The other side of PhD education: A systematic review of research on PhD students' development as university teachers

The professional development of PhD students as university teachers is crucial not only for their academic career trajectories, but also for improving teaching quality at universities. However, research on PhD students' professional growth has mainly focused on their role as researchers. As a result, much less is known about the other side of PhD education-their development as university teachers. This systematic review aims to examine the characteristics of existing studies in this area, identify the support available and explore challenges encountered in PhD students' development as university teachers. This review is based on two literature searches that both followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) reporting guidelines and identified 40 publications in three databases: ProQuest, Scopus and Web of Science. The selected papers exhibit homogeneity, with most being based on qualitative research conducted in the North American context. The findings indicate a lack of attention to doctoral candidates' development as university teachers in the literature. The findings also highlight the types of support available and the challenges encountered during their development as university teachers. Based on these findings, we propose a framework consisting of courses, practica and mentoring to inform efforts to support PhD students' development as university teachers.Rationale for this study:Why the new findings matterImplications for PhD students, researchers and higher education institutions:Context and implications This review aims to explore the existing literature on PhD students' development in the role of university teachers, highlighting research gaps and identifying the factors that contribute to their development. : This review offers insights into the challenges PhD students face in their development as university teachers and how they can be supported, and proposes a framework of factors contributing to their development. PhD students can use these insights to address challenges they face during their development as university teachers. Researchers are provided with a review of existing literature and trends that highlights areas to be explored in future research, thus advocating for future studies on PhD students' experiences in their development as university teachers across different contexts. Higher education institutions can refer to the proposed framework of contributing factors to offer support for PhD students in terms of courses, practical teaching experiences and mentoring, thus fostering an environment in which PhD students' development as university teachers is actively integrated into their candidature.