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Cited by 91Doctoral Education Challenges and SolutionsHigher Education Research StudiesHigher Education Governance and Development

Swedish Doctoral Students' Experiences on their Journey towards a PhD: Obstacles and opportunities inside and outside the academic building

Appel, Monika L., Dahlgren, Lars G.·2003·Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research
DOI 10.1080/00313830308608
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Abstract

The overall aim of this article was to provide a picture of how doctoral students experience their working conditions on their journey towards a PhD. It is based mainly on an extensive pilot study and comprised both a qualitative and a quantitative section. The questionnaire was distributed to 278 students of both sexes at Umea § University in Sweden and the interview study comprises six female students. Interest in working at the university after receiving a PhD was about as great for women as it was for men, although, significantly fewer women continued. Different aspects of insecurity (financial insecurity, insecurity concerning one's own capacity, and insecurity concerning unwritten rules), difficulty in combining an academic career and a family, as well as negative experiences, were some of the obstacles mentioned. The opportunities described included intellectual development and a good chance for in-depth study in a special field. Several of the students also felt that their work involved something of importance. Many mentioned freedom, but often as a kind of Janus face (two-faced) freedom. They emphasised the advantages of freedom in doing research, but maintained at the same time that this freedom also meant that there was no clear dividing line between work and leisure time, and the women in particular felt under stress.

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  • The few studies on PhD students suggest that stress may stem from various problems in the PhD process, such as problems concerning one's own learning, different aspects of insecurity, frequent evaluation, competitive atmosphere, supervision, relationships to faculty and peers, workload and work-life interface.

    “The few studies on PhD students suggest that stress may stem from various problems in the PhD process, such as problems concerning one's own learning, different aspects of insecurity (financial insecurity, insecurity concerning unwritten rules), frequent evaluation, competitive atmosphere, supervision, relationships to faculty and peers, workload and work-life interface (Appel and Dahlgren, 2003;K”

    From Work organization and mental health problems in PhD students (2017) · cites this paper as Appel and Dahlgren, 2003

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Authors
Appel, M. L., & Dahlgren, L. G.
Affiliations
Umeå University (SE)
Venue
Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Published
2003-03
Volume
47
Issue
1
Pages
89-110
ISSN
  • 0031-3831 (ISSN-L)
  • 1470-1170
DOI
10.1080/00313830308608
OpenAlex
W2124678288
Cited by
90
References
11
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 9
FWCI
1.43
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research (publishedVersion)
Funders
Umeå Universitet
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Doctoral Education Challenges and Solutions
  • Social Sciences › Education › Higher Education Research Studies
  • Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Higher Education Governance and Development
Keywords
doctoral students, PhD journey, working conditions, gender differences, women in academia, financial insecurity, work-family balance, academic careers, work-life boundaries, stress, intellectual development, Umeå University

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