TY - JOUR
T1 - Science and Engineering Doctoral Student Socialization, Logics, and the National Economic Agenda
T2 - Alignment or Disconnect?
AU - Mars, Matthew M.
AU - Bresonis, Kate
AU - Szelényi, Katalin
N1 - Funding Information:
The importance of science and technology to the nation’s economic well-being has also been promoted by the priorities of the major federal funding agencies such as the National Institute of Health (NIH), which now offers seminars on how to create businesses based on scientific discovery (NIH 2008). Similarly, through its Science and Innovation Policy program, the National Science Foundation (NSF) seeks to create and enhance a so-called ‘‘innovation ecosystem’’ (Peterson 2010). In short, the economic underpinnings of the federal science and technology agenda are tightly woven through national policymaking infrastructures.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2014, Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.
PY - 2014/9/1
Y1 - 2014/9/1
N2 - This study explores the institutional logics and socialization experiences of STEM doctoral students in the context of the current American economic narrative that is specific to science and technology. Data from qualitative interviews with 36 students at three research universities first reveals a disconnect between a well-established national science and technology policy narrative that is market-oriented and the training, experiences, and perspectives of science and engineering doctoral students. Findings also indicate science and engineering doctoral students mostly understand entrepreneurship and innovation in the contexts of funding research activities and creating social impact, which parallel rather than oppose dominant academic values and norms. Based on the findings, we contend that it is both possible and prudent for universities and graduate programs to pursue strategies that align science and engineering doctoral education with the current national economic agenda and support the personal, professional values and perspectives of students without coming in conflict with the scientific core of the academy.
AB - This study explores the institutional logics and socialization experiences of STEM doctoral students in the context of the current American economic narrative that is specific to science and technology. Data from qualitative interviews with 36 students at three research universities first reveals a disconnect between a well-established national science and technology policy narrative that is market-oriented and the training, experiences, and perspectives of science and engineering doctoral students. Findings also indicate science and engineering doctoral students mostly understand entrepreneurship and innovation in the contexts of funding research activities and creating social impact, which parallel rather than oppose dominant academic values and norms. Based on the findings, we contend that it is both possible and prudent for universities and graduate programs to pursue strategies that align science and engineering doctoral education with the current national economic agenda and support the personal, professional values and perspectives of students without coming in conflict with the scientific core of the academy.
KW - Academic entrepreneurship
KW - Institutional logics
KW - STEM doctoral education
KW - Socialization
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84957429962&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84957429962&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s11024-014-9256-z
DO - 10.1007/s11024-014-9256-z
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84957429962
SN - 0026-4695
VL - 52
SP - 351
EP - 379
JO - Minerva
JF - Minerva
IS - 3
ER -