The Academic Profession in Canada - A journal of educational research and practice 2021 - Vol. 30 (2)

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Bulrr

Limited research addresses doctoral-student socialization in Canada. Drawing on survey data from 64 Canadian universities in the 2018 Academic Professions in the Knowledge Society project, the study examines full-time Canadian faculty members’ reported doctoral experiences after being “successfully” socialized into the scholarly role. Results emphasize the importance of financial and faculty support, highlight under-recognized teaching training, and suggest disciplinary nuances may contribute to disadvantages and doctoral attrition.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages32

Reading Time1 h 21 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Literature Review

Doctoral Socialization and Scholarly Activity

Findings and Discussion

The Academic Profession in Canada: Successful Socialization to the Scholarly Role A journal of educational research and practice 2021 Vol. 30 (2) 31-62 [https://journals.library.brocku.ca/brocked](https://journals.library.brocku.ca/brocked) Alison Elizabeth Jefferson* Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto Abstract There is little research on the socialization of doctoral students in Canada. Using survey data collected from 64 Canadian universities for the 2018 Academic Professions in the Knowledge Society project, this paper explores the reported doctoral experience of full-time academic faculty in Canadian universities who were “successfully” socialized to the role of scholar, to find potential factors affecting doctoral experience and career progression. This paper suggests that financial and faculty support are key to doctoral success. With disciplinary nuance alive and thriving, many contemporary doctoral students may be subject to unfair disadvantages, potentially one of the underlying reasons for high attrition from doctoral programs. Results indicate that teaching continues to be an overlooked aspect of doctoral training in favour of research; the associated faculty support which often accompanies research, along with the potential for funding for the research-related activity, may be significant factors affecting socialization in Canadian doctoral programs. Keywords: university professors, academic work, doctoral socialization * [alison.jefferson@mail.utoronto.ca](alison.jefferson@mail.utoronto.ca) Research confirms that less than half of all doctoral students complete their programs (Council of Graduate Schools, 2009; Devine & Hunter, 2016; Lovitts, 2001; Tamburri, 2013; Walker et al. , 2008) . These high rates of attrition can be extremely costly for the institution (Gardner, 2007) as well as the individual (Lovitts, 2001) . Publications concerned with doctoral experience specifically in Canada are not great in number (see Leyton-Brown, 2008; Niemczyk, 2017; Shera, 2003); Canadian research on doctoral studies usually relates to issues of internationalization (Gao, 2019) , comparative studies (Hands, 2018; Jalongo et al. , 2014; Malakyan, 2019; Sarikaya et al. , 2017; Wood, 2005) , or is concerned with post-PhD career trajectories (McAlpine & Austin, 2018) . With sparse information on the Canadian doctoral experience specifically within the existing literature, the data derived for this paper provides up-to-date, Canada-specific information against which further comparative work can be undertaken. As an update to the 2007 Changing Academic Profession (CAP) survey, the 2018 Academic Profession in the Knowledge-Based Society (APIKS) project examined academic work across 18 nations. The Canadian data for this study are derived from a survey of professors in various disciplines at publicly funded universities across Canada. By investigating doctoral experiences of current faculty who have become scholars in their chosen disciplines, the aim was to explore potential factors affecting successful socialization to the doctoral role, and that of scholar, in a Canadian context. The findings of this paper indicate aspects such as funding for doctoral students, training in instructional methods for teaching activity, and formal training for academic faculty in mentoring and supervision are key factors impacting successful doctoral socialization and subsequent career pathways and require further exploration. This paper begins by briefly examining the current literature regarding doctoral socialization, including scholarly activity, balancing responsibilities as doctoral students, and the importance of support (i.e. , faculty, peers, financial) , addressing the notion that disciplines remain a key factor in the socialization experience. After describing the methodology and subsequent results, I conclude with a discussion of the findings with specific reference to disciplinary cons

FAQs

What problem does the paper focus on?

The paper examines the limited evidence on how doctoral students in Canada are socialized into the scholarly role, and how that experience relates to doctoral success and career progression.

What data and sample does the study use?

It uses survey data collected from 64 Canadian universities through the 2018 Academic Professions in the Knowledge Society project.

Which support factors are identified as key for doctoral success?

The study suggests that financial support and faculty support are key, and it also notes that teaching-related training is often overlooked compared with research-focused activities.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Bulrr