Ph.D. Students of Color and their Academic Work Experience

Pauly, Petronella, P.M. (2022) Ph.D. Students of Color and their Academic Work Experience. Bachelor thesis, Psychology.

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Abstract

Over the past years, much research has been done about factors that influence the academic experience of Ph.D. students. Although this is a valuable topic to explore, most researchers fail to take issues related to racial background into account. Therefore in this study, we aim to get a better understanding of how Ph.D. students of color experience their work environment and how they cope with possible stressors and hardships at The University of Groningen. We conducted semi-structured interviews with nine current or former Ph.D. students whom were affiliated with the University of Groningen. Using thematic analysis, we found that most Ph.D. students didn't directly feel that their racial background affected their work environment. However, participants shared that they did experience situations where they were prejudiced or experienced isms. The remaining themes revealed how students cope with stressors. Students emphasized how important it is for them to have a social support network. This social network includes family, friends, colleagues, partners, and supervisors who give affirmation and emotional support. These results suggest that it is vitally important to have a supportive community for Ph.D. students of color to avoid additional stress during an already demanding time. Limitations of this study were the inexperience with qualitative research, a non-saturated sample size, intermingled identities being a POC/international student, and the use of a convenience sample.

Item Type:	Thesis (Bachelor)
Supervisor name:	Hoek, J.M.
Degree programme:	Psychology
Differentiation route:	Other [Bachelor Psychology]
Date Deposited:	23 Feb 2022 08:50
Last Modified:	23 Feb 2022 08:50
URI:	http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/224

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