Initial motivation and progress with doctoral studies in computer science — A case study from a Finnish university

Success in doctoral education has been studied from many theoretical and practical perspectives, but very few studies focus specifically on student motivation. In practice, graduate schools usually try to evaluate applicants´ motivation in the admission process, assuming they are able to identify the initial motivation that would predict a successful doctoral path. The aim of this study is to bring new understanding to this field by studying the relationship between the students´ initial motivation in enrolling doctoral studies and their actual progress with the studies. This is a case study conducted in a Finnish research university with full-time doctoral students in computing. The research data includes interviews (n=30) and follow-up data of the participants´ actual progress three years later. First, the participants were categorized according to their initial motivation for doctoral studies, based on the interview data. Second, they were divided into two groups based on their progress during the follow-up period. The participants who emphasized career goals as their main reason to apply for doctoral studies were more likely progress well with their studies than the students who emphasized intrinsic motivational factors. More generally, it seems to be extremely difficult to predict students´ progress based on their initial motivation.