The associations between women's psychosocial development and their experience of graduate education

The purpose of this study was to describe how women experience graduate education. It was designed within a conceptual framework focusing on women's psychosocial development. The primary research question was: what, if any, associations are apparent between reentry women's psychosocial development and their experience of graduate education?; The qualitative approach was used to investigate the research question. Fourteen reentry female graduate students were interviewed using an interview guide. Themes identified from data analysis were: the need to manage time; the importance of relationships; the significance of applying knowledge to "real" life; and concern with career development. Additionally, comments about perspective transformation added to the rich descriptions of graduate school experience.; Recommendations for research include: how concerns with career development influence the experience of graduate education; how the sharing of students' experience is utilized in the graduate school arena; how the graduate environment influences time management; and how does faculty advisement influence the experience of graduate school?; Practice implications include: the need to incorporate principles of adult learning in graduate environments; the importance of collaborative learning; the need to be able to use classroom knowledge in "real life" situations; and that faculty consider the roles and responsibilities of adult students when planning learning activities.