Interaction Influences on Doctoral Students’ Academic Pursuits in Biomedical Research: An Exploratory Qualitative Study

• In Event: Roundtable Session 16
  In Roundtable Session: The Experiences of Doctoral Students Across the Disciplines

Abstract

This exploratory qualitative study investigated how doctoral students reported their personal and professional interactions which they believed may have facilitated or impeded their academic pursuits in biomedical research. We interviewed 19 doctoral students from eight universities during the first year of our project, and based our qualitative analytic approach on the work of Miles and Huberman (1994). The results indicated that among different sources and types of interaction, academic and emotional interactions from family and teachers in various stages were essentially associated with students’ persistence in the biomedical science field. In addition, co-mentorship between peers, departmental environment, and volunteer experiences were also important factors.

Authors

• Xiaoqing Kong, University of Virginia

• Devasmita Chakraverty, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad

• Nathan Dolenc, University of Virginia

• Donna B. Jeffe, Washington University in St. Louis

• Dorothy Andriole, Washington University in St. Louis

• Heather D. Wathington, University of Virginia

• Robert H. Tai, University of Virginia