Using Astin’s I-E-O model to explain the supervisor’s role in doctoral outcomes at a highly selective Russian university

Previous studies have demonstrated that supervisors play a crucial role in doctoral student academic progress. Various supervisory characteristics have been identified as significant factors in student outcomes. However, these findings are often inconsistent and not grounded in strong theoretical frameworks. This study aims to explain the role of supervisors in shaping doctoral student outcomes in the Russian context, where students typically work with only one supervisor and rely heavily on them for both academic and personal support. Using Astin’s Input–Environment–Output (I-E-O) model, we propose a framework that connects supervisory characteristics with doctoral completion through the concept of supervisor involvement. We apply this framework using quasi-longitudinal data from a highly selective Russian university (n = 610). The results help us better understand how supervisor involvement functions in a system with limited support structures and offer useful insights for improving supervision where students strongly depend on a single supervisor.