Understanding Race in Doctoral Student Socialization

Abstract

Qualitative data from 11 African American doctoral degree completers in the field of education are analyzed to identify how race intersects with faculty advising and mentoring, faculty behavior, and faculty diversity and the ways in which they support or hinder doctoral student socialization. Race is considered as an influence on the academic processes associated with socialization during doctoral study. Previous research highlights that racial experiences are a significant aspect of academic success and persistence for specific racial and ethnic groups. However, very little is known about race as it relates to doctoral student socialization, specifically. A racial socialization framework serves as a guide for examining the confluence of race and doctoral student socialization. This study is guided by the following questions: In what ways are racial experience engaged during the doctoral process? How does the racial experience support or hinder doctoral student socialization? In what ways does the racial experience influence doctoral student degree completion and success? The faculty-student relationship is highlighted as a key feature of understanding racial experience as it relates to the doctoral student socialization. Findings present several situations where race is considered as intellectual and identity priorities as students experience doctoral student socialization. Several strategies are presented to support students who consider race during the doctoral process in an effort to promote their academic success and degree completion.

The Impostor Phenomenon Among Black Doctoral and Postdoctoral Scholars in STEM

“…Morehouse and Dawkins (2006) highlight the importance of specific doctoral fellowship programs that support doctoral students in each phase of training through academic, social, financial, and motivational support directed towards increasing the number of Black doctorates. Same-race connections are important in providing better mentoring support and socializing experiences among Black doctoral students (Barker, 2011;Felder, 2010;Felder & Barker, 2013;Felder et al 2014).…”

Broadening participation in the engineering professoriate: Influences on Allen's journey in developing professorial intentions

“…His transition was not unique. Graduate students typically go through a process of socialization to the norms and values of their department, institution, and being a graduate student (Dortch, 2016;Felder et al, 2014;Gardner, 2008;Golde, 2005). Allen's journey becomes more nuanced, however, in his emerging understandings and perceptions of faculty work.…”

“…When considering how graduate school socializes students for academic careers, scholars tend to focus on the relationship between a student and faculty advisor (Antony & Taylor, 2001;Austin, 2002;Barker, 2016;Felder, 2010;Felder, Stevenson, & Gasman, 2014;Nettles & Millett, 2004;Saddler & Creamer, 2009). These relationships involve "socializing interactions" through which students learn about faculty careers.…”

“…Scholars often use "social identities" to refer to socially constructed identities (e.g., race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and citizenship status) that individuals inherit rather than acquire; "personal factors" tends to refer to characteristics unique to an individual (e.g., parents' education and occupations, family members' socioeconomic status, children, and previous educational experiences) McGee et al, 2015). While some researchers treat social identities and personal factors as background demographic characteristics, others intentionally place them at the forefront of their investigations (Barker, 2016;Felder et al, 2014;Twale, Weidman, & Bethea, 2016). Specific to professorial intentions, students' social identities and personal factors may influence their educational experiences and thus their interest in the professoriate.…”

Socio-Technological Enrollment as a Driver of Successful Doctoral Education

“…Most studies emphasizing the value of socialization in doctoral education treat it in a "deterministic" way, based on actors (i.e., individual traits, characteristics, identities, cultures, backgrounds, and experiences), environments, phases, activities, and practices. The general trend is that socializing a student into a new discipline, or integrating the student into a professional network, is seen as the outcome of the supervisor-supervisee relationships as shaped by the individual/personal, racial/ethnical, national/cultural, organizational/institutional, and disciplinary contexts in which they cooperate (Becher & Trowler, 2001;Felder, Stevenson, & Gasman, 2014;Gardner, 2008aGardner, , 2008bGardner, , 2010aGardner, , 2010bGemme & Gingras, 2006;Skakni, 2011;Weidman, 2006;Weidman & Stein, 2003;Weidman, Twale, & Stein, 2001). Jones (2013, p. 99) summed up this approach well, arguing that "the student-supervisor relationship looked at elements which work to ensure an optimal relationship between the student and their supervisor" (emphasis added).…”