Agency and Career Indecision among Biological Science Graduate Students

Autor/inn/en	Griffin, Kimberly A.; Miller, Candace; Roksa, Josipa
Titel	Agency and Career Indecision among Biological Science Graduate Students
Quelle	In: Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education, 14 (2023) 1, S.99-113 (15 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
DOI	10.1108/SGPE-02-2022-0014
Schlagwörter	Career Choice; Decision Making; Biological Sciences; Graduate Students; Empowerment; Locus of Control + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Decision-making; Entscheidungsfindung; Abwasserbiologie; Graduate Study; Student; Students; Aufbaustudium; Graduiertenstudium; Hauptstudium; Studentin
Abstract	Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine how student agency influences career decision-making for doctoral students in biological sciences. The authors address the following questions: How do biological science graduate students navigate career indecision? And how does agency relate to their experiences with career indecision? Design/methodology/approach: The authors analyzed interview data collected from 84 PhD biology graduate students. Researchers used a grounded theory approach. After open codes were developed and data were coded, code reports were generated, which were used to determine themes. Findings: More than half of the sample had not committed to a career path, and undecided students were bifurcated into two categories: Uncommitted and Uncertain. Uncommitted graduate students demonstrated agency in their approach and were focused on exploration and development. Uncertain students demonstrated less agency, were more fearful and perceived less control and clarity about their options and strategies to pursue career goals. Practical implications: Findings suggest some forms of indecision can be productive and offer institutional leaders guidance for increasing the efficacy of career development and exploration programming. Originality/value: Research on doctoral student career decision-making is often quantitative and rarely explores the role of agency. This qualitative study focuses on the relationship between student agency and career indecision, which is an understudied aspect of career development. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01