Agents of Doctoral Student Socialization: Faculty, Peers, and Students

• In Event: Investigating Doctoral Students’ Experiences and Perspectives

Abstract

The purpose of this study was twofold: 1) to understand doctoral students’ perceptions about influences on their socialization and 2) to extend theoretical perspectives on doctoral student socialization by incorporating the agency of various actors in the process. Our objective was to explore doctoral student socialization as a recursive process that is not only shaped by the “organization,” or department, but also by individual agents (faculty, peers, and the students themselves). For most participants, socialization unfolded within an intertwined web of self-reliance and aid received from dissertation advisors, other faculty mentors, and peers. Our findings indicate that doctoral student socialization is a multifaceted, multidirectional process involving both the organization and individual agents.

Authors

• Laura M. Portnoi, California State University - Long Beach

• Ana Lima, California State University - Long Beach

• Diliana Peregrina-Kretz, OISE/University of Toronto