Why Embark on a PhD Today?A Typology of Motives for Doctoral Study in Russia

Evgeniy Terentev, Nikolay Rybakov and Boris Bednyi
Additional contact information
Evgeniy Terentev: http://www.hse.ru/en/org/persons/13869964

Voprosy obrazovaniya / Educational Studies Moscow, 2020, issue 1, 40-69

Abstract: Evgeniy Terentev - Candidate of Sciences in Sociology, Senior Researcher, Center of Sociology of Higher Education, Institute of Education, National Research University Higher School of Economics. Address: 20 Myasnitskaya Str., 101000 Moscow, Russian Federation. E-mail: eterentev@hse.ruNikolay Rybakov - Graduate Student, Department of University Management and Innovation in Education. E-mail: rybakov-nv@phd.unn.ruBoris Bednyi - Doctor of Sciences in Mathematical Physics, Professor, Director of the Institute of Doctoral Studies. E-mail: bib@unn.ruNational Research Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod. Address: 23 Gagarina Ave, 603950 Nizhny Novgorod, Russian Federation.Data obtained in interviews with doctoral students and their academic supervisors as well as in doctoral student surveys conducted across six Russian universities is used to explore the motives for embarking on and pursuing a PhD, and evaluate their incidence. Drawing from Deci and Ryan's self-determination theory, three basic types of motivation are identified - intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and amotivation - and described in the context of doctoral education. Even though academic labor has been losing its prestige in Russia, intrinsic motivation associated with interest for research, science and education remains the most popular motive for embarking on doctoral study. At the same time, a significant percentage of doctoral students are driven by external non-academic motives, such as specific social benefits or desire to use PhD as an asset in a non-academic career.

Keywords: doctoral study; motivations of doctoral students; self-determination theory; effectiveness of doctoral programs; retention of youth in science (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://vo.hse.ru/data/2020/04/09/1554549841/Terentev.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nos:voprob:2020:i:1:p:40-69

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Voprosy obrazovaniya / Educational Studies Moscow from National Research University Higher School of Economics
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Marta Morozova ().