| The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among doctoral candidates background characteristics, research preparation, research environment, research involvement, student-advisor relationships, research self-efficacy, and their dissertation progress. The study also examined differences in research self-efficacy and dissertation progress among students from the three different departments within the College of Education, and those students who held graduate assistantships vs. those who did not.;The sample consisted of doctoral candidates who had successfully completed all their course work and passed their written and oral comprehensive examination during the years 1987 through 1997. The subjects were graduate students in 3 departments in the College of Education: Counseling, Educational Psychology and Research, Instruction and Curriculum and Leadership, and Leadership.;Ninety-seven doctoral candidates responded (28 men, 69 women), yielding a 67% response rate. Respondents completed a mailed survey questionnaire that asked questions related to students' research training, research environment, research involvement, graduate assistantships, students' relationships with their advisors and committee members, research self-efficacy, dissertation status, and demographic information.;Results of the multiple regression analyses suggest that both students' research self-efficacy and students' relationships with their advisors and committee members significantly contributed to students' dissertation progress. In this study students who had higher level of self-efficacy in research, and those who cited more positive and cooperative relationships with their advisors and committee members were also more advanced in their dissertation writing. These effects were consistent for all students, regardless of students' gender, age, degree of financial impediments, and number of years in doctoral program. The results of multivariate analyses of variance also indicated that there are significant differences in students research self-efficacy and dissertation progress between students who held graduate assistantships and those who did not. Students who held some kind of assistantships during the course of their doctoral program exhibited higher self-efficacy in research and they were also in more advanced stages of their dissertation writings. It was concluded that students' research self-efficacy, is a function of a positive and nurturing research environment and a strong supervisory system of dissertation and mentoring, which in turn can enhance students' success. |
