Challenges of Ph.D. training in social sciences and humanities in Kazakhstani universities

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This study aims to identify challenges in the training of scientific personnel in the field of social sciences and humanities at the doctoral level in Kazakhstan. It proceeds from the assumption that successful completion of a Ph.D. program is conditioned by internal and external factors that influence the educational process and may lead to challenges in Ph.D. thesis defense. The study employs an explanatory-sequential approach within a mixed-methods design, incorporating economic-statistical, regression, and content analysis. Data were gathered through questionnaires from 61 current students and graduates of Ph.D. programs in the social sciences and humanities. Findings indicate that having a job made it more challenging for respondents to study and complete their Ph.D. programs, as employment requires time and effort; however, the additional monthly income besides scholarship helped reduce financial stress, thereby supporting their academic progress. Women found studying easier than men, while married respondents experienced fewer challenges than single ones. Although 36.1% of respondents expressed high satisfaction with Ph.D. training quality, the majority reported challenges, with 65.65% noting issues in the educational process, 52.5% identifying problems in scientific supervision, 33% raising concerns about teacher qualifications, and 25% highlighting infrastructure needs. Key factors influencing Ph.D. completion rates included an unstable study environment, characterized by frequent changes in regulations, and students’ difficulties in meeting government-imposed requirements, especially publication in a Scopus database journal. The study’s practical value is developing measures to enhance Ph.D. thesis defense rates by improving admission requirements, restricting external employment, increasing supervisor accountability, and adjusting publication standards.

Acknowledgments
This research has been funded by the Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan (AP19680246 “Building up highly intelligent human resources in the conditions of digitalization of the economy of Kazakhstan: problems and prospects”, 2023–2025) and supported the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs (program “Advancing data-driven solutions by strengthening partnerships between the scientific, academic and civil sectors in Central Asia”, 2023–2024).

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    • Figure 1. Perception of difficulty level in doctoral studies (% of respondents)
    • Figure 2. Identified groups of problems in Ph.D. education (by number of respondents)
    • Table 1. OLS regression model results
    • Table 2. Problems encountered by respondents in the process of doctoral studies and/or defense of Ph.D. thesis
    • Conceptualization
      Zaira Satpayeva, Dana Kangalakova, Tolkyn Kakizhanova, Kristina Konstantinova
    • Data curation
      Zaira Satpayeva, Kristina Konstantinova
    • Formal Analysis
      Zaira Satpayeva, Tolkyn Kakizhanova, Kristina Konstantinova
    • Investigation
      Zaira Satpayeva, Dana Kangalakova
    • Methodology
      Zaira Satpayeva, Tolkyn Kakizhanova
    • Project administration
      Zaira Satpayeva, Dana Kangalakova
    • Resources
      Zaira Satpayeva, Dana Kangalakova, Kristina Konstantinova
    • Software
      Zaira Satpayeva, Tolkyn Kakizhanova
    • Supervision
      Zaira Satpayeva
    • Validation
      Zaira Satpayeva, Tolkyn Kakizhanova, Kristina Konstantinova
    • Visualization
      Zaira Satpayeva, Dana Kangalakova, Tolkyn Kakizhanova
    • Writing – original draft
      Zaira Satpayeva, Dana Kangalakova, Tolkyn Kakizhanova, Kristina Konstantinova
    • Writing – review & editing
      Zaira Satpayeva, Dana Kangalakova, Tolkyn Kakizhanova, Kristina Konstantinova
    • Funding acquisition
      Dana Kangalakova