Understanding The All But Dissertation(ABD)phenomenon In PhD Students From Venezuelan Universities: A Phenomenological Approach

There are countless numbers of PhD students from universities around the world who,after satisfactorily passing the entire study plan,do not manage to fulfill the final requirement of developing the thesis and dissertation to qualify for the corresponding degree,due to multiple reasons within the study program.Therefore,The purpose of this research is to understand the All But Dissertation(ABD)in PhD Students from Venezuelan Universities Through the experiences about ABD phenomenon of PhD Coordinators,PhD Supervisors and PhD Students from Venezuelan Universities who are in ABD status and abandoned their study program during the dissertation stage and decide not to complete the degree requirements,this Phenomenological study aims to answer the following research question: How to understand the All But Dissertation(ABD)phenomenon in Venezuelan universities?.The ABD phenomenon has become the fear of all PhD students from Venezuelan universities,the collective nightmare and more as the time for the completion of their dissertation.The methodology was a phenomenological study(Husserl,1982)through the interpretation of experiences about ABD of 3 PhD Administrators,9 PhD Supervisors and 9 PhD Students in ABD status.In the research findings the present study evidence through the interpretation of11 categories found that there are diverse factors that influence with the desertion of PhD students from the doctoral program.Thus,as discussion to understand the ABD phenomenon in Venezuelan universities can be inferred that these diverse factors are focused on aspects related to the choice of the thesis topic,the motivation,the relationship and work of the supervisor with the student in addition to the relationship with the reviewing committee,the characteristics of the student,the research competencies such as knowledge and skills in both research and methodology,as well as the economic factors of each PhD student.Among the conclusion and suggestions to understanding and avoid the ABD phenomenon not only in PhD students but also in graduate students we can mention the following: Increase motivational and economic incentives by government institutions,universities,institutions and labor to support research by PhD students,consolidate the lines of research according to the requirements and curricular model of the graduate program being carried out by the coordinators of the PhD programs,to program within the PhD curricular programs the support and publication of at least 1 scientific article in digital journals to strengthen research,encourage PhD students to choose the research topic from the beginning of the academic program,increase supervision and thesis progress controls in PhD students to avoid dropouts.In view of the above,the present study allowed us to enter into theories that enrich the knowledge and logic of thought.As a result,this research will not only open new horizons to the next researchers that will carry out a study on a similar topic,but also,they will know a phenomenon of great importance and relevance for the universities of the world.