Currently reading Boisselier (2025) on how PhD students’ help-seeking behaviour helps them develop research self-efficacy

I read this paper on the bus this morning, but in a nutshell: it investigates PhD students’ research self-efficacy (i.e. the confidence in ones own ability to do research) and help-seeking behaviour, both of which are important to develop during PhD studies.

Boisselier (2025) finds that the better the PhD students evaluate their supervision relationship on the dimensions need satisfaction (for relatedness, competence, and autonomy support), communication quality with supervisor, and supervisor involvement in research, the better the PhD students’ help-seeking behaviours, leading to better research self-efficacy. This is super important to know both for supervisors (it is important to invest in the relationships!) and for PhD students (your help-seeking behaviours will influence how much confidence you develop as a researcher!).

Boisselier, J. (2025). Unveiling the hidden key: can help-seeking behaviors bridge the gap between doctoral supervision relationship and research self-efficacy of PhD candidates?. Higher Education Research & Development, 1-16.

Some more freediving pics from a rainy dive! Good thing I like raindrops on water!

But taking pictures of them is really random and completely out of my control, I only see afterwards if it worked or not.

Sometimes it does work!

And here is what it looks like from below!

Always a favourite: Bubble rings!

Freedivers looking down on me does look very weird, one looses all sense of perspective!

Oh, and my favourite crazy little diving puppy!