This paper will highlight and examine some of the reasons leading to non-completion of dissertation among the doctoral students in colleges. Completion of doctoral career has several conditions and policies which students must adhere to based on institution’s policies and guidelines relating to various courses. Such requirements include residency and successful completion of oral and written groundwork tests. Several students fail to complete doctoral courses because of failure to satisfy and fulfill basic requirements. For this reason, it is important to examine and analyze some of the possible obstacles to successful completion of dissertation.
Several factors including financial and time management among others notably impede successful completion of doctoral dissertation. In particular, inadequate finances towards research findings remain one of the most serious factors leading to non-completion among the doctoral students (Brause, 2000). To begin, successful completion of oral and written examinations form preliminary requirement towards successful completion of doctoral courses. Dissertation requirements serve two prime purposes in preparing the students to career expectation. First, it equips the student with necessary skills and experience in relevant field because of intensive topic coverage during research work. Secondly, dissertation promotes information and knowledge gathering among students relevant in bridging information gaps in research works. With high rates of non- completion cases among the doctoral students, it is important to assess obstacles contributing to such trends. In comparison to other programs such as masters, doctoral courses reflect scholarly nature of learning institution because of substantial amount of resources involved.
One of the remarkable contributing factors to high non-competition cases is high scale of stress resulting from exhaustible work (Cooper, 2011). The stress of this nature takes two key perspectives for instance, social and task sense. Students find it difficult to socialize with the friends and other important family members because of commitments required during the stage of independent research. On the other hand, task-stress emanates from a common assumption that most students never complete dissertation requirements because of internal work pressure.
Secondly, extensive fieldwork increases likelihood of non-completion cases due to huge financial powers required in conducting entire research. Most students never meet completion requirements due to inadequate funds to facilitate data collection and travelling expenses during the field study.
The third factor that impedes completion of dissertation is advisor-student level of advice. Variant expectation and interests between students and their advisors reduces the chances of mutual engagement between the parties. Reduction in the level of contact increases cases of burnout and poor relationships during the course work. Finally, the fourth obstacle to competition of dissertation is intellectual isolation. This is because in most cases, independent writing stage of dissertation requires individual effort, determination and it is normally conducted during off campus sessions. According to Brause (2000), students experience intellectual isolation during independent research process and this contradicts student’s hopes and expectation of joining a community of scholars. In addition, students find themselves in a competitive environment characterize with limited interaction opportunities such as group work.
In summary, these factors significantly contribute to numerous cases of non-completion among graduate students. However, with increasing trends in non-completion of dissertation, below are some proposed mitigation measures in reducing non-completion behaviors.
Strategies to overcome increasing cases of non-completion among doctoral students
Under normal circumstances, persistence remains key factor in meeting fundamental requirements for successful completion of doctoral careers. In order to achieve full commitments from the students, it is advisable to introduce research expectations to students before dissertation begins (Brause, 2000). This will help the students to prepare mentally for the intensive research work during the course. Furthermore, strategies such as improved advisor-student relations system will help eliminate cases of misunderstanding between the two parties.
Secondly, proper selection of the chairperson and other members of dissertation committee are extremely important, as it will ensure healthy relationship between the advisor, committee members, and students. Effective selection of the chairperson and committee member’s expresses degree of freedom of choice thereby reducing cases of intellectual isolation.
Thirdly, early identification of research interest among students improves the degree of commitments and understanding of the research topic. As Cooper (2011) denotes, early commencement of dissertation for example, during the second year of study improves the student’s ability to in understanding the nature of work before them.
Self- Care Path to Success
Although professional careers are proportionally rewarding, they also expose numerous challenges and demands leading to vulnerability cases such as distress. Psychologists assert that pressure and course expectations contribute to high impairments cases among the students because of the intensive workload involved (Brause, 2000). To avoid such impairments with the aim of achieving elevated professional satisfaction, it is important to observe self- care measures during studies. Doctoral students must be aware of the expectations and numerous vulnerability factors and formulate correction measures to such problems. Therefore, self-care is essential in coping with professional and personal pressures. With clear understanding of expectations and rewards, students are able to organize and formulate research topic based on career goals and objectives.
Secondly, maintaining strong social network with family and other important members of the society will ensure reduced cases of isolation during field work. Particularly, positive interaction serves as fundamental self-care mechanism in reducing professional stressors. In addition, active engagement and discussions with the advisor concerning research topic reduces possibility of stress during the learning process. Lastly, choosing research topic of interest promotes self esteem among students in achieving their professional objectives.
References
Brause, R. S. (2000). Writing your doctoral dissertation: Invisible rules for success London: Falmer Press
Cooper, J. (2011). Dissertation. Richmond: Trotman.