Perceptions of the Delivery, Advising, and Partnership Characteristics in Educational Leadership Doctoral Programs

In the U.S, education is both a right and a privilege and there is a relationship between the level of education and weekly wages (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018). Despite this, less than two percent of the population has a doctoral degree. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to focus on these perceived characteristics and the degree to which they influence doctoral persistence in a doctoral program in educational leadership. We employed quantitative (surveys) and qualitative (interviews, document analysis, focus group) methods of inquiry to gather data addressing perceptions of former directors and students--both those awarded the degree and those who never finished--of the delivery, advising, and partnership characteristics, and the relationship between candidates' perceptions of these characteristics and doctoral persistence. Findings revealed similarities between successful graduates and unsuccessful students in perceptions of delivery and advising characteristics. Partnership characteristics were found to be more significant for successful students. These findings began to fill the absence of research designed to inform practices and policies to increase doctoral persistence and completion rates. The importance of positive relationships with faculty and other students is an implication. Another implication is identified characteristics will affect persistence for a cohort of students over time. Future avenues of research are offered including follow student experiences through the same program to completion, which could inform specific factors within the confines of the same delivery, advising, and partnership characteristics of a program. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]