Objective: Identify the role(s) and support(s), if any, that
family members provide to first-generation and historically
marginalized doctoral students, including strengths and
challenges of this support.
Background: Nonfinancial family support is important for
the success and retention of first-generation and historically marginalized graduate students. More empirical studies of the role(s) and support of family members of these
doctoral students are needed.
Method: During an intervention designed for firstgeneration and historically marginalized doctoral students
and their families, we conducted four focus groups with
doctoral students (n = 22) and three focus groups with the
family members they chose to accompany them (n = 15).
Transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis.
Results: Two themes emerged from the data: support and
connection. In addition to providing distinct types of support, families play both supportive and connective roles.
There are challenges to family roles and support in areas
such as communication, doctoral student stress, and different ways that family members and doctoral students think
about and approach life.
Conclusion: The study provided key insights to understanding the roles and support of family of doctoral students; more efforts are needed across graduate schools in
the United States.
Implications: Family science faculty and graduate schools
may collaborate to provide meaningful interventions for
graduate students and their families for the goal of promoting graduate student retention and success.
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Historically Underrepresented Graduate Students’ Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Objective: The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of historically
underrepresented graduate students, more than half of whom were enrolled in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, during the COVID-19 pandemic. This focus group study represents an initial stage in developing an intervention for historically underrepresented graduate students and their families.
Background: Underrepresentation of graduate students of color in STEM has been attributed to a myriad of factors, including a lack of support systems. Familial support is an endorsed reason for persisting in graduate school. It is unclear what historically underrepresented graduate students’ experiences are during uncertain times, such as a pandemic.
Method: Focus groups were conducted online using a videoconferencing platform during the COVID-19 pandemic. Five focus groups included: historically underrepresented doctoral students (n =5), historically underrepresented master’s students (n = 6),
academic faculty (n = 7), administrator, administrative faculty, and academic faculty (n = 6), and families of historically underrepresented doctoral students (n = 6). Data were analyzed using thematic analysis.
Results: Historically underrepresented graduate students experienced difficulties in accessing resources, adjustments to home and family life, amplification of existing nonfinancial issues, and expressed both fears of and hopes for the future.
Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing inequalities in access to resources as well as nonfinancial family support.
Implications: This study may help normalize historically underrepresented graduate
students’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings include ideas for
informing families about graduate school that can enlighten family support efforts for historically underrepresented graduate students and their families.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1856189
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10329405
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Family relations
- Volume:
- 70
- ISSN:
- 0197-6664
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 955-972
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Abstract Background In addition to the benefits of a diverse faculty, many institutions are under pressure from students and administrators to increase the number of faculty from historically excluded backgrounds. Despite increases in the numbers of engineering PhD earners from these groups, the percentages of Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino tenure‐track faculty have not increased, and the percentage of women remains low.
Purpose The purpose of this study is to identify how experiences in graduate school encourage or deter PhD earners from historically excluded groups in pursuing an engineering academic career.
Method We conducted 20 semi‐structured interviews with engineering PhD students and recent graduates, with half of participants interested and half disinterested in pursuing an academic career after graduation.
Results Three key factors emerged as strongly influential on participants' desire to pursue an academic career: their relationship with their advisor, their perception of their advisor's work–life balance, and their perception of the culture of academia. Participants extrapolated their experiences in graduate school to their imagined lives as faculty. The results illuminate the reasons why engineering PhD earners from historically underrepresented groups remain in or leave the academic career pathway after graduate school.
Conclusions The findings of this study have important implications for how graduate students' and postdoc's relationships with their advisors as well as perceptions of their advisors' work–life balances and the culture of academia affect future faculty. We make recommendations on what students, faculty, and administrators can do to create a more inclusive environment to encourage students from historically excluded groups to consider academic careers.
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Miller, Eva (Ed.)The recent outbreak of COVID-19, considered as being a lethal pandemic by the World Health Organization, has caused profound changes in the educational system within the U.S and across the world. Overnight, universities and their educators had to switch to a largely online teaching format, which challenged their capacity to deliver learning content effectively to STEM students. Students were forced to adapt to a new learning environment in the midst of challenges in their own lives due to the COVID-19 effects on society and professional expectations. The main purpose of this paper is to investigate faculty perceptions of STEM student experiences during COVID-19. Through a qualitative methodology consisting of one-hour zoom interviews administered to 32 STEM faculty members from six U.S. Universities nationwide, faculty narratives regarding student and faculty experiences during COVID-19 were obtained. The qualitative research approach involved identifying common themes across faculty experiences and views in these narratives. Some of the categories of emerging themes associated with faculty perceptions on student and faculty experiences included: student struggles and challenges, student cheating and the online environment, faculty and student adaptability, faculty and student needs and support, and university resources and support. Best practices to facilitate online teaching and learning employed by STEM faculty were also discussed. Key findings revealed that students and faculty had both positive and negative experiences during COVID-19. Additionally, there was a greater need for consistent policies to improve the online student learning experiences. Recommendations to improve STEM student experiences include increased institutional resources and collaboration between faculty and the university administrators to provide a coherent online learning environment. Preliminary findings also provide insights to enhance institutional adaptability and resilience for improving STEM student experiences during future pandemics. Future research should continue to explore institutional adaptation strategies that enhance STEM student learning during pandemics.more » « less
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Undergraduate research has been found to be positively associated with obtaining a STEM baccalaureate degree, persisting in the field, and performing academically well. Underrepresented minority (UREP) students who participate in undergraduate research experiences show increased confidence in their abilities, understanding of the nature of research, and understanding of graduate school. In spring 2020, in direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic, institutions were forced to make shifts in program offerings. As a result of the move to online learning, research experiences were either canceled, postponed or moved to a virtual format. COVID-19 presented a new opportunity for students to still participate in activities from remote locations. After in-person activities resumed, aspects of these virtual opportunities have continued to be embraced by programs through virtual symposiums, more intentional and in depth “checking-in” at the start of meetings, wellness focused workshops, and emphasized community building. Additionally, virtual research experiences have expanded the number of students participating in these programs. The purpose of this paper is to share lessons learned from a co-curricular program for underrepresented students that successfully made the shift from in-person research experiences to virtual and back to in-person. Program activities are guided by the literature on mentoring, STEM identity, community, and sense of belonging. Implications for practitioners and faculty include opportunities for mentoring through virtual platforms, the inclusion of family, friends, and community members through virtual research symposiums, continuing to focus on the mental health and well-being of students, and the acknowledgement of varying home environments to conduct research.more » « less
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Amaral, Luís_A Nunes (Ed.)Despite the importance of a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives in biological research, women, racial and ethnic minorities, and students from non-traditional academic backgrounds remain underrepresented in the composition of university faculty. Through a study on doctoral students at a research-intensive university, we pinpoint advising from faculty as a critical component of graduate student experiences and productivity. Graduate students from minority backgrounds reported lower levels of support from their advisors and research groups. However, working with an advisor from a similar demographic background substantially improved productivity and well-being of these students. Several other aspects of mentoring practices positively predicted student success and belonging, including frequent one-on-one meetings, empathetic and constructive feedback, and relationships with other peer or faculty mentors. Our study highlights the need to renovate graduate education with a focus on retention–not just recruitment–to best prepare students for success in scientific careers.more » « less
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
-
Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12574
