The changing postdoc and key predictors of satisfaction with professional training
Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education
ISSN: 2398-4686
Article publication date: 2 March 2020
Issue publication date: 9 April 2020
Abstract
Purpose
The postdoctoral position was originally created as a short training period for PhD holders on the path to becoming university professors; however, the single-purpose paradigm of training has evolved considerably over time. The purpose of this paper is to report on the opportunities and challenges faced by postdocs as they navigate this complex training period.
Design/methodology/approach
To better understand the changes in postdoctoral training the Canadian Association of Postdoctoral Scholars – l’Association Canadienne des Stagiaires Postdoctoraux (CAPS-ACSP) conducted three professional national surveys of postdocs working in Canada and Canadian postdocs working internationally. Using the data from each survey, the authors investigated demographics, career goals and mental health and developed a theory-based path model for predicting postdoctoral training satisfaction, using structural equation modeling.
Findings
The analysis revealed that during their training postdocs face mental health symptoms, which play a role in job satisfaction. Additionally, predictors of satisfaction with career training were opportunities for skills development and encouragement from supervisors. Predictors of satisfaction with compensation were salary, skills training, mental health and encouragement from supervisors.
Originality/value
This first in-depth analysis of mental health symptoms illuminates the postdoc experience in academia. The study highlights the need for substantive changes to address the challenges facing postdoctoral training in the current research model in North America.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge Silvia Vilches for her valuable advice throughout the project. The authors want to thank Canadian funding agencies, postdoctoral administrators, associations and the International Consortium of Research Staff Associations (ICoRSA) for survey distribution. Thank-you to the 2017-2018 CAPS-ACSP executive for their helpful comments on the final manuscript text.
Funding: The 2013 national postdoctoral fellow survey was funded by Mitacs. In 2016, the CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC of Canada funded the national postdoctoral survey. A grant from Burroughs Wellcome Fund was obtained in 2016 to assist with report writing of the survey results.
Citation
Van Benthem, K., Nadim Adi, M., Corkery, C.T., Inoue, J. and Jadavji, N.M. (2020), "The changing postdoc and key predictors of satisfaction with professional training", Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education, Vol. 11 No. 1, pp. 123-142. https://doi.org/10.1108/SGPE-06-2019-0055
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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