Program elements’ impact on chemistry doctoral students’ professional development: a longitudinal study

Abstract

The goal of graduate education has consistently been to produce independent scientists who can advance the knowledge of their fields, which has led to a series of staple elements in graduate components (i.e. research, courses, seminars, etc.) However, criticisms of graduate education in chemistry have been raised, stating that the current structure no longer matches the needs of our changing world, that it fails to prepare students for present and future careers in academia, industry, and government work. Suggestions have been made for improvement, but there is a lack of research investigating how graduate students actually grow professionally given the current common programmatic elements. To that end, a longitudinal, qualitative case study was conducted. Four chemistry graduate students were interviewed about their professional growth every 6 months during their first two years of graduate school based on their personal experiences to determine the impact of programmatic elements on graduate students’ professional development. Socialization theory and cognitive apprenticeship theory provided the lens for the development of the semi-structured interviews. Through the use of iterative thematic coding, evidence of five main themes was found: Career preparation, environment, perceived value, scepticism or faith in the system, and support. These themes bring into question the extent to which chemistry programs (of similar characteristics to those studied) are meeting their ethical responsibility of preparing students for the changing dynamics of careers that chemists assume. It was found that, in certain circumstances, the current chemistry graduate education structure falls short of those goals.

Professional development and career-preparedness experiences of STEM Ph.D. students: Gaps and avenues for improvement

“…While the employment landscape for STEM Ph.D.s has shifted towards non-academic as well as non-R&D jobs, doctoral training has not changed or adapted to this shift in the labor market and continues to train students through an apprenticeship model [ 22 – 27 ]. This mismatch has negative consequences not only for the career advancement of Ph.D. graduates, but also for society itself which is delayed in accessing the socio-economic benefits of the Ph.D.s generated [ 28 , 29 ].…”

Virtual Poster Session Designed for Social Cognitive Learning in Undergraduate Chemistry Research

“…While conducting undergraduate research, students benefit from learning cultural knowledge through socialization within a community of practice. ,, In faculty-mentored research, this is often described as a cognitive apprenticeship, where the student learns complex skills through a process of observation of and coaching by the mentor followed by opportunities for the student to adapt and act to learn the skill (i.e., self-regulated learning), as well as communicate what they learned followed by further self-reflection and exploration. , The student’s expectations and attitudes about their abilities, or their self-efficacy, evolve throughout the process. In this way, a student’s self-efficacy beliefs; the feedback they receive for the behavior and how they self-reflect, regulate, and act on that feedback; and their environment all influence learning. , This process of learning through observation and reflection is described by social cognitive theory, and in particular its aspects of self-regulation, self-reflection, and self-efficacy. , …”

“…5,7,8 In faculty-mentored research, this is often described as a cognitive apprenticeship, where the student learns complex skills through a process of observation of and coaching by the mentor followed by opportunities for the student to adapt and act to learn the skill (i.e., self-regulated learning), as well as communicate what they learned followed by further self-reflection and exploration. 9,10 The student's expectations and attitudes about their abilities, or their self-efficacy, evolve throughout the process. In this way, a student's selfefficacy beliefs; the feedback they receive for the behavior and how they self-reflect, regulate, and act on that feedback; and their environment all influence learning.…”

Case for Narrative Inquiry: Understanding the Experiences of Elena, A Historically Minoritized Graduate Student in Chemistry

“…The following study argues for using narrative techniques to understand the lived experiences of HM graduate students to incentivize the examination of how structural inequality is perceived, patterned, and experienced in chemistry graduate programs . Narrative inquiry has been used to nuance HM graduate students’ intersectionality, feelings of exclusion and conflict, and occurrences of ambiguous discrimination. , Accordingly, learning models for doctoral education are usually underpinned by socialization theories, which have yet to be addressed in terms of HM graduate students . Socialization often foregrounds an expectation that HM student populations should conform to a standard, which is forged around whiteness .…”

“…10 Narrative inquiry has been used to nuance HM graduate students' intersectionality, feelings of exclusion and conflict, and occurrences of ambiguous discrimination. 11,12 Accordingly, learning models for doctoral education are usually underpinned by socialization theories, 13 which have yet to be addressed in terms of HM graduate students. 14 Socialization often foregrounds an expectation that HM student populations should conform to a standard, which is forged around whiteness.…”