The Adaptation of Black Graduate Students: A Social Network Approach (Higher Education, Support)
The limited research on minority graduate students has suggested that this population is socially isolated from their departmental communities. The present study empirically examined how social integration was related to academic performance, and psychological well-being, among 89 black graduate and professional students. Research on social networks and social support was used as an analytical framework. In contrast to earlier research, the impact of the department member's ethnicity on social integration was taken into account. Students reported more contact outside of school with black faculty and students than with nonblack faculty and students. The frequency of nonschool contact with black faculty was related to perceived academic performance, mental health, and whether the subject had considered dropping out of school. The results of a discriminant analysis suggest that those students who were more socially integrated into their academic departments were less likely to have thought about dropping out of school. The implications of these findings for minority student retention were discussed. It is concluded that specific forms of social integration are essential for successful adjustment to graduate school.
University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign