An examination of training environment variables which affect the dissertation-writing experiences of doctoral candidates in counseling psychology
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Abstract
This study examined the relationship between three variables of doctoral training programs in Counseling Psychology and four variables of the dissertation writing experience. The study's sample consisted of 192 graduates of doctoral programs in Counseling Psychology and three unsuccessful doctoral candidates. Research instruments used in the study included a survey questionnaire consisting of multiple choice and openended questions, and the Multiple Affect Adjective Check List (MAACL), used to assess respondents' level of anxiety, depression and hostility while writing the dissertation. In addition, ten follow-up interviews were conducted. The major hypotheses of the study were that the quality, quantity and timing of courses in research (research coursework), the opportunity to observe and conduct research in graduate school (research exposure) and the quality and quantity of advisor-advisee contacts (advisor/advisee relationship) would all impact significantly on the dissertation-writing experience. The dissertation experience was operationalized as the ability to select a researchable dissertation topic (dissertation preparation); dissertation completion time; anxiety, depression and hostility experienced during the process (dysphoria); and current level of interest in conducting research after graduation (current research interest). Twelve one-way ANOVAS were conducted to test the study's hypotheses. Results indicated that statistically significant (p .05) relationships existed between research coursework and current research interest, research exposure and dissertation preparation , research exposure and dysphoria, research exposure and current research interest, the advisor/ advisee relationship and dysphoria, and the advisor/advisee relationship and current research interest. Step-wise regression analyses indicated that older students took longer to complete the dissertation and were currently less interested in conducting research than their younger colleagues. The following recommendations are made to doctoral programs in Counseling Psychology: 1) programs should structure research experiences for students early in doctoral training; 2) programs should make the advisor / advisee relationship more of a mentoring relationship, and 3) programs should make research courses more relevant to the dissertation and to clinical practice.
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Dissertation (Ed.D.)--Boston University
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