Socialization and agency of Asian American doctoral students in education: A grounded theory study

Institutions of higher education are directing more attention to recruiting faculty of color than in previous years, as they recognize the importance and benefits of a diverse faculty on campus. Several scholars have identified educational benefits of a diverse faculty for individuals, institutions, and society. A more racially and ethnically diverse faculty can increase the presence of role models for student populations that are becoming more racially and ethnically diverse, promote an enriched intellectual environment, and provide enhanced student counseling and mentoring services on college and university campuses. In recent years, several publications and handbooks have been made available by scholars to educate higher education institutions on how to recruit and retain more faculty of color.;Despite these efforts, however, faculty of color are still underrepresented on American college and university campuses. In fall 2007, only 16.4% of all full-time faculty members in higher education were faculty of color and approximately 4.1% were Asian American. Several scholars have speculated about reasons for this underrepresentation of faculty of color in higher education institutions, two of the most widely cited reasons being the limited number and success of minority scholars. The growing literature on the experiences of minority doctoral students in general has helped us understand the forces that encourage or discourage students from pursuing careers in academe; however, very little is known about the experiences of Asian American doctoral students specifically to understand what is occurring in their pipeline to the professoriate. Furthermore, studies on the agency by which Asian American students shape their own higher education experiences remain limited. This study addresses this knowledge gap by examining the following questions: What are the academic and social experiences of Asian American doctoral students in one school of education? What forces influence the socialization of Asian American doctoral students to academic norms of research and scholarship? In what ways do Asian American doctoral students address challenges they encounter in their doctoral education?;The grounded theory approach is used to explore these questions. Interview data are tape-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed according to the guidelines set forth by this methodological approach. Five major themes resulted from the study: students' pre-doctoral socialization; academic and social experiences in doctoral programs; student agency; career aspirations; and forces that influenced students' educational experiences before and during graduate school including race, education, family, and sometimes religious faith. Based on these findings, recommendations for policy, practice, and future research in higher education are provided.