Key questions for thought and action

As we stated in the Preface, "there are no universal solutions to the problems involved in setting up and operating a quality doctoral program. Rather, educators would be wise to be aware of the alternatives at their disposal and make informed choices based on an understanding of their institution and the larger societal contexts." As we also mentioned in the Preface, we believe that the ideas and perspectives contained in the preceding chapters offer alternative solutions to the problems facing our colleagues in education around the world who are faced with the need to rethink, restructure, or perhaps establish new programs for the education and training of future generations of scholars in their country. In this final chapter, then, we pose seven questions that we believe to be useful in thinking about doctoral education and training and then acting on the knowledge gained. Following each question, we suggest ways of answering the question based on what is known about doctoral programs in general and the societal and institutional contexts within which these programs are housed. In the preceding paragraph, we used the phrase "future generations of scholars." Throughout this volume you have read about scholars, researchers, and academics. These are not interchangeable terms. In this final chapter we chose the term "scholar" because we believe it to be the broadest of the three concepts. A scholar, as defined in most dictionaries, is a person who by long study has gained mastery in one or more disciplines. The three key words or phrases in this definition are "long study," "mastery," and "discipline" (where discipline is defined as a branch of knowledge). In light of this definition, then, we would suggest that all who hold a doctoral degree are scholars.