| The purpose of this qualitative case study was to describe graduate school socialization experiences of University of Virginia Ph.D. students from the People's Republic of China. Four Chinese graduate students from different graduate programs participated in this study. The two research questions that guided this study were: What socialization experiences do Chinese graduate students have? How do Chinese graduate students interpret their own socialization experiences? Preliminary interview questions were developed based on the Friedman et al. Graduate Socialization Framework. The data in this study were collected through intensive interviews, and follow-up discussions through email correspondence or telephone calls with participants. Reciprocative with data collection was data analysis. A cross-case analysis was completed using the Weidman et al. Framework, and using the Degree Goal-Based Socialization Model developed through this study. The Degree Goal-Based Socialization Model consists of three stages: Individualized Pre-Formal Socialization, Individualized Formal Socialization and Individualized Personal Socialization. The researcher finds that contextualizing one's degree goal at the institutional level heavily influences the graduate socialization experience. At the Individualized Pre-Formal Socialization Stage, the process of identifying a research area and an advisor for one's doctoral program is crucial in one's successful graduate school socialization. At the Individualized Formal Socialization Stage, focusing one's coursework on one's degree goal and taking advantage of the orientation opportunities, if any, are important tasks. At the Individualized Personal Socialization Stage, key aspects of socialization include working together with one's advisor on a research project, publishing researcher papers and getting one's degree. Key issues throughout the stages include seven degree-goal based aspects of socialization preparedness, namely Education and Research Training, English Proficiency, Learning Style, Research Area, Support System, Research Area, Advisor and Funding. This study helps Chinese graduate students to understand key tasks for them to successfully socialize in American graduate schools, and provides policy implications for university administrators to develop graduate student socialization policies that address in an individualized manner the needs of the Chinese graduate students, and probably other international graduate students. |
