Same programme, different experience: Does the perception of departmental climate in doctoral programmes vary among different students?

Innovations in Education and Teaching International. 2025. Vol. 62. No. 1. P. 317–327.

Maloshonok N., Bekova S.

Doctoral programmes worldwide are facing numerous challenges. Among these challenges is the diversification of the student body in aspects such as age, socioeconomic background, motivation, and career aspirations. However, these programmes often struggle to respond adequately and promptly to these changes. In this article, we employ the concept of a ‘departmental climate’ to investigate how doctoral students at Russian universities perceive their envir-onment. The data collected at nine Russian universities (n = 1097) were utilised. Our findings reveal that students whose job is related to doctoral study and those whose job is driven by academic career goals generally perceive the departmental climate more positively. We assume that Russian doctoral programmes are more oriented towards these students and provide them with more support than other students. Our results underscore the need for doctoral pro-grammes to evolve to accommodate a diverse range of student needs, ultimately enhancing the effectiveness and inclusivity of doctoral education.

Keywords: doctoral supervision, doctoral students, Departmental climate, diversification of doctoral programmes, motives to enrol in doctoral study

Publication based on the results of: Undergraduate and doctoral student experience in the context of the student body diversification (2024)