美国博士研究生耗损及应对策略

On Doctoral Students Attrition and its Coping Strategiesin the USA

美国博士生的耗损率居高不下。从20世纪末到现在,最终不能完成博士学业的比例一直维持在50%左右。如何帮助博士生完成学业,获得学位,并转变为独立的学者,是美国研究生教育的一个焦点问题。美国学者的大量研究表明,博士生在学习和研究过程中存在许多障碍。这些障碍的克服有赖于大学、教工和博士生导师的共同努力。博士生和导师之间维持良好的关系是影响他们能否坚持学习、成功毕业并进入学术研究工作的最重要的因素。大学应该科学设计博士生指导活动和建立员工培训计划,以帮助博士生更好地适应其学习和研究活动;应给博士生提供尽可能多的支持,帮助他们成为合格的学者。

The attrition rate of doctoral students in the USA stays high and has remained at around 50 percent since the end of the 20th century.How to assist doctoral students to complete their schooling, gaining doctoral degrees, and becoming independent scholars is a common concern in postgraduate education in the USA.Many research articles completed by American learners show that there are many barriers in the doctoral learning and research process.Dealing with these barriers relies on the joint efforts of the universities, the faculties, and supervisors.A good relationship between doctoral students and their supervisors is an important factor for doctoral students to fulfill their study, graduate from the university and start their academic career. Based on the analysis, this paper proposes that more activities to guide doctoral student should be designed properly and a better training program should be established so as to help them adapt to their study and research.This paper also suggests more support to the students so as to assist them to be qualified scholars.