Beyond Technical Mastery: Inequality in Doctoral Research Skill Development in the Biological Sciences

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine how doctoral students in the biological sciences understand their research skill development and explore potential racial/ethnic and gender inequalities in the scientific learning process. Design/methodology/approachBased on interviews with 87 doctoral students in the biological sciences, this study explores how doctoral students describe development of their research skills. More specifically, a constructivist grounded theory approach is employed to understand how doctoral students make meaning of their research skill development process and how that may vary by gender and race/ethnicity. FindingsThe findings reveal two emergent groups, technicians who focus on discrete tasks and data collection, and interpreters who combine technical expertise with attention to the larger scientific field. Although both groups are developing important skills, interpreters have a broader range of skills that support successful scholarly careers in science. Notably, white men are overrepresented among the interpreters, whereas white women and students from minoritized racial/ethnic groups are concentrated among the technicians. Originality/valueWhile prior literature provides valuable insights into the inequalities across various aspects of doctoral socialization, scholars have rarely attended to examining inequalities in research skill development. This study provides new insights into the process of scientific learning in graduate school. Findings reveal that research skill development is not a uniform experience, and that doctoral education fosters different kinds of learning that vary by gender and race/ethnicity.