@article{246c44dd6d5e4a6a93dd3e0e2d3e8f8c,
title = "Doctoral students{\textquoteright} experiences of being affiliated with an interdisciplinary graduate school in aging and health",
abstract = "The aim is to describe the development of a novel interdisciplinary graduate school, using the Swedish National Graduate School for Competitive Science on Ageing and Health (SWEAH) as a case example. We explore doctoral students{\textquoteright} perceptions of being part of SWEAH and provide implications for practice. Written self-reports reflecting 78 students{\textquoteright} experiences and perceptions were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings reveal that affiliation with SWEAH is highly valued. The students emphasized the tailored courses and learning activities and reported that it was instrumental in deepening their knowledge and broadening their research perspectives. The findings demonstrate how students navigate between disciplinary and interdisciplinary contexts and become enculturated with intellectual mindset and understanding of the importance of network building. The graduate school adds an interdisciplinary layer of learning, influenced by peers and researchers, and demonstrates the importance of community building within interdisciplinary environments and how it can be achieved.",
keywords = "PhD education, doctoral program, gerontology, higher education, networking, research school",
author = "Charlotte L{\"o}fqvist and Maria Haak and Catharina Melander and Gudrun Edgren and Bengtsen, {S{\o}ren S.B.} and Susanne Iwarsson",
note = "Funding Information: The establishment of SWEAH in 2014 was a novel initiative to form an interdisciplinary, national (rather than only institutional), collaborative and student-driven graduate school, financed by the Swedish Research Council. The overarching goal of SWEAH is to promote networking and ensure access to a base of researchers for future studies within aging and health, thus addressing today{\textquoteright}s challenges in the area of active and healthy aging. SWEAH engages doctoral students, supervisors and postdocs at 16 HEIs across Sweden – work that is coordinated by one of the partner universities – and provides an interdisciplinary doctoral education program in aging and health. A maximum of 50 doctoral students can participate during the same time period. To date, 78 PhD students have been affiliated with the program, 31 of which had graduated as of June 2020. Funding Information: The development and establishment of SWEAH was funded by the Swedish Research Council, contract no. 2013-08755; PI: S. Iwarsson. The authors wish to thank the SWEAH doctoral students who have shared their experiences, thoughts, ideas and feelings about the graduate school. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.",
year = "2021",
doi = "10.1080/13562517.2021.2000386",
language = "English",
pages = "1--16",
journal = "Teaching in Higher Education",
issn = "1356-2517",
publisher = "Routledge",
}