Open AccessThe Lament of a Female Postgraduate PhD Student at a South African University: An Academic Wellness Perspective
Author(s) -
Meahabo Dinah Magano
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
international journal of higher education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1927-6052
pISSN - 1927-6044
DOI - 10.5430/ijhe.v2n2p211
Subject(s) - lament , assertiveness , active listening , narrative , perspective (graphical) , psychology , self esteem , social psychology , gender studies , pedagogy , medical education , medicine , sociology , psychotherapist , literature , art , artificial intelligence , computer science
The paper examines the case of a female doctoral candidate who studied over a period of eight years at a South African university and the challenges she encountered. It reports on a qualitative study that followed a narrative approach and employed a method known as the ‘listening guide.’ Findings revealed that the voluntary participant faced hardships, and her self-esteem, assertiveness and self-confidence changed from being positive to negative over the eight years. Change of supervisors contributed to her frustration but despite the negative experiences she remains positive and hopes that one day she will complete her PhD. Another positive aspect is that she has published articles based on her research in international journals.