Reimagining Equitable Student Support across Phases of Graduate Education

A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102). This special issue belongs to the section "Higher Education".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (5 February 2024) | Viewed by 14255

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
Interests: equity-minded mentoring; diversity and equity in doctoral education; pathways to and through graduate education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; critical theoretical and methodological approaches

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
Interests: diversity and equity in doctoral education; black women’s experiences in higher education; mentoring; professional development; critical and black feminist theoretical and qualitative approaches

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In our globalized, interconnected society, graduate education and graduate degree recipients have played a large role in generating knowledge, leadership, and innovations across generations. However, many tensions currently characterize graduate education (including master’s, doctoral, and professional programs), such as the oscillating economic and perceived value of a graduate degree (e.g., Bryan & Guccione, 2018; Shin et al., 2018), a dearth of tenure-track faculty jobs in the United States (refer to Feldon et al., 2023), stratification in graduate education (e.g., Nerad, 2020; Posselt & Grodsky, 2017), and persistent inequalities in student experiences across social identities (e.g., race/ethnicity, gender, social class, dis/ability, and sexual identity; Bertrand Jones et al., 2013; Bryer, 2022; Koren & Evans-El, 2020; Knutson et al., 2022; Ong et al., 2011; Perez et al., 2020; Wofford & Blaney, 2021). Although such tensions have created barriers in our opportunity to think about graduate education as a potential educational space for radical hope, humanity, love, creativity, and community, there remains a sincere need to reconsider the mechanisms of support in graduate education that can push the existing boundaries of these degree programs toward becoming structures of holistic, equitable support and student development.

Across many countries and disciplines, there is a wide variety of graduate degree programs and distinct phases of education for students in these programs. For example, graduate programs in Chemistry are vastly different from those in Rhetoric and Composition; thus, students’ experiences and paths toward degree completion are unique. These distinctions call for varied levels and dimensions of support for students, especially those who have been historically minoritized in graduate education. In these simultaneously distinct yet overlapping phases of graduate education—across degrees, fields, and disciplines—educational leaders and partners should hold increased interest in developing multidimensional layers of support. We must have commitments from leaders and partners at various levels, including the disciplinary field, organization/department, and the interpersonal levels if we hope to advance equity among graduate students’ experiences and in their development as scholars and educators.

Designing equitable systems of support to meet students’ needs requires us to consider what “support” entails more broadly and holistically than has often been the case. Indeed, support is complex and often lives at the nexus of practical, theoretical, or philosophical, and scholarly experiences in graduate education. Existing scholarship has often considered support in unidimensional focus areas (e.g., faculty advisors, peer support, and funding support), but it is also imperative to consider the overlapping nature of interpersonal, institutional, and systemic support.

In this Special Issue of Education Sciences, we invite researchers and practitioners to consider how we transform support in graduate education. Meeting this call requires that scholars and educators (re)consider and (re)design what is known as support, how current notions of support do/do not serve graduate students, and how systems of support can be holistically designed, implemented, and refined through praxis. Proposals to this Special Issue of Education Sciences may use the following questions to guide prospective submissions:

  • How can scholars of graduate education advance notions of equitable support in multiple dimensions (e.g., structural levels of support through disciplinary organizations, institutional or departmental support, and individual support)? Who are the relevant leaders/partners in these dimensions?
  • How can support in graduate education be understood through a lens of equity and equity mindedness?
  • How have diverse (e.g., minoritized and marginalized) groups’ experiences of support, or lack thereof, shaped their experiences and im/possibilities toward success? What institutional affordances or constraints have contributed to these experiences?
  • How can varying phases of graduate education (e.g., coursework, capstone, internships, and dissertations) be examined and understood in ways that prioritize student agency?
  • How do distinctions in graduate programs call for unique solutions to distinct problems of support? What solutions from different disciplines can be modified to suit other disciplines?
  • What possibilities are there to draw from new or underutilized theoretical and conceptual frameworks in advancing equitable support for graduate students? What new possibilities or innovations could emerge to guide policy about and practice for advancing equitable support for graduate students?

We encourage both conceptual and empirical article submissions from scholars in higher education and related fields. Empirical articles may draw from a wide variety of methods and methodologies (e.g., qualitative, quantitative, and mixed). Further, we support partnerships between researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and/or other invested leaders and partners in this topic area.

We look forward to reviewing your important submissions addressing the mechanisms of equitable student support in varying phases of graduate education.

References

Bertrand Jones, T., Wilder, J. A., & Osborne-Lampkin, L. (2013). Employing a Black feminist approach to doctoral advising: Preparing Black women for the professoriate. Journal of Negro Education, 82(3), 326–338.

Bryan, B., & Guccione, K. (2018). Was it worth it? A qualitative exploration into graduate perceptions of doctoral value. Higher Education Research & Development37(6), 1124–1140.

Bryer, E. (2022). My debt? Our debt? Ambiguity and advantage in family financial assistance for graduate school. Sociological Forum, 37(3), 856–879.

Feldon, D. F., Wofford, A. M., Blaney, J. M. (2023). Ph.D. pathways to the professoriate: Affordances and constraints of institutional structures, individual agency, and social systems. In L.W. Perna (Ed.), Higher education: Handbook of theory and research (Vol. 38, pp. 325–414). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-06696-2_4.

Koren, E. R., & Evans-El, S. X. (2020). Laissez-faire ableism in the academy: Contouring the map with graduate student perspectives. Critical Education11(14), 14–30.

Knutson, D., Matsuno, E., Goldbach, C., Hashtpari, H., & Smith, N. G. (2022). Advocating for transgender and nonbinary affirmative spaces in graduate education. Higher Education83(2), 461–479.

Nerad, M. (2020). Governmental innovation policies, globalisation, and change in doctoral education worldwide: Are doctoral programmes converging? Trends and tensions. In S. Cardoso, O. Tavares, C. Sin, & T. Carvalho (Eds.), Structural and institutional transformations in doctoral education: Social, political and student expectations (pp. 43–84). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38046-5_3.

Ong, M., Wright, C., Espinosa, L., & Orfield, G. (2011). Inside the double bind: A synthesis of empirical research on undergraduate and graduate women of color in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Harvard educational review81(2), 172–209.

Perez, R. J., Harris, Jr, L. W., Robbins, C. K., & Montgomery, C. (2020). Graduate students’ agency and resistance after oppressive experiences. Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education11(1), 57–71.

Shin, J. C., Postiglione, G. A., & Ho, K. C. (2018). Challenges for doctoral education in East Asia: A global and comparative perspective. Asia Pacific Education Review, 19, 141–155.

Wofford, A. M., & Blaney, J. M. (2021). (Re) shaping the socialization of scientific labs: Understanding women's doctoral experiences in STEM lab rotations. The Review of Higher Education44(3), 357–386.

Dr. Annie M. Wofford
Dr. Tamara Bertrand Jones
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • graduate education
  • doctoral education
  • master’s degrees
  • professional education
  • graduate students
  • postdocs
  • mentoring
  • socialization
  • equity in higher education

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Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 250 KiB  
Article
Im/Mobilities during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Perspectives from International Graduate Students Studying in the Southern United States
by Christina W. Yao, Kaitlyn Hall, Simone Gause and Leslie Jo Shelton
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(8), 858; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14080858 - 8 Aug 2024
Viewed by 994
Abstract
The background of this study is situated within the COVID-19 pandemic as an acute challenge with chronic issues that international graduate students have faced continuously. With the pandemic serving as a critical incident, we highlight the political, systemic, and personal fragilities of international [...] Read more.
The background of this study is situated within the COVID-19 pandemic as an acute challenge with chronic issues that international graduate students have faced continuously. With the pandemic serving as a critical incident, we highlight the political, systemic, and personal fragilities of international graduate students studying in the southern United States. The methods for our study were informed by a narrative inquiry approach combined with a systematic literature review to connect with the conceptual framework of Avison and Turner’s chronic strains and Robertson’s conception of timescales. The findings highlight three broad themes: shifting immigration policies and travel uncertainty, institutional responses, and mental health stressors and personal concerns. The study conclusions illuminate suggestions for institutions and policymakers, including clarifying policies, communicating better with international graduate students, and providing tailored counseling support. These suggestions are significant for improving international graduate students’ well-being in the face of any acute issues that may arise in the future. Full article
17 pages, 243 KiB  
Article
(Re)structuring and (Re)imagining the First Year Experience for Graduate Students of Color Using Community Cultural Wealth
by Ivan Valdovinos Gutierrez and Lillie Ko-Wong
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(6), 552; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14060552 - 21 May 2024
Viewed by 975
Abstract
Graduate students of color have been entering graduate schools at unprecedented rates, yet these programs and institutions are not ready to fully support their unique needs. Using Yosso’s Community Cultural Wealth framework, we showcase how graduate students of color utilize their cultural capital [...] Read more.
Graduate students of color have been entering graduate schools at unprecedented rates, yet these programs and institutions are not ready to fully support their unique needs. Using Yosso’s Community Cultural Wealth framework, we showcase how graduate students of color utilize their cultural capital to succeed during their first year of graduate studies. We interviewed 10 graduate students from various graduate programs in Southern California and found that graduate students of color activated all six forms of cultural capital to persist through the challenges of their first year in graduate education. As graduate students of color used various forms of cultural capital to combat oppressive systems and structures during their first year, we call on graduate school programs and institutions to restructure and reimagine what support looks like for first-year graduate students of color by using an assets-based approach. Full article
18 pages, 262 KiB  
Article
Support without Status: Inequities in Student–Advisor Relational Dynamics between First-Generation and Continuing-Generation Doctoral Students
by Jesse McCain, Josipa Roksa and Stephanie Breen
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(5), 441; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14050441 - 23 Apr 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1670
Abstract
One of the most important developmental relationships in the doctoral student experience is that of the faculty advisor, and yet we know little about whether and how advisor relationships vary between first-generation and continuing-generation doctoral students. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 83 late-stage [...] Read more.
One of the most important developmental relationships in the doctoral student experience is that of the faculty advisor, and yet we know little about whether and how advisor relationships vary between first-generation and continuing-generation doctoral students. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 83 late-stage doctoral students in biological sciences, we explore differences in student perceptions of their relationships with advisors. Narratives reveal a continuum of relationship types, including strained, evolving, supportive, and equal. In equal relationships, doctoral students feel more like collegial partners working alongside their advisors. While continuing-generation and first-generation students are similarly represented among strained and evolving relationships, first-generation students rarely attain equal relationship status. The presented findings offer implications for understanding how inequality shapes student–advisor relationships, the role of collegiality in doctoral education’s hidden curriculum, and the supports needed to foster equity for first-generation students in graduate programs. Full article
16 pages, 253 KiB  
Article
“They Don’t Really Care”: STEM Doctoral Students’ Unsupportive Interactions with Faculty and Institutions
by Theresa Elpidia Hernandez and Julie Posselt
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(4), 392; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14040392 - 9 Apr 2024
Viewed by 1240
Abstract
Increasing the representation of racially minoritized groups and women in STEM graduate education is insufficient to make STEM fields and academia inclusive and equitable spaces, where all feel supported and thrive. This study was motivated by a phenomenological examination of support for graduate [...] Read more.
Increasing the representation of racially minoritized groups and women in STEM graduate education is insufficient to make STEM fields and academia inclusive and equitable spaces, where all feel supported and thrive. This study was motivated by a phenomenological examination of support for graduate students, focusing on programs that admitted and graduated higher proportions of underrepresented students than their fields. We used negative case analysis to document the interplay of interpersonal and institutional interactions that define what racially/gender minoritized students experience as unsupportive. Guided by an intersectional interpretation of structuration, we uncovered three mechanisms—withholding support, doing racialized and/or gendered harm, and neglecting to take action when students faced known threats/harm—that underlie the unsupportive experiences faced by graduate students of color and women in STEM doctoral education. This typology of unsupportive mechanisms, alongside an understanding of positive types of support, can help practitioners and scholars rethink what constitutes support, moving toward creating equitable and inclusive graduate education. Full article
11 pages, 221 KiB  
Article
Rx to Lead—Examining Pharm.D. Leadership Development Commencing during Pharmacy School through Co-Curricular Engagement
by Matthew J. Smith and Jason K. Wallace
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(4), 386; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14040386 - 6 Apr 2024
Viewed by 1304
Abstract
Leadership development in college is frequently cited as developing during undergraduate years. Nevertheless, some graduate and professional students develop further as leaders through involvement at the graduate level. This paper explores a case study examining the ways Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) students commenced [...] Read more.
Leadership development in college is frequently cited as developing during undergraduate years. Nevertheless, some graduate and professional students develop further as leaders through involvement at the graduate level. This paper explores a case study examining the ways Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) students commenced leadership development during pharmacy school through their co-curricular involvement. Full article
14 pages, 250 KiB  
Article
“I Don’t Want to Spend the Rest of My Life Feeling Alone”: Postdoctoral Scholars’ Experiences of (Dis)Connection
by Elizabeth A. Jach
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(4), 382; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14040382 - 6 Apr 2024
Viewed by 996
Abstract
Previous research about postdocs has focused on the challenges they face in terms of pay and job security. This study expands upon this narrative to explore postdoctoral scholars’ experiences of connection and disconnection, or (dis)connection. The present study employed socialization theory in combination [...] Read more.
Previous research about postdocs has focused on the challenges they face in terms of pay and job security. This study expands upon this narrative to explore postdoctoral scholars’ experiences of connection and disconnection, or (dis)connection. The present study employed socialization theory in combination with a definition of professional socialization to frame how personal communities, institutions, and professional disciplines/associations facilitated postdocs’ sense of (dis)connection. Interviews with 30 postdocs demonstrated the ways in which postdocs described both connection and support alongside disconnection and isolation when asked about their experiences. The present study extends theory on socialization to consider postdocs and has implications for institutions employing postdocs. Full article
18 pages, 884 KiB  
Article
A Mixed-Methods Study of How a Critical Race Theory-Informed Undergraduate Research Experience Program Provides Equitable Support for Aspiring Graduate Students
by Frank Fernandez, Sarah Mason, Shannon Sharp, Gabriela Chavira, Crist S. Khachikian, Patchareeya Kwan and Carrie Saetermoe
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(3), 334; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14030334 - 21 Mar 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1496
Abstract
Numerous studies document the benefits of participating in undergraduate research experiences (UREs), including greater odds of enrolling in graduate school. However, there is a lack of understanding about how UREs support student success. This study examines survey and interview data from a multi-year [...] Read more.
Numerous studies document the benefits of participating in undergraduate research experiences (UREs), including greater odds of enrolling in graduate school. However, there is a lack of understanding about how UREs support student success. This study examines survey and interview data from a multi-year program evaluation of a National Institutes of Health-funded biomedical training program to consider whether and how participating in a URE fosters students’ sense of belonging, which is an important predictor of retention and graduation. Analyzing the quantitative survey data revealed that participating in the URE was positively associated with a sense of belonging even after controlling for students’ background characteristics, including gender, race or ethnicity, first-generation status, commuting burden, and age. Additionally, there was a positive relationship between a sense of belonging and odds of applying to graduate school. Path analysis suggests that the URE has an indirect relationship with applying to a graduate program that operates through the URE’s direct relationship with sense of belonging. Interview data offered insights into how the URE supported an increased sense of belonging. Specifically, we found that the URE fostered a sense of belonging when (1) faculty research mentors develop authentic, personal, and caring relationships with mentees, (2) the URE program welcomes, cultivates, and supports women and racially diverse students, and (3) the URE is embedded within a university environment that allows for faculty and peer engagement. Full article
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17 pages, 258 KiB  
Article
Catalyzing Organizational Change for Equity in Graduate Education: A Case Study of Adopting Collective Impact in a College of Engineering
by Walter C. Lee, Teirra K. Holloman, David B. Knight, Natali Huggins, Holly M. Matusovich and Julia Brisbane
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(3), 292; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14030292 - 10 Mar 2024
Viewed by 1417
Abstract
Graduate education in engineering is an extremely challenging, complex entity that is difficult to change. The purpose of this exploratory research paper was to investigate the applicability of the Collective Impact framework, which has been used within community organizing contexts, to organize the [...] Read more.
Graduate education in engineering is an extremely challenging, complex entity that is difficult to change. The purpose of this exploratory research paper was to investigate the applicability of the Collective Impact framework, which has been used within community organizing contexts, to organize the change efforts of a center focused on advancing equitable graduate education within engineering. We sought to understand how the conditions of Collective Impact (i.e., common agenda, backbone organization, mutually reinforcing activities, shared measurement system, and continuous communication) could facilitate the organization of equity-focused change efforts across a college of engineering at a single institution. To achieve this, we took an action research approach. We found the Collective Impact framework to be a useful tool for organizing cross-sectional partnerships to facilitate equity-focused change in graduate education; we also found the five conditions of Collective Impact to be applicable to the higher education context, with some intentional considerations and modifications. Through coordinated efforts, the Collective Impact framework can support the goal of reorienting existing decentralized structures, resource flows, and decision processes to foster bottom-up and top-down change processes to advance equitable support for graduate students. Full article

Review

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12 pages, 717 KiB  
Review
Improving Equitable Access to Graduate Education by Reducing Barriers to Minoritized Student Success
by David M. Rehfeld, Rachel Renbarger, Tracey Sulak, Abby Kugler and Payton DeMeyer
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(3), 298; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14030298 - 12 Mar 2024
Viewed by 2315
Abstract
Structural inequities in graduate education perpetuate inequity for students with historically minoritized identities. This paper reviews previous reports of inequities faced by students with minoritized identities and suggests a path forward for improving equitable access to doctoral study. Specifically, this paper suggests investing [...] Read more.
Structural inequities in graduate education perpetuate inequity for students with historically minoritized identities. This paper reviews previous reports of inequities faced by students with minoritized identities and suggests a path forward for improving equitable access to doctoral study. Specifically, this paper suggests investing in the scholarship of teaching and learning while using Gardner’s model of doctoral student development to provide targeted support at different levels of operation: the institution, the department, and the individual. Evidence for suggested supports is also provided and a call for further research on the effects of such programs for recruitment, retention, and graduation of minoritized students is made. Full article
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