This study aimed to identify factors that facilitate or hinder the successful completion of doctoral degrees among diverse students. The researchers interviewed 17 diverse individuals who had earned a Ph.D., including 5 African Americans and 9 Mexican Americans. Key factors that contributed to success included mentoring, faculty support, cohort membership, personal motivation, and family support. Potential barriers included lack of resources, family separation, negative stereotypes, work demands, and fears about scholarly writing. Successful students overcame barriers by securing family support, applying for funding, balancing responsibilities, and building positive faculty relationships. The findings align with a model of Hispanic student persistence emphasizing student self-concept, familial support, and institutional climate/support. Both students and universities can

1. dies
l Stu ces
Do ctora ’ Voi
ting e Students
Na viga ivers
ssfu lly: D
Succe o
vand
h a N. O A ustin
Mart xas at
y of Te
iversit
T h e Un

2. xas
2
, 201
so, Te
Pape
r pre
Univ sente
uary
ersit
y of T d at the
El Pa
exas
at El
Febr
Paso

3. Universities are interested in:
• Recruiting and retaining graduate students
ion
from diverse backgrounds.
• Increasing degree completion for doctoral
duct students.
• Creating additional support services to
assist graduate students.
Intro
• African Americans and Hispanics are still
significantly underrepresented among
recipients of Ph.D. degrees. These groups
comprised 32% of all U.S. citizens, but only
7% of those earned doctorates (Cherwitz,
2005, p. 72, Reddick & Young, 2012).

4. Ø Low enrollment and success rates of diverse
groups of students in graduate studies (Allen,
Know
2005).
Ø Strategies used by African American students to
succeed (Jones, 2004).
Ø Specific experiences of African American Ph.D.
t We
students, prior to degree completion (Lewis, Ginsberg,
Davies & Smith, 2004).
Ø Institutions should aim at “getting to the what, how and
Wha
why of diversity on campus” (Gurin & Nagda, 2006, p. 20),
particularly at the doctoral level.
Previous studies focus on students during their doctoral studies. The
experiences and reflections of those who have actually completed
the doctoral journey have not been addressed.

5. To determine the factors that affect diverse
y
students’ doctoral studies, with a focus on
Stud
those who have successfully completed a
doctoral degree.
Diverse students included:
f the
- African American
- Mexican American
ose o
- Asian American
- Women and men, to assure
representation of minority
populations.
Purp

6. 1. What factors facilitate diverse
ons
doctoral students’ success (degree
completion)?
sti
Que
2. What factors block diverse doctoral
students’ studies (degree
completion)?
arch
3. How do diverse students overcome
the identified blocks in order to
complete their degrees?
Rese

7. ü A qualitative approach was used in order “to
ods
examine questions that can be best answered
by verbally describing how participants in a
study perceive and interpret various aspects of
Meth their environment” (Crowl, Kaminisky & Podell,
1997, p. 499).
ü Participants were selected using purposeful
and snowball sampling (Gay & Ariasian, 2000).
• Successful completion of a doctoral
program.
• Self-identification as African American,
Mexican American and Asian American.
• Representation of four doctoral programs in
a major university.

8. • Seven men and ten women
• Five African American
• Nine Mexican American
rofile
• One Asian American
• Two international students
• Graduates from the same university
P
(educational administration).
ants’
• The average age was 42, ranging from 34 to 58.
• Most were married, only two were single and two
were divorced.
cip
• The average timeframe to complete the degree was
three years, ranging from two to six.
Parti
• Most changed jobs since graduation, with a majority
being promoted to a higher-level position.

9. ü Data was collected through participants’
written responses to open-ended
ction
es
questions (Patton, 1990) using a
questionnaire mailed by electronic media.
edur ü Completed questionnaires were returned as
Colle
attachments and printed without names in
order to assure confidentiality.
Proc
ü Data were analyzed using grounded theory
guidelines in order “to build middle-range
theoretical frameworks that explain the collected
Data
data” (Charmaz, 2003, p. 250).
ü Topics were identified, compared and synthesized
across participants’ experiences, specific programs
and ethnic background.

10. Factors that contribute to doctoral students’
success include:
gs
v Mentoring, both formal and informal
in v Faculty support
Find
v Cohort membership
v Personal motivation
v Family support
v Additional course work
v Graduate school personnel

11. Factors that may have a detrimental effect on
degree completion:
gs
v Lack of resources: financial and time
in
v Family separation (both nuclear and
Find
extended)
v Negative stereotypes
v Work demands
v Fear of scholarly writing expectations

12. Successful doctoral students…
ome
rs
Facto
→ Secure family support (financial and moral)
verc
→ Apply for funding, fellowships, TA positions, etc.
king
s to O
→ Balance family, job and doctoral studies’ demands
Bloc
egie
→ Establish a positive relationship with faculty
→ Take additional courses/workshops
Strat

13. Factors that facilitate diverse doctoral students’
success (degree completion) reflect the
components of the Tri-dimensional Foundation
usion
of Hispanic Student Persistence Model (Pino &
Ovando, 2005).
Student Self-Concept
l
Conc
Familial Support
Institutional Climate
& Support

14. Aspiring doctoral students need to:
ns
ü Engage in deep personal analysis of the
possibilities and demands of doctoral work
catio prior to entering university programs.
ü Seek accurate information about doctoral
programs’ expectations and requirements.
i
Impl
ü Search for alternative ways to finance their
studies, and secure family understanding and
support.
ü Use the resources provided by the institutions of
higher education.

15. Institutions of higher education must continue to:
ns
• Develop innovative mechanisms to enhance
diverse doctoral study experiences and
catio completion rates.
• Offer additional support systems to enhance
students’ ability to write in scholarly fashion.
i
• Generate financial support (fellowships,
Impl
assistantships and other strategies).
• Recruit and hire diverse faculty.
Institutions of higher education, which increase recruitment
and support to encourage degree completion, will indeed
be in a position to make solid contributions to the better
preparation of citizens who will, in turn, contribute to a
better democratic society.

16. End
Than
T he
k You
!