Silence as Strategic: Doctoral Students’ Navigation of Doctoral Student Status, Relationships, and Self

• In Event: Stories and Voices of the Self as Frameworks for Qualitative Research

Abstract

The decision to pursue a terminal degree (i.e., a doctorate) is a major commitment of extensive labor and significant time. The purpose of this study was to explore doctoral students’ personal decision to conceal their doctoral student status from significant others, including family, friends, and colleagues. In the course of this research, we examined these students’ negotiation of various spaces and networks, both personal and professional, and their impact on doctoral students’ socialization and identity development. This mixed-method study included an online survey of participants and semi-structured interviews conducted individually. Our research focused on a central question: Why might doctoral students hide their enrollment from significant individuals in their lives, e.g., family, friends, or close colleagues?

Authors

• Zoe A. Cassady, Northern Illinois University

• Laura J. Crisp, Northern Illinois University

• Alison Douglas, Elgin Community College

• Eric R. Junco, Northern Illinois University

• Arkar Kyaw, Northern Illinois University

• Michael Manderino, Northern Illinois University

• Michael Charles Morley, Prophetstown High School

• Sadia Qamar, Northern Illinois University

• Kristen Walsh, Northern Illinois University

• Matthew J. Wdowiarz, Winfield School District #34

• Corrine M. Wickens, Northern Illinois University