| Abstrakt: |
Biology doctoral students face a myriad of barriers that may extend or impede their degree completion. These barriers result in a less diverse workforce, considering that institutionalised prejudices have created more barriers to academic success for some groups than others. Here, we aimed to understand the role that non-cognitive and demographic factors play in predicting doctoral students' perceived barriers, and identify which factors best predict personal/psychological, situational, and institutional barriers to degree completion. We surveyed 289 current biology doctoral students in the U.S. We measured grit, sense of belonging, and science identity as well as participants' perceived barriers. We tested the efficacy of non-cognitive factors alone in predicting the three barrier types versus models including demographic factors. We found that both non-cognitive and demographic factors were important in explaining perceived barriers. Higher scores of grit were associated with lower perceived personal/psychological barriers. However, we assert that grittiness is shaped by unique experiences and is highly situational. We do not imply that grit should be used as a main predictor of 'success' in doctoral programs. We suggest future research on what mechanisms facilitate growth of inherently gritty characteristics in biology doctoral students which lead to fewer perceived barriers to degree completion. Plain Language Summary: During graduate school, biology doctoral students may face barriers that extend or stand in the way of their degree completion. Historically, academia has excluded some groups of people more than others and this has created more barriers to the success of those groups in academia. The result of these barriers can have great effects on the diversity of our workforce where only some groups of people graduate with their degree and go on to work in the field. In this study we aimed to understand the role that personality-type traits (non-cognitive factors) and demographic factors, such as age and race, play in predicting the degree to which doctoral students perceive barriers. Additionally, we aimed to identify which factors best predict personal/psychological, situational, and institutional barriers to degree completion. We surveyed 289 current biology doctoral students in the U.S. and measured participants' perceived barriers, as well as three non-cognitive factors: grit, sense of belonging, and science identity. We tested whether non-cognitive factors alone predict the three barrier types best or if models including demographic factors better predict these barriers. We found that both non-cognitive and demographic factors were important in explaining how biology doctoral students perceive barriers to their success. Further, students with higher grit scores did not see personal/psychological barriers as large barriers to their degree completion. However, grittiness is shaped by unique experiences and can be formed through very specific situations. We do not mean to say that grit should be used as a main predictor of "success" in doctoral programs. We suggest future research on how to best promote growth of naturally gritty characteristics in biology doctoral students which lead to fewer perceived barriers to degree completion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
