The Role of Doctoral Advisors: A Look at Advising from the Advisor's Perspective

Innov High Educ (2009) 33:297315

DOI 10.1007/s10755-008-9084-x

Published online: 3 October 2008# Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2008

Abstract The doctoral advisor is said to be one of the most important personsif not the single most critical personwith whom doctoral students will develop a relationship during their doctoral degree programs (Baird, 1995). However, we have limited knowledge regarding how doctoral advisors see their roles and responsibilities as advisors. Therefore, through in-depth interviews, we explored the perceptions of 25 exemplary doctoral advisors, who have graduated a large number of doctoral students, about their roles and responsibilities as advisors. We conclude this article with implications for doctoral education.

Key words doctoral education . advising . advisor roles

Doctoral training in the U.S.A. is reputed to be one of the best systems of education in the world (Golde 2006; Nettles and Millett 2006). However, despite this accolade, graduate

Benita J. Barnes received her Ph.D. in Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education from Michigan State University and is currently Assistant Professor of Higher Education Administration at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her research interests include doctoral education, the millennial generation, and identity development. She can be reached at http://[email protected].

Web End [email protected].

Ann E. Austin received her Ph.D. in higher education from the University of Michigan and currently holds the Mildred B. Erickson Distinguished Chair in the Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education Program at Michigan State University. Her research interests include graduate education, teaching and learning, organizational change, and faculty development. She can be reached at http://[email protected].

Web End [email protected].

B. J. Barnes (*)

Educational Policy, Research, and Administration, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 111 Infirmary Way, Office 2, Amherst, MA 01003, USAe-mail: [email protected]

A. E. Austin

Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA e-mail: [email protected]

The Role of Doctoral Advisors: A Look at Advising from the Advisors Perspective

Benita J. Barnes & Ann E. Austin

298 Innov High Educ (2009) 33:297315

education in the U.S.A. has been thought to have some exceedingly vexing problems (Golde 2006; Lovitts 2001). Chief among these problems is that doctoral advising is woefully uneven (Anderson and Swazey 1998; Fagen and Suedkamp Wells 2004).

The issue of advising in graduate education is particularly important because the nature of the relationship between doctoral students and...