The purpose of this study was to seek a greater understanding of the female doctoral student experience. In particular, the emphasis of this study is on exploring the dynamics and consequences of the advisor/advisee relationships that female doctoral students experience.
This study was designed to address the role of ethnicity and gender in: (a) the selection of an advisor; (b) the quality and characteristics of the advisor/advisee relationship; (c) the impact of the advisor/advisee relationships on program satisfaction; and (d) the impact of external factors on the advisor/advisee relationship and academic experience of female doctoral students.
To accomplish this goal, qualitative methods were utilized to study the advisor/advisee relationship experiences of six doctoral students.
Results of this study suggest female doctoral students may become disillusioned with their progress or feel the weight of external factors bearing down on their progress. Students managing effective relationships with theirs advisors shared these feelings with their advisors. It appears open communication can make a tremendous difference in the type of advisement experience a female doctoral student shares with her advisor
The participants of this study suggest graduate advisors should expect the most from female doctoral students, but refrain from exerting their values and beliefs academically, professionally, or personally upon them. These female doctoral student participants hold their advisors in high esteem and regard. All study participants seem to subscribe to the belief that advisors can make or break them. This study suggests the ultimate advisement goal these female doctoral student participants have with regard to their advisee/advisee relationship is that their advisors not break them, while they are making them or help to put them back together if they do break their spirits during the doctoral process.
This study also suggests that graduate school and academic departmental administrators have a unique responsibility with regard to doctoral student advisement. Participants suggest it would be beneficial to have a systematic opportunity for doctoral students to acquire an appropriate advisor.
These experiences though singularly unique are collectively powerful in providing an increased understanding of the shared essence of female doctoral students existing within academia today.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LSU/oai:etd.lsu.edu:etd-0123103-183035 |
| Date | 27 January 2003 |
| Creators | Thibodeaux, Angele Marie |
| Contributors | Pamela Monroe, Earl Cheek, Eugene Kennedy, Marrieta Del Favero, Jan Hinson |
| Publisher | LSU |
| Source Sets | Louisiana State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-0123103-183035/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby grant to LSU or its agents the right to archive and to make available my thesis or dissertation in whole or in part in the University Libraries in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all proprietary rights, such as patent rights. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. |
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