THE PHYLOSOPHY BEHIND A PHD PROGRAM IN KAZAKHSTAN

Guldana Akhmetova

doi:10.32523/3080-1281-2025-153-4-7-21

Authors

Guldana Akhmetova University of Minnesota Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6768-6727

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32523/3080-1281-2025-153-4-7-21

Keywords:

academic writing; one Kazakhstani university; PhD candidates; publishing articles; philosophy of education; PhD programs; transition to three-tiered system

Abstract

The Kazakhstani education system has gradually shifted to the three-tiered European system after joining the European Higher Education Area in 2010. This transition to the new directions of training for specialists triggered doubts and concerns among Kazakhstani scholars. Hence, this study aims to examine the educational philosophy underlying PhD programs based on the experience of PhD candidates at one Kazakhstani University.

This study employed the exploratory sequential design, and PhD candidates from the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 cohorts in one Kazakhstani University took part in the study. In total, 29 respondents out of 40 completed a survey at the end of the course, and three PhD candidates agreed to participate in an in-depth individual interview. The open-ended questions of the survey and three interview responses were analyzed through the constructivist grounded theory analysis.

Research results indicate that, according to the normative rules, PhD candidates are required to publish articles in order to receive permission to defend their thesis. Individual interviewers stated that money is either collected in advance or requested from a project fund in order to get published in Q1-Q4 journals. As a matter of fact, 68% of respondents confirmed the feasibility of their being published within three years, whereas 21% highlighted their preference for writing their thesis and further expanding their knowledge. Thereby, the philosophy of educating PhD candidates leads to the mantra “publish or perish” rather than nurturing young researchers.

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Author Biography

Guldana Akhmetova, University of Minnesota

PhD, Associate Professor, Researcher, University of Minnesota, 301 19 TH AVE S., 190 Humphrey School, Minneapolis, 55455, USA

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