Working Paper Series No. 3
Title: The Quality of Doctoral Dissertation Supervision and a Collaborative Cohort
Model
Author: Dr. Ling Wang (Nova Southeastern University, Florida)
Abstract:
Many doctoral students do not complete their degrees for a variety of reasons including
personality factors, motivational factors, feelings of isolation, family demands, and
financial circumstances. Although some of these factors are out of the control of
university educators, the provision of support, particularly during the dissertation phase
of a doctoral program, may be one way to increase completion rates. In this study, a
Collaborative Cohort Model (CCM) is developed as an innovative support for the
research endeavors of the doctoral students to enhance the quality of doctoral
dissertation supervision. Testing of the CCM is also proposed in order to describe and
evaluate the experiences of the doctoral students in the cohort.