Faculty Perspectives on Doctoral Student Socialization in Five Disciplines

Abstract

Socialization has become a common framework through which to view the doctoral student experience. A growing body of literature has examined the student perspective of this socialization experience but the perspective of the faculty member has been relatively absent in these discussions, despite the vital role they play in the process. Sixteen doctoral faculty members in the disciplines of engineering, oceanography, psychology, history, and a self-designed interdisciplinary program at one institution were interviewed to determine their perspectives on the doctoral student socialization process and their role in it. Using Bragg’s (1976) and Weidman, Twale, and Stein’s (2001) framework of socialization to analyze these interviews, findings emerged regarding faculty perspectives often on programmatic and structural components but rarely on the role of peers or their own informal role in the socialization process. Implications for policy, practice, and future research are included.