Mapping the Invisible Currents: Emotional, Social, and Organizational Influences on First-Generation PhD Career Trajectories

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 1:45 pm - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Advancing Inclusion and Belonging in Doctoral and Postgraduate Education

Abstract

While studies have illustrated how first-generation doctoral students navigate their academic and career trajectories, researchers have rarely explored social and emotional forces in such trajectories. Using a theoretical lens blending graduate socialization and possible selves, we draw on four years of longitudinal interview data with 23 first-generation doctoral students in the biosciences to focus on social and emotional undercurrents to doctoral career intentions. Findings reveal how emotions, social comparisons, and perceptions of organizational culture shape career intentions in both affirming and disaffirming ways. Findings also emphasize the influence of emotional binaries, such as anxiety and hope, on evolving career intentions. These insights shed light on the unintended consequences of doctoral program structures as they mediate first-generation students’ developing career choices.

Authors

• Jesse McCain, University of Virginia

• Charlotte Hayes, Florida State University

• Annie M. Wofford, Florida State University

• Josipa Roksa, University of Virginia