The Hegemony of the ‘Lone(ly) Scholar’ Archetype: PhD Students’ Writing Support Networks, Equity, and Belonging

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 3:45 pm - Gold 4
  In Roundtable Session: Literacies of Equity and Liberation in Higher Education

Abstract

This paper explores the ways that the lone scholar archetype shapes equity and belonging in PhD programs through an empirical analysis of writing support networks of PhD students. Our theoretical framework, rooted in critical, postmodern feminism, sees writing as a relational, social, and empathetic process intertwined with constructs of social power. We used a mixed-methods critical social network analysis approach to examine the experiences and support networks of 20 PhD students. Our findings revealed themes of alienation and isolation, such as: students seeing themselves as good writers but not good academic writers and wanting peer support but confusion on whether/how to seek it. We explore the implications of these findings for the design of PhD programs and student support.

Authors

• Kira J. Baker-Doyle, University of Illinois at Chicago

• Kristine Wilber, University of Illinois at Chicago