Doctoral Dissertation Research: Educational Persistence in Veterinary Medicine: A Longitudinal Examination of Mentoring, Gender, and Organizational Context

Washington State University, Pullman WA

Investigators

Abstract

Sociologists have paid increasing attention to the effects of social resources on individuals' life chances. While there are many different kinds of social resources, research conducted in educational and occupational settings suggests that social ties with mentors may be especially influential. Of equal importance is the organizational context which structures people's opportunities for social relationships and, as a result, plays an important role in the availability, quality, and impact of mentoring. This study seeks to contribute to our understanding of the interactions between individual- and contextual-level influences on women's and men's educational persistence in science. The specific goals are to examine the social ties formed between students and mentors in the context of veterinary school, which is distinctive, due in part, to the rate that the veterinary profession has feminized in comparison to other health professions. The proposed research will examine sex differences in mentoring, and the effects of mentoring on career choices, educational persistence, and career outcomes for both men and women by exploring four central questions: (1) Are there sex differences in the mentoring experiences of third-year veterinary students? (2) How do sex differences in mentoring (dyad composition and functions) influence students' career decisions, including their interest in pursuing advanced training? (3) How does the organizational context (especially its sex composition) affect career outcomes? (4) Does organizational context moderate the effects of mentoring on career outcomes? This research uses a multilevel design, with data collected at the individual and organizational levels. A survey is used to collect individual data from third year veterinary students at 25 colleges of veterinary medicine. Organizational data will be drawn primarily from archival sources, supplemented by an administrative survey sent to all participating colleges. The broader impact of this study lies in its ability to increase understanding of gender differences in educational persistence in scientific careers. The results, disseminated through professional conferences and publications, will inform not only the sociological literature on social resources, gender, and organizations but also research on science education, educational policy, and veterinary medical education.