Beyond technical mastery: inequality in doctoral research skill development in the biological sciences
Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education
ISSN: 2398-4686
Article publication date: 10 April 2023
Issue publication date: 16 November 2023
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine how doctoral students in the biological sciences understand their research skill development and explore potential racial/ethnic and gender inequalities in the scientific learning process.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on interviews with 87 doctoral students in the biological sciences, this study explores how doctoral students describe development of their research skills. More specifically, a constructivist grounded theory approach is employed to understand how doctoral students make meaning of their research skill development process and how that may vary by gender and race/ethnicity.
Findings
The findings reveal two emergent groups, “technicians” who focus on discrete tasks and data collection, and “interpreters” who combine technical expertise with attention to the larger scientific field. Although both groups are developing important skills, “interpreters” have a broader range of skills that support successful scholarly careers in science. Notably, white men are overrepresented among the “interpreters,” whereas white women and students from minoritized racial/ethnic groups are concentrated among the “technicians.”
Originality/value
While prior literature provides valuable insights into the inequalities across various aspects of doctoral socialization, scholars have rarely attended to examining inequalities in research skill development. This study provides new insights into the process of scientific learning in graduate school. Findings reveal that research skill development is not a uniform experience, and that doctoral education fosters different kinds of learning that vary by gender and race/ethnicity.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the National Science Foundation. This article is based upon work supported under Awards 1431234, 1431290 and 1760894. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. The authors also thank Stephanie Marie Breen for assistance with coding. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 2021 American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting.
Citation
McCain, J. and Roksa, J. (2023), "Beyond technical mastery: inequality in doctoral research skill development in the biological sciences", Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education, Vol. 14 No. 3, pp. 332-346. https://doi.org/10.1108/SGPE-05-2022-0037
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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