Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

New Spaces for Agency in Doctoral Education: An Ecological Approach

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Student Agency and Self-Formation in Higher Education

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Global Higher Education ((PSGHE))

  • 304 Accesses

Abstract

Doctoral education was traditionally understood as a socialisation process through which PhD researchers become part of their relevant disciplinary communities by learning, adopting, and contributing to the knowledge-creation practices in their field: the PhD as training for academia. However, the PhD is more than a means for academic development, and the nature and purpose of the PhD is changing. Recent decades have seen a growing body of literature focused on agency that recognises the range of motivations, personal factors, and career goals that PhD researchers bring to increasingly complex institutional settings. This chapter explores the ways in which the ecological university creates spaces for agency in which doctoral researchers may shape their academic, social, and personal lives. The chapter argues that the PhD and researcher formation cannot be reduced to knowledge creation and scientific pursuits resonating only within academic communities—the PhD and doctoral education has also become inextricably entangled with questions concerning citizenship, social justice, and personal integrity.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 119.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Andres, L., Bengtsen, S., Crossouard, B., Gallego, L., Keefer, J., & Pyhältö, K. (2015). Drivers and interpretations of doctoral education today: National comparisons. Frontline Learning Research, 3(2), 63–80.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arvanitakis, J., & Hornsby, D. J. (2016). Universities, the citizen-scholar and the future of higher education. Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Arvanitakis, J., & Hornsby, D. J. (2018). Citizenship and the thinking university: Toward the citizen scholar. In S. Bengtsen & R. Barnett (Eds.), The thinking university. A philosophical examination of thought and higher education (pp. 87–102). Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Auriol, L., Misu, M., & Freeman, R. A. (2013). Careers of doctoral holders: Analysis of labour market and mobility indicators. OECD Science, Technology and Industry working papers, 4 (pp. 1–61).

    Google Scholar 

  • Barnacle, R. (2005). Research education ontologies. Exploring doctoral becoming. Higher Education Research and Development, 24(2), 179–188.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barnacle, R. (2018). Research education and care: The care-full PhD. In S. Bengtsen & R. Barnett (Eds.), The thinking university. A philosophical examination of thought and higher education (pp. 77–86). Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barnacle, R., Cuthbert, D., Schmidt, C., & Batty, C. (2020). HASS PhD graduate careers and knowledge transfer: A conduit for enduring, multi-sector networks. Arts and Humanities in Higher Education, 19(4), 397–418. https://doi.org/10.1177/1474022219870976

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barnett, R. (1997). Higher education. A critical business. Open University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barnett, R. (2018). The ecological university. A feasible utopia. Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barnett, R. (2022). The philosophy of higher education. A critical introduction. Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Belfiore, E. (2014). ‘Impact’, ‘value’, and ‘bad economics’: Making sense of the problem of value in the arts and humanities. Arts & Humanities in Higher Education, 14(1), 95–110.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bengtsen, S. (2019). Building doctoral ecologies and ecological curricula. The sprawling spaces for learning in researcher education. In N. Jackson & R. Barnett (Eds.), Learning ecologies (pp. 146–159). Routledge.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Bengtsen, S. (2021). Agency in doctoral education. Towards graduate school cohesion and a heightened societal awareness. In A. Lee & R. Bongaardt (Eds.), The future of doctoral research. Challenges and opportunities (pp. 18–27). Routledge.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Bengtsen, S. (2022). Academic activism reconsidered: Between societal impact and emancipation. Philosophy and Theory in Higher Education, 4(2), 41–60.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bengtsen, S., & McAlpine, L. (2022). A novel perspective on doctoral supervision. Interaction of time, academic work, institutional policies, and lifecourse. Learning and Teaching in the Social Sciences (LATISS), 15(1), 21–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bengtsen, S., Barnett, R., Grant, B., McAlpine, L., Wisker, G., & Wright, S. (2021). The societal entanglements of doctoral education: The development of a research framework for a critical analysis of the societal impact of the humanities PhD. Centre for Higher Education Futures. Working papers on university reform (pp. 1–48). Working paper 36. Aarhus University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Biesta, G. & Tedder, M. (2006). How is agency possible? Towards an ecological understanding of Agency-as-achievement. Working paper 5, Learning Lives. Learning, Identity, and Agency in the Life Course.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burford, J. (2018). The trouble with doctoral aspiration now. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 31(6), 487–503. https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2017.1422287

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cannelli, B., et al. (2021). Next generation careers in and from digital humanities. Third discussion paper of the UK-Ireland DH Network. https://eprints.gla.ac.uk/268963/1/268963.pdf

  • Concordat Strategy Group. (2019). The concordat to support the career development of researchers. https://researcherdevelopmentconcordat.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Researcher-Development-Concordat_Sept2019-1.pdf

  • Cuthbert, D., & Barnacle, R. (2021). A public and persuasive PhD: Reforming doctoral education in the outreach-focused university. In R. Barnacle & D. Cuthbert (Eds.), The PhD at the end of the world. Provocations for the doctorate and a future contested (pp. 101–115). Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Cuthbert, D., & Spark, C. (2008). Getting a GRiP: Examining the outcomes of a pilot program to support graduate research students in writing for publication. Studies in Higher Education, 33(1), 77–88. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070701794841

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davids, N., & Waghid, Y. (2021). Academic activism in higher education. A living philosophy of social justice. Springer.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Diamond, A., Ball, C., Vorley, T., Hughes, T., Moreton, R., Howe, P., & Nathwani, T. (2014). The impact of doctoral careers. CFE Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elliot, D. L. (2022). A ‘doctoral compass’: Strategic reflection, self-assessment and recalibration for navigating the ‘twin’ doctoral journey. Studies in Higher Education, 47(8), 1652–1665. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2021.1946033

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elmgren, M., Forsberg, E., Lindberg-Sand, Å., & Sonesson, A. (2015). The formation of doctoral education. Lund University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Emirbayer, M., & Mische, A. (1998). What is agency? American Journal of Sociology, 103(4), 962–1023.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freire, P. (2017). Pedagogy of the oppressed (M. B. Ramos, Trans.). Penguin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frick, L. (2019). PhD by publication – Panacea or paralysis? Africa Education Review, 16(5), 47–59. https://doi.org/10.1080/18146627.2017.1340802

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gardner, S. K., & Mendoza, P. (Eds.). (2010). On becoming a scholar. Socialization and development in doctoral education. Stylus Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gibson, W. (2021). Fictional writing in doctoral theses: The (re)engagement of play and reflexivity. In C. Badenhorst, B. Amell, & J. Burford (Eds.), Re-imagining Doctoral Writing (pp. 235–251). WAC Clearinghouse. https://doi.org/0.37514/INT-B.2021.1343.2.12

  • Gokhberg, L., Shmatko, N., & Auriol, L. (Eds.). (2016). The science and technology labor force. The value of doctoral holders and development of professional careers. Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Golde, C. M., & Walker, G. E. (Eds.). (2006). Envisioning the future of doctoral education. Preparing stewards of the discipline. Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grant, B. M. (2008). Agonistic struggle master-slave dialogues in humanities supervision. Arts and Humanities in Higher Education, 7(1), 9–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guccione, K., & Bryan, B. (2023). Worth doing but not worth having? The influence of personal aspirations and career expectations on the value of a doctorate. Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education, 14(1), 83–98. https://doi.org/10.1108/SGPE-02-2022-0012

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guerin, C. (2020). Stories of moving on: HASS PhD graduates’ motivations and career trajectories inside and beyond academia. Arts and Humanities in Higher Education, 19(3), 304–324. https://doi.org/10.1177/1474022219834448

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hancock, S. (2021). What is known about doctoral employment? Reflections from a UK study and directions for future research. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 43(5), 520–536.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hazelkorn, E. (2015). Making an impact: New directions for arts and humanities research. Arts and Humanities in Higher Education, 14(1), 25–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Horta, H., & Santos, J. M. (2016). The impact of publishing during PhD: Studies on career research publication, visibility, and collaborations. Research in Higher Education, 57, 28–50. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-015-9380-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kelly, F. (2017). The idea of the PhD: The doctorate in the 21st century imagination. Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Laundon, M. (2017, December 18). PhD students should be taught more about research impact and engagement. LSE Impact Blog. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2017/12/18/phd-students-should-be-taught-more-about-research-impact-and-engagement/#:~:text=students%20about%20impact%3F-,Integrating%20research%20impact%20and%20engagement%20into%20PhD%20programmes%20may%20help,requiring%20demonstration%20of%20research%20impact

  • Lee, A. (2010). When the article is the dissertation: Pedagogies for a PhD by publication. In C. Aitchison, B. Kamler, & A. Lee (Eds.), Publishing pedagogies for the doctorate and beyond (pp. 12–29). Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lunt, I., McAlpine, L., & Mills, D. (2014). Lively bureaucracy: The ESRC’s Doctoral Training Centres and UK universities. Oxford Review of Education, 40(2), 151–170. https://doi.org/10.1080/03054985.2013.862167

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Manathunga, C. (2005). The development of research supervision: “Turning the light on a private space”. International Journal for Academic Development, 10(1), 17–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Manathunga, C. (2014). Intercultural postgraduate supervision: Reimagining time, place and knowledge. Routledge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Manathunga, C. (2019). ‘Timescapes’ in doctoral education: The politics of temporal equity in higher education. Higher Education Research and Development, 38(6), 1227–1239. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2019.1629880

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mantai, L., & Marrone, M. (2022). Identifying skills, qualifications, and attributes expected to do a PhD. Studies in Higher Education, 47(11), 2273–2286. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2022.2061444

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mantai, L., & Marrone, M. (2023). Academic career progression from early career researcher to professor: What can we learn from job ads. Studies in Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2023.2167974

  • Mason, S., & Merga, M. K. (2018). A current view of the thesis by publication in the humanities and social sciences. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 13, 139–154. https://doi.org/10.28945/3983

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McAlpine, L. (2021). How might the (social sciences) PhD play a role in addressing global challenges? In R. Barnacle & D. Cuthbert (Eds.), The PhD at the end of the world. Provocations for the doctorate and a future contested (pp. 83–99). Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • McAlpine, L., & Amundsen, C. (2018). Identity-trajectories of early career researchers: Unpacking the post-PhD experience. Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • McAlpine, L., & Norton, J. (2006). Reframing our approach to doctoral programs: A learning perspective. Higher Education Research and Development, 25(1), 3–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360500453012

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McAlpine, L., Skakni, I., & Inouye, K. (2021). PhD careers beyond the traditional: Integrating individual and structural factors for a richer account. European Journal of Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/21568235.2020.1870242

  • McCowan, T. (2018). The five perils of the impact agenda in higher education. London Review of Education, 16(2), 279–295.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Merga, M. K., Mason, S., & Morris, J. E. (2020). ‘What do I even call this?’ Challenges and possibilities of undertaking a thesis by publication. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 44(9), 1245–1261. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2019.1671964

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muhonen, R., Benneworth, P., & Olmos-Penuela, J. (2020). From productive interactions to impact pathways: Understanding the key dimensions in developing SSH research societal impact. Research Evaluation, 29(1), 34–47.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mullins, G., & Kiley, M. (2002). ‘It’s a PhD, not a Nobel prize’: How experienced examiners assess research theses. Studies in Higher Education, 27(4), 369–386. https://doi.org/10.1080/0307507022000011507

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Naomi, S. S. (2021). Writing a doctoral thesis in a non-Western voice. In I. C. Badenhorst, B. Amell, & J. Burford (Eds.), Reimagining doctoral writing (pp. 185–199). WAC Clearing House. https://doi.org/10.37514/INT-B.2021.1343

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Nightingale, P. (1984). Examination of research theses. Higher Education Research and Development, 3, 137–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nørgård, R. T., & Bengtsen, S. (2016). Academic citizenship beyond the campus. A call for the placeful university. Higher Education Research & Development, 35(1), 4–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • OECD (2021). Reducing the precarity of academic research careers. https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/0f8bd468-en.pdf?expires=1674831505&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=B4279D1458FD42583A9BA30B689247FB

  • Park, C. (2005). New variant PhD: The changing nature of the doctorate in the UK. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 27(2), 189–207. https://doi.org/10.1080/13600800500120068

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peacock, S. (2017). The PhD by publication. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 12, 123–134. http://ijds.org/Volume12/IJDSv12p123-135Peacock3498.pdf

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robertson, M. J. (2019). Power and doctoral supervision teams: Developing team building skills in collaborative doctoral research. Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robins, L., & Kanowski, P. (2008). PhD by publication: A student’s perspective. Journal of Research Practice, 4(2), 1–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roland, E. (2020). Towards personal transformation: Faculty social justice teaching in doctoral education. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 32(2), 281–292.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sigurdarson, E. S. (2020). Capacities, capabilities, and the societal impact of the humanities. Research Evaluation, 29(1), 71–76. https://doi.org/10.1093/reseval/rvz031

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Skov, S. (2021). Ph.D. by publication or monograph thesis? Supervisors and candidates negotiating the purpose of the thesis when choosing between formats. In I. C. Badenhorst, B. Amell, & J. Burford (Eds.), Reimagining doctoral writing (pp. 185–199). WAC Clearing House. https://doi.org/10.37514/INT-B.2021.1343

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Tazzyman, S., Moreton, R., Bowes, L., & Wakeling, P. (2021). Review of the PhD in the social sciences. Economic and Social Research Council. https://www.ukri.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/ESRC-020322-Review-of-the-PhD-in-the-Social-Sciences.pdf

  • Tinkler, P., & Jackson, C. (2000). Examining the doctorate: Institutional policy and the PhD examination process in Britain. Studies in Higher Education, 25, 167–118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trahar, S., Juntrasook, A., Burford, J., von Kotze, A., & Wildemeersch, D. (2019). Hovering on the periphery? ‘Decolonising’ writing for academic journals. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 49(1), 149–167. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057925.2018.1545817

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Education, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Kelsey Inouye

  2. Department of Educational Philosophy and General Education, Danish School of Education, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark

    Søren Bengtsen

Authors
  1. Kelsey Inouye
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Søren Bengtsen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kelsey Inouye .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Graduate Studies, Lingnan University, Tuen Mun, Hong Kong

    Yusuf Ikbal Oldac

  2. Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong

    Lili Yang

  3. Department of Education, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Soyoung Lee

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Inouye, K., Bengtsen, S. (2023). New Spaces for Agency in Doctoral Education: An Ecological Approach. In: Oldac, Y.I., Yang, L., Lee, S. (eds) Student Agency and Self-Formation in Higher Education. Palgrave Studies in Global Higher Education. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-44885-0_9

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-44885-0_9

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-44884-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-44885-0

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation