Aktiviti kritikal sebelum dan semasa pengajian PhD: kajian di kalangan staf akademik universiti / Norsiah Hami … [et al.]

Students who wish to pursue their studies at the PhD or Doctor of Philosophy level require a high level of commitment and early planning in all aspects either before or during their studies to ensure of successful completion within the stipulated time period. This is because, as is well known that the journey of PhD studies is quite difficult and challenging so many students who are still enrolled have the intention to quit. Thus, this study aims to identify critical activities before and during PhD studies among university academic staff. By distributing a set of questionnaires through online, a survey was conducted on academic staffs at University Utara Malaysia who have successfully completed their PhD studies. A total of 95 respondents were answered and used for the purpose of statistical analysis. All data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences 22.0 (SPSS) that involves statistical methods such as reliability tests and descriptive tests. The results of the descriptive analysis shows that the preparation of financial resources is the most critical activity before PhD study while the critical activity during study is student self -management. Therefore, the results of this study can provide a preparation guide for students who want to further their studies at the PhD level until they finally successfully complete their studies within the prescribed period.