ERIC Number: EJ1376652
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Jun
Pages: 23
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0742-5627
EISSN: EISSN-1573-1758
Graduate Student Preferences for Demographic Matching on an Advisor's Gender, Race, and Religion
Scheitle, Christopher P.; Platt, Lisa F.; House-Niamke, Stephanie M.
Innovative Higher Education, v48 n3 p477-499 Jun 2023
Research has examined the influence of a graduate student matching their advisor's demographic characteristics on a variety of outcomes, but comparatively few studies have examined students' preferences concerning such matching. Using data from a national survey of U.S. graduate students in five natural and social science disciplines, the analyses examine the importance students place on matching their advisor on three focal characteristics: gender, race, and religion. Overall, the analyses also find that the importance a student places on matching on one characteristic tends to be positively associated with the importance they place on matching on other characteristics. On gender-matching, the analyses find that female graduate students are more likely than male students to place importance on gender matching, but a majority still indicate that it is not at all important. However, a majority of Black students place importance on matching their advisor's race. Few students place any importance on religion matching, even among those who identify with a religion. While not discounting some groups' greater preference for matching their advisor's characteristics, these findings suggest that graduate programs should not assume that such preferences are universal or even particularly strong.
Descriptors: Graduate Students, Faculty Advisers, Gender Bias, Race, Religion, Individual Characteristics, Preferences
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2123/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: 1749130