Agency and career indecision among biological science graduate students

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine how student agency influences career decision-making for doctoral students in biological sciences. The authors address the following questions: How do biological science graduate students navigate career indecision? And how does agency relate to their experiences with career indecision? Design/methodology/approach The authors analyzed interview data collected from 84 PhD biology graduate students. Researchers used a grounded theory approach. After open codes were developed and data were coded, code reports were generated, which were used to determine themes. Findings More than half of the sample had not committed to a career path, and undecided students were bifurcated into two categories: Uncommitted and Uncertain. Uncommitted graduate students demonstrated agency in their approach and were focused on exploration and development. Uncertain students demonstrated less agency, were more fearful and perceived less control and clarity about their options and strategies to pursue career goals. Practical implications Findings suggest some forms of indecision can be productive and offer institutional leaders guidance for increasing the efficacy of career development and exploration programming. Originality/value Research on doctoral student career decision-making is often quantitative and rarely explores the role of agency. This qualitative study focuses on the relationship between student agency and career indecision, which is an understudied aspect of career development.

Career decision‐making among Chinese doctoral engineering graduates after studying in the United States

“…This powerful interest in an academic career is related to the research training that they receive during doctoral programmes. However, a recent study by Griffin et al (2022) described changing attitudes to the career decision among doctoral students, especially in STEM fields. The authors showed that doctoral students in STEM fields show less certainty about academic career choices compared to previous generations; instead, they express more interest in other career pathways, including non-research careers.…”

“…Structural aspects may include the economic environment, employment conditions in the labour market and relevant job market policies (Berglund & Wallinder, 2015;Tholen, 2015). However, as Griffin et al (2022) point out, individuals with higher levels of agency understand that individuals' abilities play more critical roles in successful career progress, despite structural constraints.…”

“…In comparison to other fields, fewer doctoral graduates in STEM choose academic careers, although there are differences across sub‐fields in the STEM fields. There are several reasons for not choosing academic careers, including better working conditions outside the academy or negative perceptions of academic careers (Griffin et al., 2022). When doctoral graduates can find better employment opportunities outside academia, they are willing to consider that path.…”

“…This question has taken on greater importance in recent years due to the declining number of tenure-track academic jobs, even as there are continual increases in the number of doctoral graduates worldwide (Larson et al, 2014;OECD, 2022), and is particularly critical for STEM graduates who have a wider range of career options. Research has shown that recent STEM graduate students report less interest than previous generations in pursuing university careers and are more open to working outside academia, including in industry (Griffin et al, 2022). These two critical aspects, mobility and returning (US vs. China) and career choices (academia vs. non-academic), are highly related to each other.…”

Editorial: Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education during a decade of change

“…In the past few years, Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education has published numerous articles which focus on this important area of research. One example is the article by Griffin et al (2023), which documented ways in which doctoral student agency shapes career decision-making. Based on interviews with students enrolled in a doctoral biology program, the authors emphasized how indecision is a common aspect of the career trajectory and can even be of benefit as students prepare for a range of options and potential transitions.…”