The learning experiences of international doctoral students with particular reference to nursing students: A literature review

One of the key challenges for the advancement of nursing globally is the development of doctorally prepared educators and leaders in a context where there is a shortage of provision of doctoral nursing programmes. For the short term future, many nurses wishing to undertake a doctorate will need to complete this education in the USA, the UK or Australia. Very little is known however about the nature of their learning experiences in these countries. This paper presents a literature review on the international doctoral student experience, with specific reference to nursing. A thorough review of the literature from 1990 to 2009 was undertaken which yielded only three empirical studies related to nursing. The review was then expanded to include subjects other than nursing which yielded 16 studies in total. This paper presents key themes that appear to be generic to international doctoral students, and draws out specific implications for nursing.The review found that international doctoral students’ learning experiences were strongly influenced by the extent to which they could engage with three key elements of doctoral programmes:1.pedagogical paradigms (specifically, self-directed learning and an emphasis upon criticality),2.pedagogical practices (specifically, understanding supervision styles and relationships and learning in a second language),3.academic environments (including the availability and accessibility of peer support and professional development opportunities).The first months represented a critical time of transition and most international students seemed to want and expect considerable support and structured in-put during this period. Most studies concluded that there was a need for greater institutional support and supervisor training. The three nursing-specific papers were entirely consistent with these themes.The existing evidence is extremely heterogeneous and of variable methodological quality. In order to ensure that doctoral nursing students are getting a high quality and appropriate PhD experience, there is a need for more research specifically with this group. There is also a need to investigate the different stages of the doctoral process in nursing, including, for example, writing up and examination processes and post-doctoral career outcomes.