IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/sagope/v7y2017i3p2158244017727040.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Proxies for Success: How the Application Process Correlates to PhD Pursuit for a Small Diversity Research Program

Author

Listed:
  • Dawayne Whittington
  • Latricia E. Wallace
  • Cherilynn R. Shadding

Abstract

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) diversity research programs seek to make progress in increasing the number of underrepresented students that pursue STEM at the highest degree levels. Yet few programs have outlined their path to help students achieve the STEM PhD. Our program, Opportunities in Genomics Research (OGR), showed significant increases in PhD matriculation over 8 years of National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding. We explored typical measures, which include grade point average (GPA), institution classification, and graduate school ranking, and found that these measures alone do not explain the improved outcomes. We examined changes in the application materials as proxies for commitment to a PhD degree. These data show a significant correlation of desired degree pursuit to increased proxies and proxy type (open- or close-ended questions answered by applicant or referee). We demonstrate that changes in application procedures for diversity research programs correlate to improved program outcomes with statistical significance.

Suggested Citation

  • Dawayne Whittington & Latricia E. Wallace & Cherilynn R. Shadding, 2017. "Proxies for Success: How the Application Process Correlates to PhD Pursuit for a Small Diversity Research Program," SAGE Open, , vol. 7(3), pages 21582440177, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:sagope:v:7:y:2017:i:3:p:2158244017727040
    DOI: 10.1177/2158244017727040
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2158244017727040
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/2158244017727040?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Cherilynn R. Shadding & Dawayne Whittington & Latricia E. Wallace & Wambul S. Wandu & Richard K. Wilson, 2016. "Cost-Effective Recruitment Strategies That Attract Underrepresented Minority Undergraduates Who Persist to STEM Doctorates," SAGE Open, , vol. 6(3), pages 21582440166, July.
    2. Liane Moneta-Koehler & Abigail M Brown & Kimberly A Petrie & Brent J Evans & Roger Chalkley, 2017. "The Limitations of the GRE in Predicting Success in Biomedical Graduate School," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(1), pages 1-17, January.
    3. Melanie T. Jones & Amy E. L. Barlow & Merna Villarejo, 2010. "Importance of Undergraduate Research for Minority Persistence and Achievement in Biology," The Journal of Higher Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 81(1), pages 82-115, January.
    4. Karen W. Bauer & Joan S. Bennett, 2003. "Alumni Perceptions Used to Assess Undergraduate Research Experience," The Journal of Higher Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 74(2), pages 210-230, March.
    5. Héctor H. Rivera & Debra Murray, 2014. "An Exploratory Assessment," SAGE Open, , vol. 4(4), pages 21582440145, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Katelyn M Cooper & Logan E Gin & Barierane Akeeh & Carolyn E Clark & Joshua S Hunter & Travis B Roderick & Deanna B Elliott & Luis A Gutierrez & Rebecca M Mello & Leilani D Pfeiffer & Rachel A Scott &, 2019. "Factors that predict life sciences student persistence in undergraduate research experiences," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(8), pages 1-30, August.
    2. Linda Sealy & Christina Saunders & Jeffrey Blume & Roger Chalkley, 2019. "The GRE over the entire range of scores lacks predictive ability for PhD outcomes in the biomedical sciences," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(3), pages 1-17, March.
    3. Hamilton, Lynn & Mathews, Leah Greden & Grant, Richard & Wolf, Marianne McGarry, 2013. "The Value of Undergraduate Research: A Pilot Study of Agribusiness Alumni Perceptions," 2013 Annual Meeting, August 4-6, 2013, Washington, D.C. 149846, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    4. Jalbert, Terrance, 2008. "Experiences in publishing peer-reviewed research with undergraduate accounting and finance students," Journal of Accounting Education, Elsevier, vol. 26(3), pages 104-117.
    5. Julie J. Park & Young K. Kim & Cinthya Salazar & Shannon Hayes, 2020. "Student–Faculty Interaction and Discrimination from Faculty in STEM: The Link with Retention," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 61(3), pages 330-356, May.
    6. Bornemann, Janina, 2021. "Forschendes Lernen in der geographischen Hochschullehre," Beiträge zur Wirtschaftsgeographie und Regionalentwicklung 1-2021, Universität Bremen, Institut für Geographie.
    7. Anastasia Rogova & Isabel Martinez Leal & Maggie Britton & Shine Chang & Kamisha H. Escoto & Kayce D. Solari Williams & Crystal Roberson & Lorna H. McNeill & Lorraine R. Reitzel, 2022. "Promoting Cancer Health Equity: A Qualitative Study of Mentee and Mentor Perspectives of a Training Program for Underrepresented Scholars in Cancer Health Disparities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(12), pages 1-22, June.
    8. Parama Chaudhury & Christian Spielmann, 2016. "Let's Make a Movie! Introducing Economics With a Multimedia Project," Journal of Economics Teaching, Journal of Economics Teaching, vol. 1(1), pages 17-41, June.
    9. Sandra L Petersen & Evelyn S Erenrich & Dovev L Levine & Jim Vigoreaux & Krista Gile, 2018. "Multi-institutional study of GRE scores as predictors of STEM PhD degree completion: GRE gets a low mark," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(10), pages 1-15, October.
    10. Tim Maloney & Kamakshi Singh, 2017. "Using Validated Measures of High School Academic Achievement to Predict University Success," Working Papers 2017-10, Auckland University of Technology, Department of Economics.
    11. Vincent Chandler, 2019. "Identifying emerging scholars: seeing through the crystal ball of scholarship selection committees," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 120(1), pages 39-56, July.
    12. Kendra H Oliver & Christina Keeton & Roger Chalkley & Elizabeth Bowman, 2021. "Virtual Vanderbilt Summer Science Academy highlighted the opportunity to impact early STEMM students career knowledge through narrative," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(11), pages 1-13, November.
    13. Natalia Maloshonok & Evgeniy Terentev, 2019. "Towards the New Model of Doctoral Education: The Experience of Enhancing Doctoral Programs in Russian Universities," Voprosy obrazovaniya / Educational Studies Moscow, National Research University Higher School of Economics, issue 3, pages 8-42.
    14. Ambika Mathur & Christine S Chow & Andrew L Feig & Heidi Kenaga & Judith A Moldenhauer & Nisansala S Muthunayake & Mathew L Ouellett & Laura E Pence & Victoria Straub, 2018. "Exposure to multiple career pathways by biomedical doctoral students at a public research university," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(6), pages 1-13, June.
    15. Малошонок Н. Г. & Терентьев Е. А., 2019. "На Пути К Новой Модели Аспирантуры: Опыт Совершенствования Аспирантских Программ В Российских Вузах," Вопросы образования // Educational Studies Moscow, National Research University Higher School of Economics, issue 3, pages 8-42.
    16. Ambika Mathur & Annmarie Cano & Michael Kohl & Nisansala S Muthunayake & Prassanna Vaidyanathan & Mary E Wood & Mustafa Ziyad, 2018. "Visualization of gender, race, citizenship and academic performance in association with career outcomes of 15-year biomedical doctoral alumni at a public research university," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(5), pages 1-16, May.
    17. Traci A Giuliano & Isham E Kimbell & Emily S Olson & Jennifer L Howell, 2022. "High impact: Examining predictors of faculty-undergraduate coauthored publication and presentation in psychology," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(3), pages 1-29, March.
    18. Grant Hokit & Sam Alvey & Jennifer M. O. Geiger & Gregory D. Johnson & Marni G. Rolston & Daniel T. Kinsey & Neva Tall Bear, 2013. "Using Undergraduate Researchers to Build Vector and West Nile Virus Surveillance Capacity," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-11, July.
    19. Sara E. Grineski & Danielle X. Morales & Timothy W. Collins & Shawna Nadybal & Shaylynn Trego, 2022. "A US National Study of Barriers to Science Training Experienced by Undergraduate Students during COVID-19," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(11), pages 1-19, May.
    20. Rishita Bhatt & Bernadette West & Sunita Chaudhary, 2020. "Biomedical career enrichment programs: Exploring women and minority participants’ motivators and outcomes," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(2), pages 1-27, February.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:sagope:v:7:y:2017:i:3:p:2158244017727040. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.