Strategies to Successful Online Mentoring for First-year Doctoral Students: An Australian Study during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Conference: The Asian Conference on Education (ACE2022)
Title: Strategies to Successful Online Mentoring for First-year Doctoral Students: An Australian Study during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Stream: Higher Education
Presentation Type: Live-Stream Presentation
Authors:
Ching Ting Tany Kwee, The University of New South Wales, Australia
Alhassan Abdullah, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Prince Peprah, University of New South Wales, Australia
Stephanie Tjasa Subandi, University of Auckland, New Zealand
Tatik Tatik, University of New South Wales, Australia

Abstract:

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted doctoral students drastically in myriad aspects, including but not limited to social, financial, academic, physical and mental concerns. It is generally agreed that doctoral students are important stakeholders in the university learning, teaching and research community. However, their well-being and needs are often neglected. Some universities have endeavoured efforts in providing support through virtual mentoring programmes. This study aimed to identify the effective strategies of online mentoring for first-year doctoral students in boosting their self-efficacy and persistence in their doctoral journey and academic pursuit. Guided by Social Cognitive Career Theory, the researchers examined first-year doctoral students’ experiences embarking on and continuing their studies during the pandemic. Data were generated from the survey (n=300) and semi-structured interviews (n=18) conducted with both domestic and international students enrolled in an Australian public university. The researchers identified personal and proximal contextual factors to boost the first-year doctoral students’ well-being in social, mental and physical well-being, thereby increasing their confidence, satisfaction and positive affection in attaining their academic goals during their doctoral journey. A systematic strategy for successful virtual mentoring has been proposed. The findings of this study can be useful for university management and counsellors to develop an effective virtual mentoring programme to address the needs of first-year doctoral students, to ensure they can attain their academic goals.



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