Aspirantura and Ph.D. outcomes: The perspectives of students and Dissertation Council members in Kyrgyzstan

• In Event: External Influences on Education in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia

Proposal

The purpose of the research is to explore to what extent the outcomes of the traditional Aspirantura (a Soviet-era postgraduate program to award an academic degree of Kandidat Nauk) and western styled Ph.D. programs are different. The author examines the perspectives of students of both programs Aspirantura and Ph.D., and the perspectives of the Dissertation Councils’ members at six public universities in Kyrgyzstan. The study will be guided by an educational policy transfer theory (Phillips & Ochs, 2003) and address research questions: How different are the outcomes of Kandidat Nauk and Ph.D. for recipients of the two degrees? How do Dissertation Council members view their practice and involvement in dissertation defense processes for Kandidat Nauks and Ph.D. degrees?

In accordance with Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic (# 733/1, December 12, 2012), six public universities piloted Ph.D. programs in 2013. As the author’s previous research findings showed, the requirements for Ph.D. programs were unrealistic for higher education institutions and local students since students have to do an internship abroad of at least a month, to publish two articles in international peer-reviewed journals, and to have an international supervisor. The new Ph.D. program requirements were the main reasons why some local students chose Aspirantura rather than Ph.D. programs. In seven years after introducing the Ph.D. programs, out of 108 applicants, only seven doctoral students were able to complete the program and defend their Ph.D. dissertations, and those were citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Karabalaeva & Asipova, 2020). International students, primarily from China and Kazakhstan also come to Kyrgyzstan for the Ph.D., but not for the Kandidat Nauk. There are issues related to pursuing a Kandidat Nauk degree too. Students complain about Dissertation Councils’ work including long queues to schedule a defense, lack of transparency and corruption. Nevertheless, both programs Aspirantura and Ph.D. continue existing, universities continue opening new Ph.D. programs and admitting more students. The Kyrgyz Government adopted Regulations on the procedure for organizing postgraduate professional education (basic doctoral studies (PhD)) and awarding the qualification of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) (Decree #601 of the KR, December 11, 2020). However, there is no study on the outcomes of these programs for students who have chosen one of these programs, Aspirantura or Ph.D., and the views of the Dissertation Councils members.

The external factors such as, government requirements, lack of funding, and lack of foreign language skills affect the outcomes of Aspirantura and Ph.D. programs for recipients of the degrees in Kyrgyzstan. To develop successful Ph.D. programs, universities need sufficient funding, and faculty and students should possess advanced level of foreign language skills to conduct research or internship under the supervision of international supervisors and to publish scholarly articles in languages other than Kyrgyz or Russian. Digital technology is an integral part of an educational process and Ph.D. programs need advanced digital technologies and platforms to enhance research, and increase access to information and to promote digital connectivity in addition to well- structured curriculum.

Author

• Chynarkul Ryskulova, American University of Central Asia