The Assessment Project on Graduate Students: Transition and Diversity is researching the factors that contribute to the decrease in student diversity from the undergraduate to the graduate levels at York University. Through qualitative research, our project aims to identify the barriers that have historically confronted students from various underrepresented groups in going to graduate school, and to explore ways to address these factors at York. We are focusing on the following groups:
Over the summer months, we undertook a literature review and, from various studies in higher education, developed comprehensive lists of the barriers faced by each underrepresented group. We also developed a second list of policy and programme recommendations that have been proposed to address these barriers. The next stage of the project has been to conduct a series of focus groups with students from the various underrepresented groups using questions formulated from the literature review.
We have already completed focus group interviews with First Nations/Aboriginal students, East-Asian women students, and students with disabilities. We intend to do additional focus groups with students of African descent as well as re-visiting some of the earlier groups. We are also anticipating the use of individual interviews with some students. We see these groups as the starting point for our work and intend to conduct research with members of other groups mentioned above as our project progresses.
From the initial analysis of the focus group discussions, we have identified a number of themes that had an important impact on the persistence and success of these students at the graduate level. A few examples of the themes that were generated out of the focus group research are discussed below.
Some minority students have had difficulty meeting graduate school application requirements, especially the need to obtain letters of reference from professors in their undergraduate programmes. Part of this difficulty can be attributed to the lack of familiarity that larger class sizes create between students and professors. Some feel this is compounded by a system that favours white males speaking up and therefore being remembered by professors.
I went to UBC and most of my classes had two or three-hundred students in them and other classes I had which were smaller, maybe 20-30, but it was mostly men who spoke and men who took up air-time; mostly white people who feel more enfranchised to speak over students of colour and then who is the professor going to remember? You don't get that buddy relationship which you feel you need in order to approach someone for a reference letter so it is definitely a barrier.
Students of various cultural backgrounds may experience difficulty in adapting to the expectations of Canadian graduate schools, especially if these conflict with the educational system and values in their native country.
As an East-Asian talking in public, I mean we are not really familiar with that kind of communication in Korea, so I haven't had any chance to present in public in Korea in my undergraduate programme. It was so embarrassing at first: I was so nervous and my voice was shaking, it embarrassed me again so it was like a vicious circle. I don't like presentations so far and most of the graduate seminars are composed of presentations and it doesn't matter if it is big or small, I have to talk in public. I'm pressured because there are participation points so I feel I have to talk and I don't really like to stand out. For me, it is physical appearance too. I'm small and I'm short and it works negatively, so when I meet my classmates who are white and tall, I feel it's negative for me.
For some students, language can be a barrier to becoming academically and/or professionally socialized once enrolled in the graduate programme, resulting in social and academic isolation. This sense of isolation may be compounded by the insensitive attitudes of some faculty and classmates who do not make an effort or attempt at inclusion.
I remember an experience in class where the professor started a very funny story and it stemmed from a funny word. The East-Asian group didn't know it and the majority students, they just laughed but East-Asian students just stayed calm. It was very awkward. We didn't understand so we couldn't laugh or get together with other people and I think that the professor and other students should have explained what it is but they didn't. It was really really awkward and I felt really bad...I think it is unethical to explain what the joke means because everyone has to share the same story. This continued for a long time. They were really enjoying themselves but don't really care about minority students.
Many students have also raised concerns over the general lack of representation in curricular resources.
I think in terms of the percentage of minority students in our class, the one or two articles included in the course isn't sufficient to represent the specific issues relevant for them, the racism, the feminism or whatever.
Other activities the group has been pursuing include working with administrative offices on campus to determine the kinds of institutional data that might be made available to us. We are hoping to identify the kinds of policies and programmes that are currently in place to motivate minority students to continue their education at the graduate level. The group has found that the information that is currently gathered on students, particularly those who leave the university, does not identify minority representation. This gap is being redressed and future exit surveys will include a section where respondents can self-identify as a member of a minority group. We offered input into the current search for a Dean in the Faculty of Graduate Studies urging that one of the criteria in the search include a commitment to issues of diversity at the graduate level and have received a positive response. The group will continue to work with administrative offices to address other such gaps at the policy and programme level to encourage greater numbers of minority students to pursue graduate studies.
The members of the sub-committee include Celia Haig-Brown, Heather Dryden, Denise Hammond, Anna Hoefnagels, Nimki Lavell, Gill Teiman, Cheryle Tai, Walter Whiteley and Marilyn Zivian.