Dissertation Writing Help - Persistence decisions of doctoral students affiliated with interdisciplinary programs: A Case Study

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To isolate institutional factors that are external to the major department but still influence doctoral students' persistence decisions, this study scrutinized the involvement of 118 former doctoral students with an interdisciplinary research center between August 1993 and May 2003. Anchored in the premise that interdisciplinary intellectual networks in which students participate can become a source of academic and social support, and increase the likelihood of persistence through degree completion a multimethod approach was utilized to determine the factors influencing the decisions of doctoral students affiliated with area studies research centers.

Descriptive statistics illuminated student involvement; independent samples tests (t-test for equality of means) compared acquaintance volume measures (the number of relationships each participant had with area studies faculty and staff divided by the total number possible) of degree completers and noncompleters; and interview data "filled in the gaps" that remained because of the structured and quantitative nature of the survey instrument and acquaintance volume component.

Four major factors affecting area studies students' persistence decisions were identified: balance of participation in disciplinary and interdisciplinary communities; degree of student independence; number of acquaintance relationships with faculty and staff and number and appropriateness of professional development opportunities in disciplinary and area studies contexts.