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Abstract
This article focuses on the role of departmental culture and academic climate in shaping the experiences of master's and doctoral students in geography. Structured logging of experiences at nine geography graduate programs over six months reveals the types of support provided to graduate students; how students cope with emotional, academic, and financial challenges; and ways students become integrated (or not) in department communities. Analysis of log data considers variation by subgroups (gender, citizenship, program type, full- or part-time status, race, and ethnicity). For all students, the findings indicate the importance of unplanned, spontaneous, and other informal events, as well as relationships of a more formal nature with advisors and faculty in the department and beyond. Students also noted the importance of having access to resources, professional development opportunities, and support from peers as factors affecting their sense of progress and belonging in a department community.
Este artículo se centra en el papel que cumplen la cultura departamental y el clima académico en la conformación de las experiencias de estudiantes de maestría y doctorado en geografía. Los apuntes estructurados de las experiencias registradas en nueve programas posgraduados en geografía, durante seis meses, revelan los tipos de ayuda que se brindan a los estudiantes posgraduados; la manera como los estudiantes enfrentan los retos emocionales, académicos y financieros; y el modo como aquéllos se integran (o no) en las comunidades departamentales. El análisis de esas anotaciones toma en cuenta la variación en subgrupos (género, ciudadanía, tipo de programa, estatus de tiempo completo o parcial, raza y etnicidad). Para la comunidad estudiantil como un todo, lo hallado señala la importancia que tienen los eventos no planeados, espontáneos o de otro tipo, lo mismo que las relaciones de naturaleza más formal con consejeros y profesorado del departamento y de otras instancias. Los estudiantes también hicieron notar la importancia de tener acceso a recursos, oportunidades de desarrollo profesional y el apoyo de compañeros, como factores que afectan su sentido de progreso y pertenencia en una comunidad departamental.
Acknowledgments
MICHAEL SOLEM is Educational Affairs Director at the Association of American Geographers, 1710 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20009. E-mail: [email protected]. His research focuses on issues in geography in higher education, especially graduate education, professional development, and international education. He has directed the AAG EDGE project since 2005.
NICK HOPWOOD is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Technology, Sydney (Centre for Research in Learning and Change), Building 10, 235 Jones Street, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia. E-mail: [email protected]. His current research explores interprofessional practice and learning in health settings. From 2006 to 2010 he was a Research Officer at the Centre for Excellence in Preparing for Academic Practice (University of Oxford), where his research focused on graduate students’ learning and experiences across a range of disciplines.
M. BETH SCHLEMPER is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography and Planning at the University of Toledo, 2801 W. Bancroft Street, Mail Stop 932, Toledo, OH 43606–3390. E-mail: [email protected]. She previously served as an Education Research Fellow for the Association of American Geographers for EDGE Phase 1 and is a Co-PI on EDGE Phase 2, 2009–2012. Her current research interests include graduate education in geography, particularly in the areas of professional development, departmental climate, and career preparation.
Notes
*This research was funded by the National Science Foundation (REC-0439914). The authors gratefully acknowledge the suggestions provided by the anonymous reviewers, and sincerely thank the graduate students who volunteered to participate in this study. Dan Hammel (University of Toledo) offered assistance and advice with the quantitative analysis. Nick Hopwood's involvement in the project was supported by the Centre for Excellence in Preparing for Academic Practice (funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England).
1. Prior to administering the logs, students completed a brief questionnaire to report self-identified demographic and program information. Full or part time referred to students’ status as registered in their institutions, although we do recognize that full time does not necessarily mean that studentsundertake no other paid work during their doctorates (see CitationHopwood et al. 2009).
2. A copy of the log instrument can be obtained from the authors on request.
3. Details regarding the selection process and the characteristics of the departments participating in the EDGE case studies are available at http://www.aag.org/edge.
4. We have compared data with the U.K. and Canadian studies that used parallel logging methods. All three studies show that students access support from a wide range of different people. However, students in the U.S. study were more likely than others to draw on committee members (such structures tend not to exist in the United Kingdom), other academics, and students within their department. The difficulties reported by students in each country followed a very similar pattern (e.g., issues related to lack of time, emotional problems, academic challenges, pragmatic concerns, unsupportive relationships).