Navigating the doctorate together
Students' perspectives on an inter-institutional significant learning community
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22165830 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Renate Motschnig (0000-0003-1685-8338, Pädagogische Hochschule Wien), Pelin Yüksel-Arslan (0000-0002-3286-8213, Pädagogische Hochschule Wien), Vera Schwarz (Pädagogische Hochschule Wien) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 11 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-30 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Frontiers in Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2504-284X • E-ISSN: 2504-284X |
| Publisher | Frontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3389/feduc.2026.1836970 |
| OpenAlex | W7166716145 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 35 |
Objective Meaningful peer and social interactions, sustained support, and collaborative engagement are critical to academic success and well-being, yet guidance on intentionally designing hybrid doctoral learning communities remains limited. This study explores a biweekly hybrid doctoral seminar on educational innovation and digital transformation, designed as a Significant Learning Community (SILC) grounded in Rogers's person-centered significant learning, social constructivism, and self-determination theory. Methods Using thematic analysis of 44 reaction sheets from the first of five semesters, we traced participants' academic progress, dissertation development, and personal and interpersonal growth. We examined the SILC's characteristics, its community dynamics, contributions to students' development, challenges and suggestions for improvement, and the hybrid setting. Results Participants highlighted collaboration, sharing, active listening, feedback, and experiential activities as central to their development. The emphasis on relatedness and autonomy aligns with self-determination theory, while appreciation for creative expression in a constructive atmosphere is consistent with person-centered views of creativity and the actualizing tendency inherent in humans. Recurring challenges concerned time management, translating creative tasks into the hybrid setting, and occasional technical issues. Conclusion Overall, the findings indicate that the SILC concept bridges theoretical and practical dimensions of significant learning and benefits hybrid participation when carefully facilitated. The study offers qualitatively derived insights for academics, advisors, and institutions designing person-centered, technology-enhanced learning environments that promote research excellence, interpersonal skills, creativity, democratic values, and the thoughtful integration of digital tools
Autonomy · Citizen journalism · Constructive · Creativity · Experiential learning · Interpersonal communication · Learning community · Thematic analysis · Doctoral Education Challenges and Solutions · Higher Education Practises and Engagement · Interdisciplinary Research and Collaboration
Self-Determination Theory
Redefining ‘early career’ in academia
Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Determination in Human Behavior
Korean university students’ significant learning experiences and associated generic skills
Faculty experiences with active student engagement in online doctoral courses during the Covid-19 era
Enhancing doctoral learning through virtual communities of practice
Ausubel’s meaningful learning re-visited
How can universities better support the mental wellbeing of higher degree research students? A study of students’ suggestions
A dual-process model of early career researchers’ well-being
PhD candidates’ and supervisors’ wellbeing and experiences of supervision
Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being
Extending collective practices of doctoral education from natural to educational sciences
Creating a research community
Person-Centered E-Learning in Action
Using thematic analysis in psychology
Writing Groups, Change and Academic Identity
Situated Learning
Thematic Analysis
The Status of Method
| Highly cited | No |
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