Breaking the silence : toward a theory of women's doctoral persistence
Date
2017-05-24
Authors
Kerlin, Roberta-Anne
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Abstract
In recent years educational researchers have expressed a growing concern about both
increased rates of attrition from doctoral programs and the increased time required to
compete the doctorate. Many researchers have estimated that upwards of 50% of doctoral
students withdraw from their programs prior to completion of degree requirements.
Although women’s rates of enrollment have grown significantly over the past decade there
is also much evidence to show that women withdraw from doctoral programs of study at
higher rates than men. Given these trends there is good reason to examine more closely,
factors that influence women’s doctoral degree progress.
This study provides an in-depth qualitative examination of the challenges women encounter
in pursuing the Ph.D., and the meanings they attribute to their experiences, with the
purpose of identifying critical factors that influence women’s doctoral persistence. The
study breaks new methodological ground by demonstrating how the Internet, often thought
to be a cold and impersonal medium, can be used to conduct in-depth personal interviews
that are rich in meaning despite separation of interviewer and interviewees in both place and
time. Utilizing grounded theory methodology for analyzing the data, five women Ph.D.
candidates and two recent Ph.D. recipients were interviewed over the course of one year
(1995). A critical feminist perspective provides the theoretical framework for understanding
the women’s learning experiences within the contexts of their institutional and departmental
milieux.
Findings relating to women’s doctoral persistence emerge through an analysis of electronic
mail transcripts and face-to-face interviews. Central to the findings is the illumination of a
complex interaction of personal, social and institutional factors that both enhance and
detract from women’s doctoral persistence. Eleven elements of a theory of women’s
doctoral persistence are put forward. The benefits and limitations of using electronic networks to conduct qualitative inquiry are examined.
Description
Keywords
Women, Doctor of philosopy degree