Workshops

During this workshop we will shortly discuss the merits and pitfalls of The Open Science movement and how this movement relates to the educational sciences. Subsequently, we will explain why preregistration of your empirical studies could be an important step in increasing the accountability but also the validity of your research.  We will provide you with some examples of how to register a study, varying from experimental studies to qualitative studies, and you will also get some hands-on practice in preregistration.

PhD candidates experience the final phase of their project in different ways. The end is in sight. For some it is a relief or a culmination, for others it is a reality check. In any case, completing a dissertation often takes pressure. After all, it has to be finished (but research is never finished!). Also, the search for a follow-up job often starts to take concrete shape in the final year of your PhD. Besides completing the dissertation itself, defending it is something that PhD students may experience differently. For some it is a holiday equivalent to a wedding day, for others it is a formality or is experienced as hazing. The defence is best when you can stand up for your thesis with verve, in front of your colleagues, family and friends, and have an inspired conversation about it with your committee. But how do you create air and space within yourself for this? In this workshop, we will discuss how to arrange the final phase of your PhD in a pleasant way. We will address questions such as: How do you plan this phase? What is a good way to look at (the writing of) your introduction and discussion chapter? What can you consider when putting together a (reading) committee? What expectations are best to go into your defence with? And how do you manage your supervisors during the final stage? Of course, there is also plenty of room for discussing your own input.

Workshop Objectives:

1. Introduce key concepts of Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and the Demands Induced Strain Compensation Recovery (DISC-r) model.
2. Introduce general wellbeing and wellbeing at work. Reflect on the relationships between psychological needs and motivation, components of work, and well-being.

3. Engage in a guided reflective exercise to assess your own well-being and motivation as a PhD student.
4. Identify one actionable step to promote well-being and intrinsic motivation during your academic journey.

Agenda:

Introduction 15 mins

• Welcome and brief overview of the workshop’s objectives.
• Introduce Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and the Demands Induced Strain Compensation Recovery (DISC-r) theory.
• Stress the importance of well-being and motivation in academic success. Link variety of motivating elements of job to new rewards and recognition plan. Connect this to Self Determination Theory elements (competence and autonomy).

Session 2: Reflecting on Your PhD Journey

• Engage participants in a guided reflective exercise.
• Identify key demands and resources in your academic life: A World Café (estimated 30 minutes). Four large posters will be placed around the room and participants will rotate from station to station.

We will have a station for job and organizational demands, one for job and organizational resources, one for personal demands, and one for personal resources. Each poster will have sections for emotional, physical and cognitive resources and demands. Participants will be divided into smaller groups and have four minutes to fill in the main ones they perceive in their work. They will switch stations every 5 minutes. We will take 10 minutes to debrief and discuss demands and resources with the whole group and how they impact motivation.

• Reflect and discuss with your neighbour on how these factors impact your well-being and motivation.
• Now reflect on what initially motivated you to pursue a PhD? We will encourage participants to explore aspects of work beyond research and include cultural and environmental factors. (Match to SDT predictors for wellbeing)

Motivation isn’t constant. We will explore the clinical psychology concept of re-directing one’s motivation. Therapists often lose their focus in session and need to redirect themselves by tapping into what’s meaningful and important to them.  

Have your motivations changes since the start of your PhD

In our PhD journey we will often lose our focus on aspects of work that might be important to us and to our career success.

What are moments where you lose your motivation? What kind of situations inside and outside work trigger this?

Develop strategies with your partners in the workgroup to re-direct your motivation when these triggers occurr.

Session 3: Strategies for Enhancing Well-being

• Discuss the importance of balancing job demands and resources.
• Share a brief overview of strategies for enhancing well-being.

Guided savoring technique. Participants will be guided through savoring the feeling of achievement at milestones in the PhD.

What did this moment feel like? What was the setting like? How did those around us react?

This will remind participants of what they can achieve in this role, thus addressing competence and autonomy needs.

To address relatedness needs participants will also savor feelings of gratitude towards support and kindness that they’ve received from others the PhD.

In which situation did I feel support or kindness from others? What did it feel like to be supported in this situation?

Participants can also visualize reciprocating this kindness and giving back to those they’re grateful towards.

We could also use this to focus on social support network. Maybe use a mapping of sources of social support.

• We will guide participants in regulating their demands and resources and ensuring their needs are met.

Participants will role play in pairs negotiating situations with their supervisors or other colleagues (redirecting their research according to their interests, reducing extraneous activities, saying no and setting boundaries to unwanted collaborations)

Participants can bring real cases where they’d like to practice getting their needs met or managing their resources and demands.

These conversations can help participants practice their negotiation skills to take better ownership of their PhD

• Summarize key takeaways from the workshop.

Q&A and Closing

• Open the floor for questions and discussion.
• Remind participants of the importance of continuous self-reflection and well-being.
• Provide resources for further exploration.

Conclusion: In this workshop, the PhD students will explore the Self-Determination Theory, DISC-r model and the elements of well-being in the context of their PhD. Through reflective exercises and discussions, they will identify key demands and resources, reflect on their motivations, and learn strategies to enhance well-being. As they move forward, we hope they will keep in mind the importance of self-reflection and proactive well-being management to navigate the challenges and setbacks of academia successfully.