Extending bell's concept of interest convergence: A framework for understanding the african american doctoral student experience

Abstract

Though rates of doctoral degree completion have increased, African American doctoral students continue to face issues related to race during their doctoral study. Scholars often point to the im-portance of the faculty and student relationship in doctoral student socialization and success while few explore how race plays a role in the relationship. We concur that the faculty and student rela-tionship is critical to doctoral student persistence and completion. However, given the growing diversity among doctoral students, we contend that it is equally important to consider the ways in which race impacts the doctoral experience. This paper presents qualitative data on the African American doctoral experience and is used to develop an advising framework, emphasizing the role of interest convergence as a feature of culturally receptive advising relationships. Findings indicate instances where students' personal interests or perspectives on the manifestation of race in doctoral education (i.e., personal and professional identity, scholarship, etc.) may be congruent (converge) or incongruent (diverge) with that of a faculty member, advisor, or the departmental or institutional environment. This study addresses how the relational aspects of context and race shape students' perceptions of interactions with faculty and the environment and has implications for advising and creating inclusive institutions.