Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

The Doctoral Journey and the Phenomenon of the Silent Death (R.I.P.)

The doctoral journey is an open-ended journey and there are infinite ways doctoral students could follow. Those on a more structured professional doctorate, like the Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA), may have formal coursework that provides guidance in the initial phase. But ultimately, this is your research and you need to craft your pathway. There is an endless amount of literature to read, a myriad of methodologies, methods and frameworks to explore, skills and mind sets to trial and adopt; and all against little and vague feedback, and guidance that supervisors or peers might provide you with. There are no clear milestones, no firm control points, no ultimate guideline to follow, which leaves students at permanent doubt whether or not their work is progressing well, is up to the standard, and ultimately would survive the Viva.

Doctoral attrition rates are as high as 75%

Perhaps as a result of all of this, there is the phenomenon of what could be seen as a ‘silent death’ that goes along with the doctoral journey. According to HESA, a shocking 75% of UK doctoral students will never graduate. Almost the same (72%) of those studying for a doctorate in Australia will not graduate as The Conversations notes. As a OECD study shows, over half (52) of doctoral students in OECD and partner-countries will not complete their doctorate. And as Nature reports, one-third (36%) of doctoral students sought help for anxiety and depression. As many as 18% of students indicate they have sought help from their institution but didn’t feel supported.

The doctoral journey and the silent death phenomenon

Now, given the particularities of the doctoral journey, this attrition happens however ‘gradually’ and it happens relatively noise free, and thus it seems to be a sort of ‘silent death’. It is silent because most of these 52% to 75% of the students that drop out do exactly that: they just drop out. They do it voluntarily without being forced to do so. No big fuss or legal appeals. And while the Viva is feared, it is usually not the place where things go wrong. It is much more likely that a student completes the Viva with major revisions, instead of failing, and then suffers the silent death afterwards. It is you who is setting yourself up to fail, and it is you that calls it off – and therefore you are, in principle, in full control on getting yourself through the journey. Now, with 7 out of 10 not making it through, there is a clear difference between in ‘being in principle’ and ‘being in practice” in full control. So, let’s look at some of the practical points that can set you up to fail and lead to a silent death.

Where things can go wrong – the classic 7 reasons for the silent death…

It is often the obvious things that lead to failure. So, watch out for such obvious signs and carefully assess:

1.) Has the problem been properly defined and framed? And do I actually understand what a problem is? 

2.) The solution bias and focus on the desired outcome (the bespoke ‘solution’) instead of the actual problem (what your research should be about).

3.) Avoiding naming the problem altogether.

4.) Methodological flaws, such as a poorly chosen method, or a misapplied method that calls into question the scientific validity of the thesis? 

5.) Just speaking through the literature, but no critical engagement.

6.) Understanding that research is non-linear, while your thesis is…

7.) Assuming that the University support system will take you by hand as much as it did at your Bachelor and Master studies.

Let’s take a closer look:

1.) Has the problem been properly defined and framed? And do you actually understand what a problem is? 

From our experience at the DoctorateHub there are a overwhelming number of students that struggle with the problem statement. Some find it perfectly normal that “How can I improve the return in my company?” is a rock-solid problem statement… If you are amongst those, let’s do a quick test. The sentence ends with a “?”, right? So, it is a question, and not a statement. Many students with whom we work have difficulties in articulating research problems and working over the problem end. Luckily, framing problems is something that can be trained. If you want to test yourself, then take a look at our advanced training course on Issue Identification, Problematizing and Research Question Framing (there is a free peer study option), join our Proposal Development Club, or attend a workshop on the subject.

2.) The solution bias and focus on the desired outcome (the bespoke ‘solution’) instead of the actual problem (what your research should be about).

The solution bias is omnipresent. Students, and clearly those in business with whom we frequently work, are incredibly solution focused, and thus often try to define their ‘research’ over the desired solution. Let’s say that a profit margin is seen to be too low, then the focus is on ‘how to increase the profit margin’, instead of asking questions such as ‘why is the profit margin lower than the industry standard’. In case you are not clear about the difference in between a problem and a solution, then you might want to watch the replay of this webinar on The Research Problem and the Solution Bias.

3.) Avoiding naming the problem altogether.

Avoiding naming the problem altogether is something that surprisingly seems to happen relatively frequently. In such case the thesis will start out with “The problem is that we need a ‘solution’ … [fill in the solution wished for]” – and then, in following parts of the thesis the student is referencing back to that “initial problem statement” saying something like “to address the problem we need to [take anything to fill this empty phrase].” Luckily, you can check for yourself if you fall into this category by just reading through your thesis and look for the very word “problem”. If the word is showing up consistently then the likelihood is great that you avoid naming it. To “fix this” three things are recommended: Make sure you understood points 1.) and 2.) above, and thirdly to ‘mirror out’ the content of your thesis. The mirroring technique will encourage you to exchange generic titles and phrases (such as “Background to the problem”) against specific ones (such as “Leaderships issues and staff fluctuation rates of 25%”). To learn more about mirroring you might want to watch the replay of this webinar on Mirroring as a mean to build up your Thesis, or take a look at our advanced training course on Writing up and Structuring your Thesis (there is a free peer study option).

4.) Methodological flaws, such as a poorly chosen method, or a misapplied method that calls into question the scientific validity of the thesis? 

Research draws on earlier research. Unfortunately, students often like to be too creative and to neglect this simple, but important fact. Do you belong to this category? Did you formulate your interview questions from scratch, or did you draw on existing studies? In case of the former, the likelihood is great that you are setting yourself up to fail. You are expected to draw on existing studies, which usually come with existing interview questions, variables, parameters, and the like. Contrary, if you make up your interview questions from scratch, then how is this drawing on earlier research (see the next point)? Be sure that you know the answer to this as examiners will probe you on this in the Viva. You can join our Research Planning Club or attend a workshop on the subject.

5.) Just speaking through the literature, but no critical engagement.

Do you ‘speak through the literature’ or do you ‘critically engage’ with it? For example, was Fischer (1998) saying that you should use Action Research in your study that takes place in 2019? Very unlikely. Fischer (1998) perhaps suggested to use Action Research for the reasons of ABC once investigating XYZ. But he will not have said that you should use it. Critical engagement means to pick on the ABC/XYZ to justify why you in your research should be using such methods. While such a level of detail makes the writing admittedly time consuming, it is a great remedy for avoiding common sense writing, opinionation, and to stay focused. If you are unsure about the difference in between engaging with and speaking through the literature, then watch this webinar: Stop speaking through the Literature: engaging in critical Analytics.

You might also want to check whether you read the literature with a “solution lens” and look for confirmation of assumptions, or for random things that might provide solutions to a vague problem that you resist looking at (see the first three points). The purpose of the engagement with the literature is to understand and examine problems in a non-biased way. Or at the very least, to explore it from more than the angle that you as the researcher initially assumed would be the main pain point to be resolved. Students should locate the problem within the respective literature field and clearly work out what is already known about it and what is not. This will allow you to establish boundaries, which is crucial for focused work and to advance. Without boundaries the likelihood of getting lost is high.

6.) Understanding that research is non-linear, while your thesis is…

To those who have gone through the doctoral and research journeys it is perhaps obvious that your research is non-linear. What will be linear, however, is the narrative in which the thesis, like also the initial research proposal, are written up. Except for that there will be a juggling across literature review, problem and question framing, data collection and analytics, and the likes. There are some techniques that can help you to get through this juggling, and if you consider training you are welcome to watch the replay of this webinar on Mirroring as a mean to build up your Thesis, or take a look at our advanced training course on Writing up and Structuring your Thesis (there is a free peer study option).

7.) Assuming that the University support system will take you by hand as much as it did at your Bachelor and Master studies.

The University support system at the doctoral level is quite different than the one at the Bachelor and Master level. For instance, any preparatory coursework is exactly just that: preparatory. What matters is the thesis and passing the Viva. For this, you need to complete your research and write it up. That’s all what matters.

And while you will be assigned one or more supervisors, don’t expect them to be the main source of support. They are usually not taking you by hand and walk you through the journey. Therefore, be prepared that the likelihood is great that you will need to spend considerable time, efforts and funds in seeking support from the various available internal and external sources.

Understand your training needs and where you can find such training. There are numerous support formats available to you, such as training, coaching, mentoring, and peer discussions. Simply determine which ones are best suited to your needs. If you have any questions, join DoctorateHub and let’s get that thesis done!

Search

Categories

Recent Blog

Follow Us