The role of faculty mentors in the research training of counseling psychology doctoral students.

Abstract

This study investigated research mentoring experiences of counseling psychology doctoral students as predictors of students’ research productivity. The authors also assessed the research training environment and research self-efficacy as influences on research productivity. Participants were 194 third- and fourth-year counseling psychology doctoral students. Results indicated that the research training environment predicted students’ research mentoring experiences and their research self-efficacy. Both research mentoring experiences and research self-efficacy mediated the effect of the research training environment on research productivity. Analyses showed no significant differences in these relationships by student gender or scientific stature of training programs. Research training of counseling psychology doctoral students has received increased scrutiny in the last 2 decades. This scrutiny stems, in part, from the observation that few counseling psychologists conduct research after completing their doctoral requirements despite training in a scientist–practitioner model (Brems, Johnson, & Gallucci, 1996). Although research suggests that individual factors, such as personality and interests, play a major role in research attitudes and productivity (e.g., Kahn & Scott, 1997; Krebs, Smither, & Hurley, 1991; Mallinckrodt, Gelso, & Royalty, 1990), theorists have also proposed that the research training environment plays an influential role in shaping counseling psychologists’ perceptions of research (Gelso, 1997).