This project looks at the issue of enculturation and the challenges related to it in a Ph.D. supervision context. Enculturation, within our academic context, refers to the multifaceted process of socializing Ph.D. students into various aspects of the academic environment. Lee (2008) emphasizes the significance of enculturation as it guides students towards becoming integrated members of their disciplinary communities. In a qualitative exploration conducted by Basit (2023), the experiences and perspectives of 23 Ph.D. students in the United Kingdom were examined. The study delved into their perceptions regarding teaching, learning, support mechanisms, and socialisation throughout their doctoral journeys. Within this investigation, notable differences emerged, not only in individual student behaviours but also in collective behaviours, as well as across different academic disciplines within the same institution. The study shed light on the advantageous impact of faculties maintaining close ties with relevant industries aligned with their respective disciplines. This interplay between academia and industry not only helped the growth of students' academic identities but also facilitated their integration into wider professional networks.
We thus know that enculturation plays a pivotal role in shaping the experiences and trajectories of Ph.D. students within academia. In the current study, we investigate current enculturation patterns at Lund University. Similar to earlier studies, we take a qualitative approach and seek to answer the question of what are the main challenges in the enculturation of students and what are the possible solutions? The project builds on a conceptual framework developed by the authors and is based on a total of 13 interviews including 8 students and 5 supervisors from five different divisions in Lund University, Faculty of Engineering.
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