Language Instructors’ Motivations for Enrolling in Doctoral Programmes

Abstract

The choice and motive to undertake a doctoral programme can vary according to the perceived relevance and importance among doctoral students. However, not much is known about the initial motives for enrolling in doctoral programmes among language instructors in Malaysian public universities. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the language instructors’ motivations for enrolling in doctoral programmes. In this study, five language instructors from a public university in the north-east of Peninsular Malaysia were interviewed about their motivations for enrolling in doctoral programmes. This study explored the reasons and motivations that informed the students to advance their education and specifically the doctoral programmes. In-depth semi structured interviews were used in this study as a method of data collection since semi structured interviews allow the participants the freedom to share personal views and opinions about the phenomenon under study based on personal experience. The data from this study revealed that issues of contractual requirements, intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, recognition and status benefits, and support and encouragement from others are the main reasons for enrolling in doctoral programmes. The findings from this study identified potential recommendations for both the would-be doctoral candidates and for the institutions to offer before enrolment so that their motivations for enrolling in doctoral programmes can be further explored.