Understanding the diverse career trajectories of doctoral graduates and its implications for doctoral education: insights from multiple stakeholders in China
基于68个半结构化访谈，研究中国博士毕业生职业轨迹多样化趋势下，导师、学生、雇主等利益相关者的认知与行动分歧，以及当前博士教育体系的三大制约因素。
This study investigates how stakeholders perceive and respond to the increasingly diverse career trajectories of doctoral graduates, and how the current doctoral education system, shaped by their actions, constrains students’ capacity to adapt to such a trend. Drawing on stakeholder theory and Scott’s three institutional pillars, the study engages with data collected from 68 semi-structured interviews, including 25 doctoral students and graduates, 25 doctoral supervisors, 2 administrators from the university’s placement office and 16 corporate employers. Findings reveal that although stakeholders generally recognise the trend towards career diversification, divergences in their actions have, to a degree, hindered collective efforts to address this shift. Three key constraints emerging from the interaction and negotiation among those stakeholders are identified: (1) a supervisor-centred supervisory relationship and research-oriented evaluation system; (2) industry-disconnected training models; and (3) a diploma-oriented employment market. The study deepens understanding of the power negotiations among various stakeholders and the forces shaping doctoral education, and offers context-specific insights for aligning doctoral training with evolving diversified career trajectories.