Date of Award

2017

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Education

Abstract

High attrition and time-to-degree rates have dominated the national dialogue on Ph.D. completion in recent decades, raising concerns among stakeholders at all levels who see the direct relationship that exists between doctoral Education and the nations research competitiveness. Graduate schools have approached the challenges faced in doctoral Education in different ways, one of which includes engaging doctoral programs in program review processes to assess and improve the programs quality and effectiveness. The purpose of this study was to examine stakeholder observations and perceptions of the impact of the Carnegie-based program review model on doctoral program quality and effectiveness. The study was based on a multiple case study approach, which included a total of six doctoral programs from three different universities whose philosophical approach to program review had been based on the Carnegie Initiative on the Doctorate. The study included semi-structured interviews supplemented by program review documents that were shared with the researcher. A total of 18 interviews were conducted, which included two administrators, two faculty members, and two students from each participating institution. Interviews included 10 to 11 questions each. All interviews were transcribed and further coded into themes and sub themes, based on participant responses to questions on program quality, program review impact, and lessons and challenges in implementing a program review process. The themes and sub themes that emerged from the study showed a common thread among administrators, faculty, and students within and across institutions and disciplines on how they defined program quality, the importance of context within doctoral Education, and what mechanisms were key for institutionalizing quality assessment and improvement.

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