Who matters most? The contribution of faculty, student-peers, and outside support in predicting graduate student satisfaction.

Abstract

Social support is one variable that has been linked to a number of positive academic and personal outcomes for graduate students. However, little is known about which sources of social support (faculty mentors, student-peers, family/friends outside of the program) best predict graduate student satisfaction with their training program. The following study examined the relationship between social support from 3 sources (peers, family/friends, and faculty) and 2 indices of satisfaction (program and general life) for graduate students in American Psychological Association accredited professional psychology programs. For this study, 228 doctoral students completed self-report measures pertaining to sources of social support, graduate program satisfaction, and general life satisfaction. The participating graduate students reported receiving significantly more academic socioemotional support from friends/family and studentpeers than from their faculty mentors. Regression analyses revealed that taken together, these 3 sources of social support explained 28% of the variance in program satisfaction and 30% of variance in overall life satisfaction. Faculty and student-peer support uniquely explained variance in ratings of program satisfaction, whereas all 3 forms of social support uniquely explained variance in overall life satisfaction. However, for both types of satisfaction, faculty support explained a greater amount of unique variance than the other 2 sources. The findings from this study have implications for ways to best support professional psychology doctoral students during their graduate education.

Longitudinal perspectives of faculty and students on benefits and barriers to transdisciplinary graduate education: program assessment and institutional recommendations

“…Findings suggest that this mutual engagement with TD fostered a sense of collaborative discovery by faculty and students, thus enhancing students' experience of support. This type of co-learning is of interest because perceived faculty support is related to student program satisfaction, as well as student life satisfaction (Tompkins et al, 2016). While the TD students perceived a high level of support from faculty, students in traditional programs perceived lower levels of socioemotional support from faculty than from family, friends, and student-peers (Tompkins et al, 2016).…”

“…This type of co-learning is of interest because perceived faculty support is related to student program satisfaction, as well as student life satisfaction (Tompkins et al, 2016). While the TD students perceived a high level of support from faculty, students in traditional programs perceived lower levels of socioemotional support from faculty than from family, friends, and student-peers (Tompkins et al, 2016). Graduate school is a notoriously stressful endeavor and high stress can interfere with academic performance and degree completion (Lovitts, 2001).…”

Parents enrolled in graduate programs and their experiences with faculty

“…For a group of students who may be more susceptible to stressors, it is important to consider possible sources of strain and support, such as faculty members. I argue that faculty may significantly affect graduate student parents' experiences of role enhancement and role conflict because the literature suggests that faculty have a strong influence on student lives (Tompkins, Brecht, Tucker, Neander, & Swift, 2016). Prior research has focused only on advisors (Barbuto, Story, Fritz, & Schinstock, 2011;Komarraju, Musulkin, & Bhattacharya, 2010;Rice et al, 2009;Schlosser & Gelso, 2001Schlosser & Kahn, 2007Schlosser, Knox, Moskovitz, & Hill, 2003), but I hypothesize that because of their positions as instructors and committee members, other faculty members may impact graduate student parents, as well.…”

“…According to recent research, faculty support more strongly predicted graduate students' satisfaction with their program and with life in general than did support from family, friends, or student peers (Tompkins et al, 2016). Research also suggested that faculty members affect college students' attitudes toward research (Schlosser & Gelso, 2001), motivation (Komarraju et al, 2010), effort (Barbuto et al, 2011), and overall satisfaction with life (Tompkins et al, 2016).…”

“…Additionally, of the empirical investigations about faculty-student relationships that do exist, many include samples of doctoral psychology or nursing students (Harrison, 2009;Schlosser & Gelso, 2001;Schlosser & Kahn, 2007;Tompkins et al, 2016). This limits the transferability of the findings because the experiences of students in other programs may differ greatly.…”