Week 3 Discussion: Synthesis of Literature on Doctoral Student Success
Across the seven articles, I noticed several themes that help explain doctoral student success. One of the strongest patterns is the importance of support and relationships. Watson et al. (2026) focus on students feeling that they matter to their advisors, while Ringo (2025) shows that supervisor support is more effective when the relationship includes trust and good communication. Ringo found that supervisor support can improve academic performance and that the quality of the supervisor-student relationship can strengthen this effect. Hurtado et al. (2024) also identify the supervisor relationship as one of several factors connected to doctoral persistence. Together, these studies suggest that simply having an advisor may not be enough. The quality of the relationship and the ability of students to feel comfortable asking for guidance also seem important.
A second theme is motivation, confidence, and personal development. Liu et al. (2026) connect motivation and self-efficacy with academic innovation, while Clasing-Manquian et al. (2024) show that competence, autonomy, relatedness, knowledge, and recognition can develop differently among doctoral students. Their study identified six different developmental groups, showing that students do not all experience doctoral education in the same way. This makes me wonder whether doctoral programs should provide different types of support depending on where students are in their academic journey.
Another important theme is well-being and resilience. Mugabekazi (2026) emphasizes emotional resilience, while Zhang et al. (2024) studied the relationship between academic stress, motivation, emotional intelligence, and mindfulness. The researchers found that higher emotional intelligence and mindfulness were associated with lower academic stress and greater motivation. These findings suggest that academic success is also connected to how well students are able to handle the emotional pressure of doctoral education. This raises the question of how much responsibility universities should have for providing resources that support students’ well-being.
Another pattern is that doctoral success can look different for each student. Hurtado et al. (2024) found that persistence is influenced by individual, academic, institutional, and socioeconomic factors, showing that students can face very different challenges during similar programs. Clasing-Manquian et al. (2024) similarly identified different developmental paths among doctoral students rather than one common experience. These findings make me question whether universities sometimes use a one-size-fits-all approach to doctoral support. Students struggling with stress may need different resources than students experiencing financial difficulties, low motivation, or weak relationships with supervisors.
Overall, these studies show that doctoral success is not simply about completing a degree. It can also involve relationships, motivation, self-confidence, well-being, academic development, and institutional support. Looking at these factors together provides a more complete understanding of why some students are able to persist while others struggle. One question that remains for me is: Which forms of support have the greatest impact on doctoral student persistence, and do those needs change as students move through different stages of their programs?
References
Clasing-Manquian, P., Kim, H., Haddad, N., & Gonzalez, J. (2024). Developmental trajectories during doctoral study: Identifying heterogeneity in psychosocial factor’s development. Studies in Higher Education, 49(2), 235–250.
Hurtado, E., Rosado, E., Aoiz, M., Quero, S., & Luis, E. O. (2024). Factors associated with the permanence of doctoral students: A scoping review. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1390784.
Liu, Y., Zhang, M., & Peng, Y. (2026). Exploring the influencing factors of academic doctoral students’ academic innovation behavior in the context of generative artificial intelligence: Self-determination theory and motivation-opportunity-ability perspectives. PLOS ONE, 21(8), e0355186
Mugabekazi, J. C. (2026). Emotional intelligence and academic resilience among international students in cross-cultural contexts. Journal of International Students, 16(4), 1–16.
Ringo, D. S. (2025). When relationships make a difference! Supervisor support and PhD students’ academic performance in the journey: The moderating effect of supervisor-student relationship quality. Cogent Education, 12(1), 2479403.
Watson, D. L., Schneider, H. A., Heath, J., & Carvalho, A. J. (2026). Doctoral students’ perceptions of mattering. Education Sciences, 16, 74.
Zhang, S., Rehman, S., Zhao, Y., Rehman, E., & Yaqoob, B. (2024). Exploring the interplay of academic stress, motivation, emotional intelligence, and mindfulness in higher education: A longitudinal cross-lagged panel model approach. BMC Psychology, 12, 732.