Facilitating the Creation of Knowledge: An Investigation of the Factors that Influence the Research Productivity of Black Doctoral Students at Predominantly White Institutions

Abstract

INTRODUCTIONThe number of Black doctoral recipients continues to rise. From 1991 to 2011, the percentage of graduates as a share of all PhDs increased from 4.1 to 6.1 percent (National Science Foundation; NSF, 2012). The increase in the number of Blacks attaining PhDs has been met with growth in scholarly interest and inquiry in them as students. Some authors have investigated their general experiences (Lewis et al., 2004; Nettles, 1990; Nettles & Millett, 2006), while others have focused on more specific topics such as advising and mentoring (Barker, 2011; Felder, 2010; Felder & Barker, 2013), and socialization (Ellis, 2001; Taylor & Antony, 2000).Although the literature is growing, there are still subjects where little is known. One such topic is the research productivity of Black doctoral students. Specifically, scholars do not know the factors that influence the research-related activities of this population. This is an important undertaking; particularly given the potential benefits.Researchers have discovered three instances where greater scholarly output provides advantages to the student. First, early engagement in research with faculty and peers creates opportunities for formal and informal interactions that are vital in doctoral socialization (Baird, 1992; Bragg, 1976; Weidman, Twale, & Stein, 2001). Second, successful involvement in early research-related activities is also associated with increased research self-efficacy (Kahn & Scott, 1997; Love et al., 2007). Finally, doctoral student productivity has been associated with actual early career productivity of faculty, which is a strong indicator of faculty success (Clemente, 1973; Green & Bauer, 1995; Williamson & Cable, 2003).Nettles and Millett (2006) found that African American doctoral students in education, social sciences, and the sciences and mathematics published less than their peers. While this is only one measure of research productivity, it suggests that Blacks pursuing PhDs may not have the same opportunities to develop into researchers. This could have an influence on their graduate experience, completion rates, and future careers. Research has shown that Black doctoral students often experience low sense of belonging (Ellis, 2001) and high attrition rates (Sowell, 2008). Additionally, the overall percentage of Black faculty remains low, especially at research intensive institutions (Perna et al., 2007). In order to address these dismal statistics, it is important to understand all relevant variables and relationships. This includes the factors related to the research productivity of Black students.This inquiry's focus is to determine what variables are associated with the presentation, publication, and submission output of Black PhD students attending predominantly White institutions (PWIs). Examining research productivity in the context of PWIs is important because most Black students earned their PhDs from PWIs and research suggests that the doctoral experience and development of Black students is influenced by the institution culture in which it takes place (Gay, 2004). The study is guided by Weidman and colleagues' (2001) model of graduate student socialization. The study begins with an overview of the relevant literature.REVIEW OF LITERATURERelevant in this study is the literature on graduate student research productivity and Black doctoral students. Together, these bodies of scholarship provide the requisite information to determine the variables to investigate. This section begins with what is known about the scholarly output of graduate students.Doctoral Student Research ProductivityThe limited doctoral research productivity literature indicates that there is no common approach to determining what factors might the influence scholarly output. Researchers have drawn from the fields in psychology (e.g., Kahn & Schlosser, 2010; Kahn & Scott, 1997; Mallinckrodt & Gelso, 2002), organizational innovation and productivity (e. …