An equity‐driven ecological model for internationalizing doctoral student research training

Abstract

AbstractThe global academic community is increasingly connected, which has implications for the internationalization of doctoral education. In our previous work, we presented a theoretical approach to doctoral student research training using an ecological theory that provided considerations for individual and programmatic practice. Though our proposed model for doctoral research training is still relevant and valuable, we recognize there is missing a layer of criticality in that framework that would allow for more nuance in doctoral research preparation for international contexts. In this chapter, we apply an equity‐driven lens to our model that accounts for a critical global perspective that was absent in our previous writing. We argue that power and privilege are inherent in all relational aspects of ecological theories and must be included in doctoral research preparation. Thus, we offer recommendations for addressing these issues for the individual doctoral student as well as the faculty and programs that train them and guide their research endeavors.Practical Takeaways Inequities are ingrained in all aspects of higher education; thus, we must critically examine how we approach research and scholarship through each system in the ecology of doctoral education. Faculty have a responsibility to prepare students to respond to global challenges, including how racial, colonial, political, and economic hierarchies inform current international research practices. We advocate for the application of an equity‐driven lens to an ecological model for doctoral student international research training. We recommend an equity‐driven, global ecological perspective in approaches to doctoral education broadly, including discipline‐specific courses, mentoring relationships, and graduate assistantships.