Interpersonal Hardiness as a Critical Contributing Factor to Persistence among International Women in Doctoral Programs: A Trioethnographic Study

Abstract

Women in PhD programs, in particular minority and international women, are especially at risk for drop-out (Castro, Garcia, Cavazos, & Castro, 2011; Haynes et al., 2012). This initial part of a longitudinal trioethnography captures the experiences of three international women in a doctoral program, highlighting the challenges, support systems, and coping mechanisms they engage with in the process of completing their degrees. Discoveries include the identification of “Interpersonal Hardiness” as the potential vehicle which could ensure our success.

Towards a More Comprehensive Understanding of International Doctoral Students' Experiences

“…Separation from familiarities and the support system was another recorded challenge, which led to a need to reestablish new support systems. Peer support and faculty support from the academic setting and family/friend support from the social setting could have exercised an impact on the academic success of international doctoral students (Campbell, 2015;Le & Gardner, 2010;Lee, 2017;Son & Park, 2015;Williams-Shakespeare et al, 2018;Winchester-Seeto et al, 2014;Zhang, 2016). At a mature age, spousal/conjugal support was another source of support that could influence international doctoral students' experiences.…”

“…Financial burden impacts graduate students in general. Many students took on teaching assistant or research assistant roles while conducting their doctoral research to relieve financial pressure (Le & Gardner, 2010;Williams-Shakespeare et al, 2018). The working constraints of the student permit and the ineligibility to apply for local student loans and government grants placed international doctoral students in a more disadvantaged position.…”

Edu-Track+: Mejorando Motivación Académica Intrínseca y Rendimiento Académico Universitario en Aulas Hyflex

“…Teniendo en cuenta que la carrera doctoral es un proceso que requiere de mucha persistencia y que autores alertan sobre la relación entre la persistencia y la salud mental (Shanachilubwa et al, 2023) considerando que el éxito doctoral no estaría completo si la persona no logra conjuntamente con sus resultados de estudio y su titulación doctoral, un bienestar psicosocial estable; para ello resulta importante el apoyo social (Williams et al, 2019) la fortaleza interpersonal como factor crítico que contribuye a la persistencia (Williams-Shakespeare et al, 2018) y la promoción del bienestar eudaemónico, asociado a la verdadera felicidad, al involucramiento afectivo, al interés, la motivación y la alegría (Ilies et al, 2005).…”