinaus Kompetenzen entwickelt werden, die zu einem ökologisch, ökonomisch bzw. sozial nachhaltigen Handeln anregen? Im Kontext dieser zwei Fragestellungen wird die Rolle der sächsischen Kompetenzschulen diskutiert, deren Ziel in einer über die fachliche Qualifizierung hinausgehenden Kompetenzentwicklung in den Bereichen arbeitsmarktrelevanter Schlüssel- und Führungskompetenzen liegt. Dazu geben sechs geförderte Kompetenzschulprojekte Einblick in ihre strukturellen Rahmenbedingungen, inhaltlichen Schwerpunktsetzungen sowie Best-Practice-Erfahrungen, welche jeweils eine nachhaltige Kompetenzentwicklung für die Promovierenden an der entsprechenden Hochschule fördern sollen. Des Weiteren berichten Doktorandinnen und Doktoranden über ihre Erfahrungen in Bezug auf ihre persönliche Weiterentwicklung und beurteilen die Angebote der Kompetenzschulen aus ihrer jeweils individuellen Perspektive. Eingebettet wird die Rolle der Kompetenzschulen dabei in die Diskussion der Fragestellung, welche Kompetenzen Promovierende benötigen, um „fit“ für die Zukunft zu sein. Dabei wird neben den zentralen Schlüsselqualifikationen auch die Bedeutung solcher Kompetenzen erörtert, die ein ökologisch, ökonomisch sowie sozial nachhaltiges Handeln ermöglichen
This book summarizes the key outcomes of a conference on „Sustainability as a guiding principle in qualifying young scientists“. In May 2013 the conference was held at TU Bergakademie Freiberg as a joint event of all Competence Schools in Saxony. It also documents the overall project results achieved within these six Saxon Competence Schools, which are funded by the European Social Fund. The central question being discussed is how young scientists’ skills can be developed sustainably at Saxon universities. The term “sustainable competency development” is used to refer to two different aspects: (1) How can key competencies that are important for young scientists be developed in a sustainable manner? Sustainable is here understood as relevant and practically-oriented with regard to young scientists’ future professional life and career. And (2) how can young scientists be enabled to act ecologically, economically as well as socially sustainable? Referring to these two questions the role of Saxon Competence Schools is being discussed which aim at qualifying young scientists in skills that are particularly relevant for the labour market – key and leadership competencies – apart from their expert qualification. For this purpose six funded Competence Schools deliver insights into their structural conditions and their main focusses as well as their best-practice experiences that are meant to enable a sustainable competency development for young scientists at their universities. Furthermore doctoral candidates report on their experiences regarding their personal development and evaluate the competence schools’ offers based on their individual perspective. The role of Competence Schools is additionally discussed concerning the question, which skills young scientists need in order to be well-prepared for future challenges. This question not only focuses on key competencies, but also on the importance of those competencies that enable young scientists to act in an ecologically, economically as well as socially sustainable way