Shifting Gears: Characteristics and Consequences of Latent Class Transitions in Doctoral Socialization
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Shifting Gears: Characteristics and Consequences of Latent Class Transitions in Doctoral Socialization Soojeong Jeong1 · Kaylee Litson1 · Jennifer Blaney2 · David F. Feldon1 Received: 5 January 2019 © Springer Nature B.V. 2019
Abstract Using a national sample of 336 biology Ph.D. students, this study classified students based on their interactions with faculty and peers, and investigated longitudinal changes in their interaction classifications over 3 years. We also examined associations between students’ interaction classifications, their demographic backgrounds (e.g., gender, international student status, first-generation status, and underrepresented racial/ethnic minority status), and doctoral outcomes (e.g., sense of belonging, satisfaction with academic development, institutional commitment, and scholarly productivity). The findings revealed that three distinct subgroups existed among the current sample of biology Ph.D. students, with respect to their interactions with their faculty and peers: high interaction with faculty and peers, high interaction with peers only, and low interaction with faculty and peers. However, such patterns of doctoral students’ interactions with faculty and peers tended to, in general, be stable over time. In addition, while the differential effects of demographic variables on changes in these interaction patterns were widely founded, such changes were not substantially linked to doctoral student outcomes. Implications for research on doctoral education and socialization theory are discussed. Keywords Doctoral socialization · Faculty-student interaction · Peer interaction · Personcentered approach · Latent transition analysis
Introduction Doctoral students’ interactions with faculty and peers are critical components of the socialization process during their doctoral training (Flores-Scott and Nerad 2012; Gardner 2010a; Littlefield et al. 2015; Weidman and Stein 2003). Unfortunately, prior research has documented inequities in students’ socialization experiences. For example, students of color less frequently report respectful relationships with their advisors relative to their * Soojeong Jeong [email protected] 1
Department of Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences, Utah State University, 2830 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA
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School Psychology and Educational Leadership, Idaho State University, 921 S 8th Ave, Stop 8059, Pocatello, ID 83209, USA
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Research in Higher Education
white counterparts (Johnson-Bailey et al. 2009). First-generation doctoral students report experiencing disadvantages in terms of various aspects of socialization experiences compared to their peers with college educated parents (Gardner and Holley 2011). Other literature documents gender inequities in how students are socialized into masculinized disciplinary contexts (Sallee 2011). Likewise, inequities persist in the levels of advisor support reported by international students compared to their domestic peers (Curtin et al. 2013; Roksa et al. 2018)
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