Exploring perspectives: a scoping review of the challenges facing doctoral training in Africa

Abstract

Given the growing demand to produce PhD holders in Africa, it is crucial to grasp the intricacies faced by PhD candidates. This review aimed to synthesise the existing studies that explore the perspectives of candidates pursuing or completing a PhD in Africa. In conjunction with the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for scoping reviews, a scoping review guide developed by Arksey and O’Malley (2005) was used. Multiple databases were searched, including EBSCO Host, Scopus, EMBASE, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Medline (Ovid), and Google Scholar. Of the 51 articles that were retrieved, 12 were included in the review from various African countries. All articles were screened for quality before inclusion. The studies explored the types and characteristics of the included articles. The studies were descriptively mapped using qualitative content analysis, which revealed five themes: the sociodemographic profile of the PhD candidates, funding, resources and training, supervision experiences, and coping mechanisms. There is evidence on sociodemographic characteristics, challenges posed by funding, inadequate resources, and supervisor–candidate relationships, the research addressing why African candidates are studying at a later age, gender-specific environmental and cultural barriers, and coping strategies used during candidature is comparatively limited. Consequently, further investigations in these areas are crucial to better support PhD candidates in Africa.