Push and Pull

The Influence of Race/Ethnicity on Agency in Doctoral Student Career Advancement

Jaeger, Audrey J.
Mitchall, Allison
O’Meara, KerryAnn
Grantham, Ashley
Zhang, Jingjing
Eliason, Jennifer
Cowdery, Kelly

Department of Higher Education, North Carolina State University
Department of Counseling, Higher Education and Special Education, University of Maryland
Department of Higher Education, North Carolina State University
Department of Counseling, Higher Education and Special Education, University of Maryland

Audrey J. Jaeger, Department of Higher Education, North Carolina State University, 310H Poe Hall, Campus Box 7801, Raleigh, NC 27695 [email protected]

Received January 31, 2015

revised January 1, 2016

Accepted January 6, 2016

Journal of Diversity in Higher Education 10(3):p 232-252, September 2017. | DOI: 10.1037/dhe0000018

This study examined and enriched our understanding of the career choice process for doctoral students of color in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. In addition, it explored the challenges facing all doctoral students in STEM in understanding and making meaning of diversity as it relates to individual perspectives and actions. We used an agency theoretical framework to explore career-related decisions of doctoral students. This framework captured how students “navigate, negotiate, reframe, and act” during the career decision-making process of a doctoral program.