Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Date

2019

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Counseling Psychology

Committee Chair

Laura Marks

Committee Member

Michael Mackay

Committee Member

Rosie Davis

Committee Member

Idia Thurston

Abstract

Objectives: The current study examined the conditions under which having a sense of belonging to ones academic community moderated the impact of mentor effectiveness of dissertation chair on self-efficacy beliefs (i.e., academic, career-decision, and research) in psychology doctoral students of color. Method: Data from 104 non-White psychology doctoral students (78.8% female and 19.2% male) were collected from psychology doctoral programs across the United States and analyzed using PROCESS 3.2 for SPSS. Results: Effective mentoring from dissertation chair was positively associated with research self-efficacy. Sense of belonging was positively associated with academic, career-decision, and research self-efficacy. The association between effective mentoring from dissertation chair and career decision self-efficacy was strongest among individuals who reported a greater sense of belonging. This association, however, was not significant for individuals who reported lower levels of sense of belonging. Conclusions: Having positive, effective mentorship experiences with dissertation chair and a sense of belonging to ones academic community can promote students beliefs that they can master skills necessary for success in doctoral programs. These findings underscore the importance of examining mentoring experiences with dissertation chairs and contextual influences in a nuanced manner and highlight the need for interventions at both individual mentor and departmental levels.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to ProQuest

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