STRUGGLING FOR PhD: A LIFE STORY OF A THAI UNIVERSITY TEACHER
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
บทคัดย่อ
Getting a doctorate degree while teaching at a university has become a norm that most teachers dream about. It might be true that once you become a PhD holder, you will receive higher payment, recognition, position, and self-confidence in return. However, the path towards the degree comes with psychological stress, financial burden, self-isolation, and, in many cases, illnesses. In this study, a PhD student shared her life's story of a six-year-long struggle with all the problems on the path towards her goal. The study utilized a qualitative methodology and collected data through a series of in-depth interviews. The narrative inquiry approach was adopted to report on the subject's life story, reflecting her physical and mental struggles amid the pressures surrounding her during the PhD study. The study also found that miscalculation and lack of readiness can lead a PhD student's life to unbearable despair. It is advised that PhD program management should ensure professionalism and provide measures to assist PhD students in timely graduation.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
References
Bangkok Post. (2018). University challenge. Retrieved July 1, 2023, from https://www.bangkokpost. com/thailand/special-report/1520214/university-challenge
Beck, A. T. (1976). Cognitive therapy and the emotional disorders. New York: International
Universities
Clandinin, D. J., & Connelly, F. M. (2000). Narrative inquiry: Experience and story in qualitative research. Jossey-Bass.
Cohen, S., & Wills, T. A. (1985). Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis. Psychological Bulletin, 98(2), 310-357.
Cree, V.E. (2012). ‘I'd Like to Call You My Mother.’ Reflections on Supervising International PhD Students in Social Work. Social Work Education, 31(4), 451-464.
Creswell, J. W. (2013). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
Decca, A. (2013). Peter Higgs: I wouldn’t be productive enough for today’s academic system. The Guardian. Retrieved June 28, 2023, from https://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/dec /06/peter-higgs-boson-academic-system
Dufty-Jones, R. (2018). The career aspiration and expectations of geography doctoral Students: Establishing academic subjectivities within a shifting landscape. Geographical Research, 56(2), 126-138.
Ellis, A. (1962). Reason and emotion in psychotherapy. New York: Lyle Stuart.
Evans, T. M., Bira, L., Gastelum, J. B., Weiss, L. T., & Vanderford, N. L. (2018). Evidence for
a mental health crisis in graduate education. Nature Biotechnology, 36(3), 282-284.
Habibian, M. (2012). The relationship between intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation
With learner autonomy among PhD students in National University of Singapore, Journal
of Social Sciences and Humanities, 7(1), 215-223.
Hoge, E. A., Bui, E., Marques, L., Metcalf, C. A., Morris, L. K., Robinaugh, D. J., & Simon, N. M. (2017). Randomized controlled trial of mindfulness meditation for generalized anxiety disorder: Effects on anxiety and stress reactivity. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 78(8), 734-740.
Jennings, P. A., & Greenberg, M. T. (2009). The prosocial classroom: Teacher social and emotional competence in relation to student and classroom outcomes. Review of Educational Research, 79(1), 491-525.
Khamkhong, Y. and Satchapappichit, S. (2021). Growth mindset: change now for the future
success. Academic Journal Phranakhon Rajabhat University, 12(22), 369-387.
Klassen, R. M., Perry, N. E., Frenzel, A. C., Paquette, K., Puhl, T., & Chatzisarantis, N. L. (2009).
Teachers' relatedness with students: An underemphasized component of teachers'
basic psychological needs. Journal of Educational Psychology, 101(4), 905-920.
Kyriacou, C. (2001). Teacher stress: Directions for future research. Educational Review, 53(1), 27-35.
Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. New York: Springer Publishing
Company.
Lee, D. (2010). Sexual harassment in PhD supervision. Gender and Education, 10(3), 299-312.
Levecque, K., Anseel, F., De Beuckelaer, A., Van der Heyden, J., & Gisle, L. (2017). Work
organization and mental health problems in PhD students. Research Policy, 46(4), 868-879.
Pain, E. (2017). Graduate students face significant mental challenges. Retrieved June 3, 2023,
from http://www.sciencemag.org/ careers/2017/04/PhD-students-face-significant-
mentalhealth-challenges
Polkinghorne, D. E. (2005). Language and meaning: Data collection in qualitative research.
Journal of Counseling Psychology, 52(2), 137-145.
Pyhalto, K., Toom, A., Stubb, J., & Lonka, K. (2012). Challenges of becoming a scholar: A Study of doctoral students’ problems and well-being. Studies in Higher Education, 37(7), 961-975.
Riessman, C. K. (2008). Narrative methods for the human sciences. Singapore: Sage Publications.
Selye, H. (1956). The stress of life. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Siamrath. (2021, 22 Jan). Lecturer found dead from stress, https://siamrath.co.th/n/213832
Stults-Kolehmainen, M. A., & Sinha, R. (2014). The effects of stress on physical activity and
exercise. Sports Medicine, 44(1), 81-121.
Thai PBS World. (2022). Slumping birth rate poses urgent policy challenges for government.
Retrieved June 3, 2023, from https://www.thaipbsworld.com/slumping-birth-rate-poses-urgent-policy-challenges-for-government/
The Tab. (2021). 40% of PhD students are at risk of suicide. Retrieved June 22, 2023, from
https://thetab.com/uk/2021/10/14/40-per-cent -of-phd-students-are-at-high-risk-of-suicide-
study-says-226001
Times of India. (2021). 68% PhD students suffer from depression. Retrieved June 5, 2023, from https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/68-phd-students-suffer-from-depression-study/articleshow/87704400.cms
Wang, X., Wang, C., Wang, J. (2019). Towards the contributing factors for stress confronting
Chinese PhD students. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being, 14(1), 1-11.
Wisker, G. (2014). PhD students: What to do if you don’t work well with your supervisor.
The Guardian. Retrieved June 15, 2023, from https://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-net work/2014/dec/29/PhD-supervisor-university-researchtips-relationship-work
Zhang, W. (2019). Narrative inquiry in TESOL and language teacher education. US-China
Education Review, 9(4), 182-191.