Determination and Persistence

Title
Determination and Persistence
Publication Date
2010
Author(s)
Auh, Myung-Sook
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5861-6014
Email: mauh@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:mauh
Editor
Editor(s): David Forrest
Type of document
Book Chapter
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
Australian Scholarly Publishing
Place of publication
Melbourne, Australia
Edition
1
Series
ASME monograph series
UNE publication id
une:6488
Abstract
Why do some people drop out from pursuing a doctoral degree? What difficulties do they face? How do they sort out their difficulties? What personal qualities are essential in completing a doctoral degree? These are important questions for prospective and current doctoral students to think about. Starting a doctoral study does not guarantee finishing it; finishing it is difficult. Serious thought on how to finish a doctoral degree can help prospective and current doctoral students to develop their own strategies. In this paper I wish to contribute to the discussion by sharing my own experiences of completing a doctoral degree. The aims of this paper are 1) to describe my personal story of finishing a PhD degree focusing on specific issues; 2) to provide some information about doing a PhD degree in music education in the USA; and 3) to discuss three important qualities that one should have to complete a doctoral degree reflecting on my own experiences. This paper starts with my personal story, in which I describe how I chose a university for my PhD study; how I decided my dissertation topic; how I selected the methodology for my research; and the most difficult time and the happiest moments during my doctoral study. Then, I describe some aspects of doctoral studies in the USA which are different from those in Australia; that is, the mandatory coursework for PhD studies; the Comprehensive Exam; the Oral Defence; 'Dissertation Abstracts International'; and doctoral scholarships. Finally, I discuss three important qualities that one should have in order to complete a doctoral degree, reflecting on my experiences.
Link
Citation
Journeying: Reflections on Doctoral Studies by Australian Music Educators, p. 5-19
ISBN
9781921509759
Start page
5
End page
19

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