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Revised Researcher Skills Paper
Insert your name here
College of Doctoral Studies, Grand Canyon University
RES820A: The Literature Landscape: Organizational Leadership
Dr. Davis
Assignment Due Date
Reflection
This assignment requires a Reflection Section (250-300 words) addressing your revision process and how you incorporated your instructor’s feedback into the revised version. This section will receive its own page (similar to the format of an abstract). It will be located after the title page and before the Introduction. This is the ONLY section that you may write in 1st person.
Revised Researcher Skills Paper
Provide an introduction that starts with an interesting “hook” to capture the reader’s interest and support that “hook” and your introduction with academic support (in-text citations). Although the directions say to introduce the articles with a brief description and purpose I ask you to please not include such an introduction. The focus of this assignment is not the articles themselves but rather using the articles as a resource to support your writing. In fact, please do not even mention “the articles”. Consider the articles that you have read for this course and how they do not introduce the articles they are using in such a way. Identify the three themes that emerged from your reading and how they will be discussed in the paper. Conclude the introduction with your thesis statement.
Theme You Have Identified
DO NOT use Theme 1 as your header – use a 2-4 word header that identifies your theme. You will do the same thing with themes 2 and 3. The synthesis paper should include three common themes identified by a header and addressed within that particular section and a conclusion that will present overall message of the group of articles. Please note that section headings are centered, in bold face, and are in Title Case. The three body sections will be followed by your conclusion. Please remember that your conclusion should not discuss the conclusions of the studies but rather the overall message of the three articles if they are taken together as a single entity.
In this section, discuss the first theme that you have identified as common amongst the three articles. You must include evidence (in-text citations) from EACH of the articles to show that this theme was present in ALL THREE OF THE ARTICLES. While this is a shorter paragraph, your paragraphs should be between 90-150 words.
Your Second Theme Here
This section should include your second identified theme. Again, note that headings are centered, bold face, and are in Title Case as they are Level 1 headings. You must include evidence (in-text citations) from EACH of the articles to show that this theme was present in ALL THREE OF THE ARTICLES.
You will need to support your contention of the common theme by presenting evidence from the articles. This evidence from the text should be cited using the author’s name and year of publication rather than using the title of the article or referring to the articles as Article 1, Article 2, and Article 3. This is especially the case when we are presenting specific information e.g. research questions, sample, outcomes etc. from multiple sources. Imagine discussing 5, 10, 15 articles at once in a paper and referring to each by number. Further, situating the authors firmly within sentences and throughout your discussion addresses academic integrity.
Your Third Theme Here
This section should include your second identified theme. Again, note that headings are centered, bold face, and are in Title Case. Just as in the prior section, make sure that you introduce the contents of this section prior to jumping into your narrative. You must include evidence (in-text citations) from EACH of the articles to show that this theme was present in ALL THREE OF THE ARTICLES.
You need to develop these sections thoroughly. While in this template only includes one to two paragraphs for each of the sections, which would not necessarily constitute a thorough presentation within your paper. Remember, you need to assume your reader has not read this articles.
Conclusion
What are your conclusions after comparing these three articles? What commonalities or differences were most striking or meaningful? If you consider all three articles to be a single entity, what conclusions can you draw from their combined research? What is the overall message of the articles, and why is that important?
The conclusion should relate back to your introduction and provide your reader with a concise and reflective summary of your analysis. The conclusion should be at MINIMUM 2-3 paragraphs. While this assignment has a word count in the directions of 1,250-1,800 words, one must ask themselves if what has been present represents a thorough presentation of the articles. However, I would challenge you to keep your paper under 2,500 words. This is a great time to work on being more clear and concise.
References
Klocko, B. A., Marshal, S. M., & Davidson, J. F. (2015). Developing practioner-scholar doctoral candidates as critical writers. Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, 15(4). 21-31. http://www.na-businesspress.com/JHETP/KlockoBA_Web15_4_
Lee, H., Chang, H., & Bryan, L. (2020). Doctoral students’ learning success in online-based
leadership programs: Intersection with technological and relational factors. International
Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 21(1), 61-81.
Lindsay, S. (2015). What works for doctoral students in completing their thesis? Teaching in Higher Education, 20(2). 183-196. http://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2014.974025
NOTE – YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU INCLUDE TWO ADDITIONAL ARTICLES FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT FROM THE LIST BELOW AND INCLUDE THEM PROPERLY WITHIN YOUR REFERENCE LIST AND DELETE THE WORKS NOT USED–
Barrett, T., & Hussey, J. (2015). Overcoming problems in doctoral writing through the use of visualizations: Telling our stories. Teaching in Higher Education, 20(1), 48-63. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2014.957266
Black, R. (2017). E-Mentoring the online doctoral student from the dissertation prospectus through dissertation completion. Journal of Learning in Higher Education, 13(1), 1-8.https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1109&context=sm_pubs
Caskey, M. M., Stevens, D. D., & Yeo, M. (2020). Examining doctoral student development of a researcher identity: Using the draw a researcher test. Impacting Education: Journal on Transforming Professional Practice, 5(1), 16-26. http://impactinged.pitt.edu/ojs/index.php/ImpactingEd/article/view/92/107
Guerin, C., Aitchison, C., & Carter, S. (2020). Digital and distributed: Learning and teachingdoctoral writing through social media. Teaching in Higher Education, 25(2), 238-254 https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2018.1557138
Holmes, B., McAuley Brown, L. T., Parker, D. M., Mann, J. Woods, E. L., …Hall, D. (2016 Decoding the persistence and engagement patterns of doctoral students who finish. Education Doctorate Faculty Works, 11. https://openriver.winona.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1010&context=educationeddfacultyworks
Huerta, M., Goodson, P., Beigi, M., & Chlup, D. (2017). Graduate students as academic writers: Writing anxiety, self-efficacy and emotional intelligence. Higher Education Research & Development, 36(4), 716-729. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2016.1238881
Hutchings, M. (2017). Improving doctoral support through group supervision: Analysing face-to-face and technology-mediated strategies for nurturing and sustaining scholarship. Studies in Higher Education, 42(3), 533-550. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2015.1058352
Moate, R. M., Gnilka, P. B., West, E. M., & Rice, K. G. (2019). Doctoral student perfectionism and emotional well-being. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 52(3), 145-155. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481756.2018.1547619
Odena, O. & Burgess, H. (2017). How doctoral students and graduates describe facilitating experiences and strategies for their thesis writing learning process: A qualitative approach. Studies in Higher Education, 42(3), 572-590. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2015.1063598
Revised Synthesis Paper – Researcher Skills
Assessment Description
Synthesis is the act of creating something new from multiple existing entities. Synthesis of research, then, is creating a new idea from existing ideas. Synthesis of research is not a single innate skill. Rather, it is a process learned through time and practice. At the doctoral level, writing is a continual process of revision as learners improve skills and build subject matter expertise.
In Topic 4, you submitted a Synthesis Paper and received both feedback from your instructor and a grade for your work. In this assignment, you will expand upon your original paper with additional research from additional sources, incorporate feedback from your instructor, and provide a reflection section addressing your revision process.
General Requirements:
Use the following information to ensure successful completion of the assignment:
· Locate the Synthesis Paper you completed in Topic 4 and the feedback provided by your instructor.
· Locate and download the Revised Synthesis Paper Supplemental Articles List.
· This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
· Doctoral learners are required to use APA style for their writing assignments. The APA Style Guide is located in the Student Success Center.
· Refer to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association for specific guidelines related to doctoral-level writing. The manual contains essential information on manuscript structure and content, clear and concise writing, and academic grammar and usage.
· You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. A link to the LopesWrite technical support articles is located in Class Resources if you need assistance.
Directions:
Locate the Synthesis Paper you completed in Topic 4.
Select two additional articles from the Revised Synthesis Paper Supplemental Articles List in the Topic Resources.
Using the feedback provided by your instructor and information from the two additional articles you selected, write a Revised Synthesis Paper with Reflection (1,250-1,800 words). Include the following in your paper:
1. A Reflection (250-300 words) in which you discuss your revision process and how you incorporated your instructor’s feedback into the revised version. Like the format of an abstract, this section will receive its own page following the title page and preceding the Introduction.
2. An introduction that provides context for the topic. This includes presenting a clear thesis statement.
3. Support for your identified themes with evidence from each original article. You must also incorporate additional support from sources included on the supplemental articles list. Synthesize your discussion of the topic to support your thesis.
4. A conclusion that demonstrates support of your thesis statement, brief summary of the main points from your two themes, and recommendations for future research on the topic.
This is the paper you did for me. This is the paper that has to be revised, BELOW
Thank you for your submission. Please see embedded comments below in your synthesis paper. I want to make sure you are on track to do well on the Topic 7 paper. Please note – this summary is a general reminder for all students just to reiterate the Topic 7 paper requirements and expectations. Below are some important points to help ensure your paper meets the requirements. PLEASE CAREFULLY READ THE FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS:
A. Make sure you read the instructions for the Topic7 Enhanced Synthesis Paper AND the rubric that will be used to grade it, very carefully. Note from the instructions that the two main components of the content of your paper should be:
1. A Reflection (250-300 words) that discusses your revision process and how you incorporated your instructor’s feedback into the revised version. Similar to the format of an abstract, this section will receive its own page following the title page and preceding the Introduction.
2. Support for your identified themes with evidence from each article. Provide analysis of these findings to strengthen your narrative.
3. A discussion of the conclusions that can be drawn when the articles are taken together as a single entity. What is the overall message of the group of articles?
4. You will add TWO additional sources to support your themes from the Revised Synthesis Paper Supplemental Articles list.
Remember, you are revising this Topic 4 paper and adding content and corrections based upon the feedback from this assignment. Remember, the topic of the paper is Researcher Skills. To that end, ALL of your themes should be specific researcher skill. Also, you should include the two additional articles you found as supporting research that I mentioned above. You are simply using the additional articles to support your themes. The additional articles do not have to be included within each section.
This is the note I provide to all students as synthesis can be a very foreign concept. I have included some helps at the end of this message that explain synthesis if you are unfamiliar with it. Basically synthesis is combining. It is like combining two elements to form a compound in chemistry. Two components combine/react to form something entirely new. You will consider the themes together and come up with an overall statement of conclusions on what you think the overall message is. A SYNTHESIS IS NOT SIMPLY SUMMARIZING OR RECAPPING INFORMATION FROM THE ARTICLES OR RESTATING THEMES. You cannot simply regurgitate what the authors say. You have to dig deeper into the meaning.
B. Make sure you follow all APA formatting guidelines, and that your paper is ORGANIZED correctly. Specifically, your paper must have the following:
1. A TITLE PAGE, correctly formatted with a properly formatted Running head
2. An INTRODUCTION. DO NOT put “INTRODUCTION” as a heading of your introduction. Instead put the title of your paper, centered, and bold. Following a brief introduction to the paper to provide context and to hook the reader (supported by in-text citations), DO NOT introduce the articles by title or provide summaries of the articles (I know the directions say to but see my video why I say not to ) . Also, be sure your introduction includes a CLEARLY STATED PURPOSE AND THESIS STATEMENT. Below is an example (remember you must use your own words):
“The purpose of this paper is to review common themes related to researcher skills by examining the relationship of … (fill in your themes here with your own words here). A review of common themes identified in the analysis suggests that … (fill in with your thesis statement here)….”
3.
SECTIONS. You must include a separate section for each common theme you identify. Each section should have a centered and bolded section heading. The section heading can just be the name of the theme that the section is about. The section would discuss what each article contributes on that theme (be sure to properly cite the articles as you discuss the information you get from them). Remember to include a synthesis in your paper. This is where you discuss the articles/themes taken together as a single entity, and what you determine the overall message to be. REMEMBER, A SYNTHESIS IS NOT SIMPLY SUMMARIZING INFORMATION FROM THE ARTICLES OR RESTATING THE THEMES. You should NOT have a separate section for synthesis. Synthesis should occur throughout your document.
4.
CONCLUSION section. This is where you will very briefly recap all the major points you made in your paper. The conclusion needs to make the paper come full circle. Think of it as a mini condensed version of the paper, hitting major points and showing that the purpose/thesis, stated in the introduction, has been accomplished. Reaffirm the conclusion you have come to base on the analysis/synthesis you did. Include future recommendations. I would begin by looking at some of the limitations and generate your recommendations from there. Use citation in the conclusion to make a strong connection to the research discussed in the paper.
5.
REFERENCES & CITATIONS.
Make sure your paper is properly supported throughout with citations of sources (in this case the sources are the 3 articles being examined and the two supporting articles you found) for the information you provide, and the points your make. There should be a reference for every source cited in your paper. Make sure your in-text citations, references, and the references page are correctly formatted according to APA guidelines.
The last thing I want you to focus on is writing mechanics (sentence structure, grammar, etc..). This especially is something a tutor could help with (along with APA formatting) if necessary. Please proofread, and if you can, get someone else to proofread your paper as well.
Also, please take a look at, and familiarize yourself with, the rubric that will be used to grade your week 7 Synthesis paper so you can keep those elements in mind as you compose your paper.
Here are a few resources on SYNTHESISIZING that you may find helpful:
Drew University Synthesis Writing
http://www.users.drew.edu/sjamieso/synthesis.html
Help…I’ve Been Asked to Synthesize!
https://www.bgsu.edu/content/dam/BGSU/learning-commons/documents/writing/synthesis/asked-to-synthesize
Youtube Video: Synthesis Essay!? AAAAAHH!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jh62z3h3-mY&feature=youtu.be
I hope that helps.
See more comments below
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Researcher Skills
Rosaline Nixon
College of Doctoral Studies, Grand Canyon University
RES820A: The Literature Landscape: Organizational Leadership
Dr. Davis
February 27, 2022,
Researcher Skills
Over the years, the number of doctorate students who graduate on time has decreased; hence has become a major concern among various Higher Education Institutions. This is a major concern, and the worrying trend is attributed to various difficulties associated with writing a dissertation. Student learning success is important in higher education. One of the major skills at the doctorate level is adequate research skill to meet the dissertation’s required standards, and a Comment by Mendi Davis: This is a nice “hook” to draw the reader in; however, is this your opinion or is there research that supports this? In scholarly writing, we need to avoid the use of personal opinion that is not supported with research and an accompanying in-text citation
lack of the skills often causes a stall in education. In the three articles, the authors explore this issue and provide ways to complete their doctorate on time. The authors agree that feedback, supportive interactions, and proper time management are important in researching and completing the doctorate program. Comment by Mendi Davis: Does your thesis statement accurately depict the topic of the paper of researcher skills?
Feedback Comment by Mendi Davis: You must align your themes to the topic and focus of the paper first and then orient your voice to SKILLS (very specific skills) relative to the researcher.
A skill is an ability to do a particular task well and have expertise in the area (in this case the task is research).
Identity is how someone defines themselves in a given setting or context (in this case student/faculty).
Efficacy is the belief in ones ability to carry out a task (in this case research). Three different definitions, three different questions, three different orientations to the information and discussion we present.
You need to orient your voice to SKILLS relative to the researcher. I want to you to examine all of your themes through this lens and revise as necessary.
the discussion here focuses on two skills of a researcher.
Therefore we need to center our focus on researchers and the skills they employ to carry out research.
This is an important shift in terms of how we are presenting and discussing each skill.
We are not talking about the skills relative to the articles and doctoral learners – we are talking about how each skill enables a researcher to carry out their work.
For example, if writing is a research skill – we talk about how writing enables a researcher to carry out their work.
Similarly, if seeking out feedback is a research skill – we talk about how seeking out feedback enables a researcher to carry out their work. What is the value of feedback to the research process such that a researcher would seek out feedback?
To add depth to the discussion we go in to the wider literature and use the two skills as key words in our search.
Go to Google Scholar for example, and type in: Writing, publishing research
And look for articles that talk about writing as part of the process of carrying out and publishing research – this gives the reader the foundation for understanding WHY the skill of writing is central to carrying out research such that this is a necessary skill supporting the research
Feedback entails the information and reactions about an individual’s actions or performance and is critical in ensuring the dissertation’s effective completion. The lack of effective and timely feedback impacts the student research and ability to complete their education. According to Lindsay 2015 supervisors should provide the students with relevant, meaningful and timely feedback that resonates with their written drafts. By giving meaningful feedback, the supervisor is supportive of their students, boosting their confidence and encouraging them in their writing. This ensures that the students get the necessary help and their issues are addressed on time. This contributes to the overall success of the student. Hence, supervisors need to offer support to the students through timely and relevant feedback. Student-faculty interaction is important as the supervisor is pivotal to the student’s success, learning experience, and student satisfaction. Lee et al., 2015 indicates that students sought out timely feedback from their supervisors and responsiveness to their questions that encouraged exploring new concepts during their writing. This supportive approach enables the students to develop themselves as academic writers and is critical for the student’s success. In addition, Klocko et al., 2015 denote that clear faculty expectations and consistent, constructive feedback are required.
One supervisor may approve a student’s writing while another may not; hence, expectations and comments should also be uniform across the faculty as this is frustrating and may confuse the student. Clear, realistic, and consistent expectations and feedback among the faculty are hence important for the student’s success. This ensures that the students can work on their dissertations and complete the doctorate within the recommended time.
Supportive Interactions
Establishing effective relationships during the doctorate program is important for timely completion and writing the dissertation. Engaging in scholarly relations such as student-faculty relations are important in the success of doctoral learners. The faculty forms a basis for the support of the students as it ensures they guide the students in doing their writing, reviewing it and approving it. According to (Lee et al., 2020), only 56.6 % of students finished their doctorate, with the lowest completion rates occurring in social sciences and humanities. Without the support of the faculty, the doctorate completion rate is low. Without an effective student-faculty relationship, it hinders the student from accessing timely and relevant responses that are important in their education. This causes setbacks in writing impacts the students’ performance, leading to delays in completing the doctorate, confusion in writing the paper, and attrition. The student-faculty relation is pivotal in the success of the doctorate students, and supervisors should ensure that they provide the students with the necessary help throughout their writing. Lindsay et al. 2015 indicate that the quality of the student-faculty relationship is crucial as it encourages the student and indicates that the supervisors believe in their ability. Supportive interactions ensure that the student can balance their personal lives, careers, and education, which are all important elements in their lives. In addition, the student-faculty relationship is important in boosting students’ confidence in their work. Extensive feedback and writing guidance provided by the supervisor ensures that the student is on the right track reducing feelings of uncertainty encouraging them to improve on their writings (Klocko et al., 2015). In addition student to student support interaction through peer writing and peer review groups contributed to the student’s success. The students could offer supportive feedback and encouragement to help them manoeuvre the challenges of writing a dissertation and the doctorate program. The interaction encourages them as they are assured that they are not alone in their challenges and offer them an opportunity to learn. Connectedness, belonging, and support was highlighted as essential variables in inspiring students to overcome obstacles, while the lack of supportive interaction was the most important factor in not finishing the PhD work, particularly during the dissertation phase. Hence, the authors agree that supportive interactions, effective relations, and collaboration are essential in the timely completion of the doctorate program and ensuring success in writing the dissertation to become scholarly writers. Comment by Mendi Davis: In-text citations must be formatted as per APA formatting. Please see the following link – https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/citations/basic-principles/parenthetical-versus-narrative
Time Management Comment by Mendi Davis: A common theme is one that is supported in all three articles. How did Lindsey (2015) support this theme?
Time management is another major theme that emerged from all three articles and indicates that the students require a lot of time to research, prepare and write their work. According to Klocko et al., 2015 the students may become anxious due to the uncertainty of the amount of work they need to put in their writing. It affects their capability to write; hence, if the students are more confident, and through supervisor support, they can improve their writing and research skills and reduce the time used for writing their projects. In addition, through proper planning and self-discipline, the students can complete their dissertation in time. Proper planning and setting out clear goals on what the student wants to achieve at a given time ensures that the students can manage their time, stay motivated to meet the set goals and balance all aspects of their lives. Supervisor must encourage their students to write throughout the project rather than differing till the end of the project. Time management includes both writing time and organizing abilities gained through self-discipline. Learners will need self-discipline and independence to succeed because of the variable time and schedule; hence they must be effective in communication and flexibility (Lee et al., 2020). Time management is a crucial component of student learning success. Persistence, self-efficacy, and active learning engagement are all skills that students need. Mentoring and faculty support enable the doctoral student to complete the PhD program by independently conducting, evaluating, and presenting research. Comment by Mendi Davis: I call this an “author said” statement. I want you to avoid these types of statements as they take away your own voice as a writer and give it back to whomever you are citing. Also, these statements tend to lead you to summary rather than synthesis. While not necessarily “wrong”, it can be a bad habit so at this point in your writing I encourage you to avoid them.
Comment by Mendi Davis: Citations?The importance of citations is to provide peer reviewed support for our statements.
The importance of the references is to provide complete attribution for these sources.
**VITALLY IMPORTANT – if there are no references listed for in-text citations, the portions of text for which there are citations but no references, are NOT COUNTED in support of our statements. Likewise if there are no citations yet references, the portions of text without citations are NOT COUNTED in support of your statements.
This means our statements become null and void in the context of the presentation which as you might imagine, can have disastrous effects when it comes to the overall point(s) we are attempting to present
Conclusion
The three authors agree that the dissertation process and research are essential in the timely completion of the doctorate program. The major factors that determine the students’ learning success include feedback, supportive interactions, and time management. Feedback is important in ensuring the students are aware of the requirements of the program, and it also ensures that they can effectively improve on their writing and build on their confidence. Supportive interactions at the faculty level are essential in the student’s success and contribute to higher rates of the completion of the program. Student to student interactions ensures that the students stay motivated and get a response from their peers encouraging throughout the process. Lastly, time management is essential. Without proper planning and self-discipline, it affects the timely completion of the program and the students learning success. Comment by Mendi Davis: This assignment is not about the articles. The articles are simply a resource to be used to write the paper. Comment by Mendi Davis: Even your conclusion needs to include in-text citations
References
Klocko, B. A., Marshal, S. M., & Davidson, J. F. (2015). Developing practioner-scholar doctoral candidates as critical writers. Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, 15(4). 21-31. http://www.na-businesspress.com/JHETP/KlockoBA_Web15_4_
Lee, H., Chang, H., & Bryan, L. (2020). Doctoral students’ learning success in online-based leadership programs: Intersection with technological and relational factors. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 21(1), 61-81.
Lindsay, S. (2015). What works for doctoral students in completing their thesis? Teaching in Higher Education, 20(2). 183-196. http://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2014.974025
Running head: SYNTHESIS PAPER 1
SYNTHESIS PAPER 5
Synthesis Paper
:
Student’s Name:
Institutional Affiliation:
Synthesis Paper
Introduction
Doctoral students need to have research skills that will help them to develop and implement ideas. All three articles have focused on how these students can improve their skills and, thus, becoming competent. The article by Baker & Pifer (2011) focuses on imparting students with personal, professional, and transferrable skills to make them perform well in their careers. Smith and Hatmaker (2014) are interested in making students know what they need to do and do it. Hence, they shall develop their professional identity. Gardener (2009) says that students need to cultivate a good relationship with the faculty to be guided in their research. In all three, themes of academic success, relationships, and self-drive are evident.
Theme 1: Academic Success
Achieving success in academics involves getting good grades and getting all the goals that were set. According to Baker & Pifer (2011), doctoral students should be imparted with the requisite skills to succeed academically. There should be both in-class and online tutorials to make sure that the students complete their studies successfully. Online platforms can be used even when the supervisor is not on campus, and they can answer whatever the questions students have. Therefore, it’s convenient. Students can also do assignments online and submit them where the system grades them automatically. Students need to be committed to their studies to have the necessary research skills (Gardener, 2009). Consistency and positivity should be embraced at all times. They should also consult their supervisors for directions and advice so that they remain on the right track. They should set targets in terms of the grades and scores they want to get, and that will make them work harder. Students who are proactive and develop a good relationship with the faculty become successful in their studies (Smith & Hatmaker, 2015). There was a study that was done among students researching public administration in European and American universities. Doctoral students should know what they want and make things happen instead of waiting for things to happen. They start reading and doing research to make themselves better. In the process, they develop ideas that are tested and proven to be helpful in the society. Thus, they become change agents in the society and they feel that have accomplished something.
Theme 2: Relationships
Relationships involve getting networks where the doctoral students should relate well with the faculty, other doctoral students, and professionals (Smith and Hatmaker, 2015). Gardener (2009) and Baker & Pifer (2011) emphasize on the same issue. Faculty members have experienced research that can offer good guidance mentorship to the students. Therefore, it is good to be close to them, and that will lead to success. Also, doctoral students should relate well with one another to assist each other in their studies and research. Success requires others, and thus, it is good to know how to deal with people. Being able to get along well with people helps build communication skills necessary for the workplace. No one can lead people without being good at communication. People have different opinions, and their attitudes are different. When hired to lead an organization or a group of people, it is the skills of dealing with people that will enable the person to influence them towards the desired direction. First of all, they need to be informed about the vision and mission of the organization. From there, they get to know why they need to do what is required of them. They work harder, and that is how they make the organization reach greater heights. Studies have shown that employees are satisfied with their work if they have a good relationship with management. Likewise, doctoral students do well when they establish a good relationship with their departments and faculties. These skills are vital since they will be working with people after their studies.
Theme 3: Self-drive
Self-drive is the one that makes these doctoral students do what is needed of them without being followed up. After all, they enrolled in the program willingly because they know what they want. It is that self-drive that will make them complete the program successfully. They should be able to reflect on their learning and be creative. If they require more training, they should go for it to compete well with others (Baker & Pifer, 2011). Focus, time management, proper organization, and motivation are part of self-drive that makes the students successfully finish the program (Gardener, 2009). Proper preparation leads to an understanding of the course materials and creative research ideas (Smith & Hatmaker, 2015). Research requires reading widely to get different ideas on the kind of topic to come up with. A research topic needs to be unique to avoid plagiarism. Additionally, the topic should be about an issue that can be researched using the available methods. In other words, the topic should be realistic. Only those students who are motivated will finish their work on time. Some submit work after the deadline leading to reduction of marks. Also, their work is of low quality, and that leads to poor grades. These are the students who do not prioritize things and end up regretting it. Some students start the program with vigor, but that reduces with time. There is a lot of investment done by those who enroll in the doctoral program, and they should ensure that it does not go into waste by being serious with their work. Some students waste their chance and end up being depressed and having a low sense of self -esteem.
Conclusion
All three articles focus on doctoral students’ success, where they need to do well in their coursework and get the requisite research skills. These students need to work hard and consistently to achieve their goals. Doctoral students are considered to have succeeded if they get good grades and complete the degree program. Establishing a good relationship with the faculty and other students is part of ensuring that the students get the desired grades. Besides, they will consult the professors and get guided in their research. Doctoral students focus more on research to come up with solutions to most of the problems facing people in the society. These students should be self-driven to have an easier time and cooperate well with the instructors. They will submit their reports and assignments on time, and they will be given feedback. Having goals will act as the motivator to keep going so that they can be achieved. These goals should also be given a time limit. Having a time frame helps to get focused and avoid distractions. One cannot relax when they remember that they need to achieve a specific goal by a particular time.
References
Baker, V. L., & Pifer, M. J. (2011). The role of relationships in the transition from doctor to independent scholar. Studies in Continuing Education, 33(1), 5-17.Doi:10.1080/0158037X.2010.515569
Gardner, S. K. (2009). Conceptualizing success in doctoral education: Perspectives of faculty in seven disciplines. The Review of Higher Education, 32(3), 383-406.Doi:10.1353/rhe.0.0075
Smith, A. E., & Hatmaker, D. M. (2014). Knowing, doing, and becoming: Professional identity construction among public affairs doctoral students. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 20(4), 545-564.