Quelles pistes pour un vécu positif du doctorat ? Apports de la littérature scientifique actuelle

Abstract

A research work that does not progress, an unsatisfactory supervision, an uncertain career prospects or the feeling of not belonging to a scientific community, these are the difficulties that many PhD students encounter during their doctoral studies. If these difficulties are the subject of a growing number of publications, very few studies have focused on the determinants of the positive experience of the doctorate. Indeed, the experience of a thesis can be extremely enriching. In this review of the literature, our objective is to exploit the current state of knowledge that enables to consider the doctorate as positive experience in order to extract helpful cues that could improve this experience. First, we present evidence issued from the scientific literature that shows that, although the doctorate can be a difficult experience, it can also be a very positive one. Secondly, we propose promising lines to improve the doctoral experience. Overall, this article is of interest to doctoral students who wish to deepen their thoughts on their working conditions, but also to all those who surround them, such as, the thesis directors, the research unit directors, and the doctoral school directors.