Strengthening the PhD Culture in the School of Psychology & Counselling

• Project Team: Eleni AndreouliSimon ClarkeJulian Bond
• Subject Discipline: Psychology and Counselling
• Theme: Equality, diversity and inclusionMental health & wellbeing
• Project Aim: Enables more students to achieve their study goalsImproves and enhance the learning experience of studentsPromotes equality diversity and inclusion including reduction of degree awarding gap
• Status: Live
• Date: September 2022 to December 2022

A longstanding challenge faced by students and educators alike is the difficulty in maintaining an active PhD research culture, which, in turn, can have a negative impact on doctoral students’ progression and in the quality of their studies. The reasons of this are multiple. At a general level, the very nature of a PhD in social sciences (where doctoral students mostly work independently rather as part of a research team) and the added challenges of Covid-19 act as barriers to developing research networks, especially at an early career stage. Doctoral studies in the Open University as a distance learning institution can be particularly affected by these issues.

The School of Psychology & Counselling in the OU has a cohort of approximately 30 doctoral students, both part-time and full-time.  There is significant diversity in the School’s doctoral student cohort, in terms of age, employment, academic background, to name a few. This means that different students face different study difficulties and have different learning needs. Working students face the additional challenge of managing their workload whilst being in regular employment, while more mature students may have to juggle caring responsibilities alongside their PhDs. These are some of the issues that have been considered over time as hindering the construction of a strong PhD culture.

The School of Psychology & Counselling has taken some important steps to enhance its PhD programme. The School was successful in securing two annual Psychology Pathway studentships under the ESRC-funded Doctoral Training Partnership. The newly established Open Psychology Research Centre (OPRC) has also integrated PhD-centred activities into its programme and it has ringfenced funds for PhD researchers. However, whilst valuable, these initiatives are not in themselves sufficient.

The objective of this project is to gain a more thorough understanding of the School’s doctoral students’ needs, challenges and future ambitions. By understanding their perspectives, we will be able to take more tailored action to support them in their studies and enhance the PhD culture of the School.

This project builds on existing groundwork funded by the Open Psychology Research Centre. This funding was used to design and set up a up a questionnaire study to collect information about the School’s doctoral students, including sociodemographic data, study details, and students’ future plans and aspirations following the PhD.

The current project involves collecting and analysing the survey data and, in addition, conducting and analysing a small number of individual interviews with doctoral students in the School. Following the study completion, at the beginning of 2023, we will share findings with the School of Psychology & Counselling, the Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences Research Board and the Open University’s Graduate School. We will engage in School and Faculty consultations to develop concrete plans for PhD study support.