CoChat
Sign Up
Cited by 133

The DOI matches its Crossref record.

The Relationships between Doctoral Students’ Perceptions of Supervision and Burnout

Cornér, Solveig, Löfström, Erika, Pyhältö, Kirsi·2017·International Journal of Doctoral Studies
DOI 10.28945/3754
Open this paper in CoChat — free account

Abstract

Aim/Purpose: Both the quality and the quantity of doctoral supervision have been identified as central determinants of the doctoral journey. However, there is a gap in our understanding of how supervision activities are associated with lack of wellbeing, such as burnout, and also to completion of the studies among doctoral students. Background: The study explored doctoral students’ perceptions of different aspects of supervision including the primary sources, frequency, expressed satisfaction and their interrelation with experienced stress, exhaustion and cynicism. Methodology: Altogether 248 doctoral students from three Finnish universities representing social sciences, arts and humanities, and natural and life sciences responded to an adapted version of a Doctoral Experience Survey. A combination of several measures was used to investigate the students’ experiences of supervision and burnout. Contribution: The results showed that students benefit from having several and different kinds of supervision activities. Various sources contribute not only to experiences of the doctoral journey and burnout, but also to the completion of the studies. Findings: Experienced lack of satisfaction with supervision and equality within the researcher community and a low frequency of supervision were related to experiences of burnout. Experiences of burnout were connected to students’ attrition intentions. Attrition intentions were related to source of supervision, the form of thesis, and inadequate supervision frequency. Frequency was related to both experience of burnout and likelihood of attrition. Recommendations for Practitioners: A recommendation developed from this research is to assist doctoral students with sufficient support, especially equality within the scholarly community and frequency of supervision. Further, greater emphasis could be put on group supervision and other collective forms of supervision. It is important that doctoral students develop networks both nationally and internationally. Recommendation for Researchers: A recommendation emanating from this research is to put greater emphasis on further investigation of the role of other predictors in burnout in order to enhance doctoral students’ well-being. Impact on Society: A better understanding of factors that promote lower attrition rates and enhance well-being for doctoral students is likely to lead to more efficient use of finacial and intellectual resources in academia and society more broadly. Future Research: Given the results of this study, qualitative interviews might be helpful in mapping out the dynamics that lead to attrition and to identify the mechanisms in the researcher community that support the doctoral students and enhance well-being in their doctoral journey.

Overview

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.28945/3754

Cites

Statistics

Figures

Image 1
CC-BY-NC · From the PDF
Image 2
CC-BY-NC · From the PDF
Image 3
CC-BY-NC · From the PDF

Verification

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

Citations

Cites

No references could be resolved yet.

Research works printed but not linked: 36

  1. Bakker, A-B., & Demerouti, E. (2006). The job demands-resources model: State of the art. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 22(3), 309-328.
  2. Delany, D. (2012). A review of the literature on effective PhD supervision. Centre for Practice and Student Learning. Trinity College.
  3. Elo, A-L., Leppänen, A., & Jahkola, A. (2003). Validity of single-item measure of stress symptoms. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health, 29(6), 594-604.
  4. Freudenberger, H. J. (1974). Staff burnout. Journal of Social Issues, 30, 159-165.
  5. Gardner, S. K. (2007). "I heard it through the grapevine". Doctoral student socialization in chemistry and his- tory. Higher Education, 54(5), 723-740.
  6. Golde, C. M. (2005). The role of the department and discipline in doctoral student attrition: Lessons from four departments. The Journal of Higher Education, 76(6), 669-700.
  7. Gurr, G. M (2001). Negotiating the "Rackety Bridge" -A dynamic model for aligning supervisory style with research student development. Higher Education Research & Development, 20(1), 81
  8. Hakkarainen, K. P., Wires, S., Keskinen, J., Paavola, S., Pohjola, P., Lonka, K., & Pyhältö, K. (2013). On person- al and collective dimensions of agency in doctoral training: Medicine and natural sciences programs. Studies in Continuing Education. 36(1), 83-100. Retrieved September 4, 2016 from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0158037X.2013.787982 · DOI
  9. Halse, C., & Malfroy, J. (2010). Retheorizing doctoral supervision as professional work. Studies in Higher Educa- tion, 35(1), 79-92. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03075070902906798 · DOI
  10. Hyun, J., Quinn, B., Madon, T., & Lustig, S. (2007). Mental health need, awareness, and use of counseling ser- vices among international graduate students. Journal of American Collage Health, 56 (2).
  11. Ives, G., & Rowley, G. (2005). Supervisor selection or allocation and continuity of supervision: Ph.D. students' progress and outcomes. Studies in Higher Education, 30(5), 535-555.
  12. Ismail, H. M., Majidb, F. A., & Ismail, I. S. (2013). "It's a complicated" relationship: Research students' perspec- tive on doctoral supervision. Procedia -Social and Behavioral Sciences 90, 165-170. Retrieved June 4, 2015. Doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2013. · DOI
  13. Jairam, D., & Kahl, D. H., Jr. (2012). Navigating the doctoral experience: The role of social support in success- ful degree completion. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 7, 313-329. Retrieved November 13, 2015 from https://www.informingscience.org/Publications/1700
  14. Kam, B. (1997). Style and quality in research supervision: The supervisor dependency factor. Higher Education, 34(1), 81-103.
  15. Lee, A. (2007). Developing effective supervisors. South African Journal of Higher Education, 2 4), 680-693.
  16. Lee, A. (2008). How are doctoral students supervised? Concepts of doctoral research supervision. Studies in Higher Education, 33(3), 267-281.
  17. Löfström, E.. & Pyhältö, K. (2014) Ethical issues in doctoral supervision -The perspectives of PhD students in the natural and behavioral sciences. Ethics & Behavior, 24(3), 195-214.
  18. Löfström, E., & Pyhältö, K. (2015) "I don't even have time to be their friend!" Ethical dilemmas in PhD super- vision in hard sciences. International Journal of Science Education, 37(16), 2721-2739.
  19. Malfroy, J. (2005). Doctoral supervision, workplace research and changing pedagogic practices. Higher Education Research & Development, 24(2), 165-178. Retrieved April 26, 2016 from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/07294360500062961 · DOI
  20. Maslach, C. (2003). Job burnout: New directions in research and intervention. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 12(5), 189-192.
  21. Maslach, C., & Jackson, S. E. (1981). The measurement of experienced burnout. Journal of Occupational Behavior, 2, 99-113.
  22. Maslach, C., Schaufeli, W., & Leiter, P. (2001). Job burnout. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 397-422.
  23. Pearson, M., Brew, A. (2002). Research training and supervision development. Studies in Higher Education, 27(2), 135-150.
  24. Pyhältö, K., & Keskinen, J. (2012). Doctoral students' sense of relational agency in their scholarly communities. International Journal of Higher Education, 1, 136-149.
  25. Pyhältö, K., Stubb, J., & Lonka, K. (2009). Developing scholarly communities as learning environments for doctoral students. International Journal for Academic Development, 14(3), 221-232.
  26. Pyhältö, K., Vekkaila, J., & Keskinen J. (2012). Exploring the fit between doctoral students' and supervisors' perceptions of resources and challenges vis-à-vis the doctoral journey. International Journal of Doctoral studies, 7, 395-414. Retrieved from https://www.informingscience.org/Publications/1745
  27. Pyhältö, K., Vekkaila, K., & Keskinen, J. (2015). Fit matters in the supervisory relationship: doctoral students and supervisors perceptions about the supervisory activities. Innovations in Education and Teaching Internation- al, 52(1), 4-16.
  28. Rigg, J., Day, J., & Adler, H. (2013). Emotional exhaustion in graduate students: The role of engagement, self- efficacy and social support. Journal of Educational and Developmental Psychology, 3(2), 138-152.
  29. Schaufeli, W. B., Martinez, I. M., Pinto, A. M., Salanova, M., & Bakker, A. B. (2002). Burnout and engagement in university students. A cross national study. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 33(5), 464-481.
  30. Seagram, B. C., Gould, J., & Pyke, S. W. (1998). An investigation of gender and other variables on time comple- tion of doctoral degrees. Research in Higher Education, 39(3), 319-335.
  31. Stubb, J., Pyhältö, K. & Lonka, K. (2011). Balancing between inspiration and exhaustion: PhD students' experi- enced socio-psychological well-being. Studies in Continuing Education, 33(1), 33-50.
  32. Vekkaila, J., Pyhältö, K., Hakkarainen, K., Keskinen, J., & Lonka, K. (2012). Doctoral students' key learning experiences in the natural sciences. International Journal for Researcher Development, 3(2), 154-183.
  33. Vekkaila, J., Pyhältö, K., & Lonka, K. (2013). Experiences of disengagement -A study of doctoral students in the behavioral sciences. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 8, 61-81. Retrieved from https://www.informingscience.org/Publications/1870
  34. Wao, H. O., & Onwuegbuzie, A.J. (2011). A mixed research investigation of factors related to time to the doc- torate in education. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 6, 115-134. Retrieved from https://www.informingscience.org/Publications/1505
  35. Whisker, G., & Claesson, S. (2013). The impact of cross-disciplinary culture on student-supervisor perceptions. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 8, 21-37. Retrieved from https://www.informingscience.org/Publications/1763
  36. Zhao, C-M, Golde, C. M., & McCormick, A. C. (2007). More than a signature. How advisor choice and advisor behavior affect doctoral student satisfaction. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 31(3), 263-281. Re- trieved January 3, 2016 from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03098770701424983 · DOI · Paper page

Cited by

Sorted by citations

See all 133

Metadata

Authors
Cornér, S., Löfström, E., & Pyhältö, K.
Affiliations
University of Helsinki
Venue
International Journal of Doctoral Studies
Publisher
Informing Science Institute
Published
2017
Volume
12
Pages
091-106
ISSN
  • 1556-8881
  • 1556-8873
DOI
10.28945/3754
Cited by
133
References
0
Language
en
Licence
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ (unspecified)

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review

How to cite

Cite CoChat for the checks on this page, and the paper for its own findings.

This page
CoChat. (2026). Citation check: The Relationships between Doctoral Students’ Perceptions of Supervision and Burnout. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.28945/3754
The paper
Cornér, S., Löfström, E., & Pyhältö, K. (2017). The Relationships between Doctoral Students’ Perceptions of Supervision and Burnout. International Journal of Doctoral Studies. https://doi.org/10.28945/3754