Doctoral Students’ Perceived Academic Research Reading Ability: A Mixed-Methods Study

Empirical research is useful for informing educational policy and practice. However, doctoral students often struggle with reading and evaluating empirical research papers. The present study examined doctoral students’ perceptions of their ability to read and evaluate empirical research articles, both before and after an educational research methods course, as well as which course components students perceived as most impacting their ability to read and evaluate research articles. The study used a convergent mixed methods design, involving pre- and post-course survey data. Results indicated students felt they improved in their experience levels, comfort levels, interpretation ability, and evaluation ability regarding reading research articles. Furthermore, students felt that article critique papers and annotated bibliography assignments were particularly helpful in learning how to read and evaluate research. These findings were supported by both the quantitative and qualitative data analyses. Implications for both the theory of adult education and practice of doctoral student instruction are discussed.