Individual potential of doctoral students: Structure of research competences and self-assessment

Doctoral students, being researchers to be, play a significant role in the sustainable development of society. At present doctoral students are expected to achieve a certain result, and in order to attain it, adequate research competencies are needed. This article can be considered as the analysis of one stage of a pilot study, in which the structure of doctoral students' research competencies are set, and the development tendencies can be acquired in the context of qualification and research competence theories. With the existing range of competency theories, the authors emphasize an approach, where competences are oriented at a definite aim-to obtain the degree of doctor of sciences, being the most acceptable for research competence analysis. In the pilot study doctoral students at Daugavpils University (Latvia) and candidates for a scientific degree (N-64) were questioned, who completed a self-assessment of research activity competencies. Three competency groups were identified: informative, communicative and instrumental. In order to assess the effect of support of the ESF (European Structural Funds) Project "Support to the implementation of Daugavpils University doctoral studies" in the improvement of research competences, the competence groups identified were analyzed like are/are not in the context of the ESF Project. Conclusions depict the strong and weak sides of doctoral students' research potential, as well as the most significant research activity competences of the researcher to be. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.