Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Doctoral persistence in the United States remains a significant concern, yet the experiences of Asian doctoral students remain understudied. This scoping review analyzed 26 studies that included Asian doctoral participants to identify factors that shape their persistence. Guided by Perna and Thomas’s student success conceptual model, findings show that most reviewed studies (77%) focused on academic environment and relationships, while only 23% considered family-related influences. Additionally, nearly all studies (n = 25) included Asian doctoral students with other racial/ethnic groups, except for one study that only sampled Asian doctoral students. In general, most studies (n = 25) treat Asian students as a monolithic group without considering the heterogeneity and uniqueness of Asian doctoral students. Several future study ideas to address the diverse needs of Asian doctoral students are discussed.

Keywords

Asian Asian American and Pacific Islander doctoral experiences doctoral persistence ethnic minority students family support in higher education

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

American Council of Education. (2019). Race and ethnicity in higher education: A status report. https://www.equityinhighered.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Race-and-Ethnicity-in-Higher-Education.pdf.

Arksey

O'Malley

(2005). Scoping studies: Towards a methodological framework. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 8(1), 19–32. https://doi.org/10.1080/1364557032000119616

Ashlee

A. A.

Zamora

Karikari

S. N.

(2017). We are woke: A collaborative critical autoethnography of three “womxn” of color graduate students in higher education. International Journal of Multicultural Education, 19(1), 89. https://doi.org/10.18251/ijme.v19i1.1259

Bahnson

Hope

E. C.

Satterfield

Wyer

Kirn

Linder

(2024a). Development and initial validation of the discrimination in engineering graduate education (DEGrE) scale. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 17(3), 418–429. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000429

Bahnson

Sallai

Jwa

Berdanier

C. G. P.

(2023a). Mitigating ceiling effects in a longitudinal study of doctoral engineering student stress and persistence. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 18, 199–227. https://doi.org/10.28945/5118

Bahnson

Satterfield

Kirn

Hope

E. C.

(2024b). Relationships and identity influences on engineering doctoral degree completion intentions. The Journal of Higher Education, 96(2), 306–332. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2024.2397311

Bahnson

Satterfield

Perkins

Parker

Tsugawa

Cass

Kirn

(2023b). Engineer identity and degree completion intentions in doctoral study. Journal of Engineering Education, 112(2), 445–461. https://doi.org/10.1002/jee.20516

Bahrassa

N. F.

Syed

Lee

R. M.

(2011). Family conflict and academic performance of first-year Asian American undergraduates. Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology, 17(4), 415–426. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0024731

Baker

V. L.

Pifer

M. J.

(2014). Preparing for practice: Parallel processes of identity development in stage 3 of doctoral education. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 9, 137–154. https://doi.org/10.28945/2041

10.

Becker

(1993). Human capital (3rd ed.). University of Chicago Press.

11.

Braun

Clarke

(2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

12.

Cheng

Starks

(2002). Racial differences in the effects of significant others on students’ educational expectations. Sociology of Education, 75(4), 306–327. https://doi.org/10.2307/3090281

13.

Chhuon

Hudley

(2008). Factors supporting Cambodian American students’ successful adjustment into the university. Journal of College Student Development, 49(1), 15–30. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2008.0005

14.

Cokley

McClain

Enciso

Martinez

(2013). An examination of the impact of minority status stress and impostor feelings on the mental health of diverse ethnic minority college students. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 41(2), 82–95. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-1912.2013.00029.x

15.

Collins

P. H.

Bilge

(2016). Intersectionality. Polity Press.

16.

Council of Graduate Schools. (2008). Ph.D. completion and attrition: Analysis of baseline demographic data from the Ph.D. Completion Project. Retrieved from https://cgsnet.org/wpcontent/uploads/2022/01/phd_completion_and_attrition_analysis_of_baseline_demographic_data-2.pdf.

17.

De Brey

Musu

McFarland

Wilkinson-Flicker

Diliberti

Zhang

Branstetter

Wang

(2019). Status and trends in the education of racial and ethnic groups 2018 (NCES 2019-038). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2019038.

18.

Dutta

(2015). Sustaining the pipeline: Experiences of international female engineers in U.S. Graduate programs. Journal of Engineering Education, 104(3), 326–344. https://doi.org/10.1002/jee.20077

19.

George

K. L.

Newhouse

K. N. S.

(2024). Updating our understanding of doctoral student persistence: Revising models using structural equation modeling to examine consideration of departure in computing disciplines. Research in Higher Education, 65(8), 1883–1910. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-024-09807-5

20.

Gittings

Bergman

Shuck

Rose

(2018). The impact of student attributes and program characteristics on doctoral degree completion. New Horizons in Adult Education & Human Resource Development, 30(3), 3–22. https://doi.org/10.1002/nha3.20220

21.

Gong

Marchant

Cheng

(2015). Family factors and immigrant students’ academic achievement: An Asian and Hispanic comparison study. Asian Education and Development Studies, 4(4), 448–459. https://doi.org/10.1108/AEDS-01-2015-0002

22.

Han

Pong

(2015). Mental health help-seeking behaviors among Asian American community college students: The effect of stigma, cultural barriers, and acculturation. Journal of College Student Development, 56(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2015.0001

23.

Hanson

S. L.

Gilbert

(2012). Family, gender and science experiences: The perspective of young Asian Americans. Race, Gender & Class, 19(3/4), 326–347. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43497502 .

24.

Her

C. S.

(2014). Ready or not: The academic college readiness of southeast Asian Americans. Multicultural Perspectives, 16(1), 35–42. https://doi.org/10.1080/15210960.2014.872938

25.

Hui

Lent

R. W.

(2018). The roles of family, culture, and social cognitive variables in the career interests and goals of Asian American college students. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 65(1), 98–109. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000235

26.

Kim

Bryan

J. G.

Griffin

Sharma

(2022). Hidden behind the model minority stereotype: Exploring disparities and the role of parent empowerment in Asian students’ college enrollment. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 50(4), 183–194. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmcd.12266

27.

Kodama

C. M.

Huynh

(2017). Academic and career development: Rethinking advising for Asian American students. New Directions for Student Services, 2017(160), 51–63. https://doi.org/10.1002/ss.20243

28.

Kutscher

E. L.

Tuckwiller

E. D.

(2019). Persistence in higher education for students with disabilities: A mixed systematic review. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 12(2), 136–155. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000088

29.

Maramba

D. C.

(2008). Immigrant families and the college experience: Perspectives of Filipina Americans. Journal of College Student Development, 49(4), 336–350. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.0.0012

30.

Martin

M. M.

Goodboy

A. K.

Johnson

Z. D.

(2015). When professors bully graduate students: Effects on student interest, instructional dissent, and intentions to leave graduate education. Communication Education, 64(4), 438–454. https://doi.org/10.1080/03634523.2015.1041995

31.

Moher

Liberati

Tetzlaff

Altman

D. G.

(2009). Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: The PRISMA statement. PLoS Medicine, 6(7), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.b2535

32.

Munn

Peters

M. D. J.

Stern

Tufanaru

McArthur

Aromataris

(2018). Systematic review or scoping review? Guidance for authors when choosing between a systematic or scoping review approach. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 18(1), 143. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-018-0611-x

33.

Museus

S. D.

Chang

M. J.

(2009). Rising to the challenge of conducting research on Asian Americans in higher education. New Directions for Institutional Research, 2009(142), 95–105. https://doi.org/10.1002/ir.299

34.

Museus

S. D.

Kiang

P. N.

(2009). Deconstructing the model minority myth and how it contributes to the invisible minority reality in higher education research. New Directions for Institutional Research, 142, 5–15. https://doi.org/10.1002/ir.292

35.

Museus

S. D.

Truong

K. A.

(2009). Disaggregating qualitative data from Asian American college students in campus racial climate research and assessment. New Directions for Institutional Research, 2009(142), 17–26. https://doi.org/10.1002/ir.293

36.

Naidoo

Clock

C. R.

Rimmel

L. M.

Wong

Plummer

L. S.

(2020). Navigating without a compass: How culturally and linguistically diverse physical therapist students persist in higher education. Journal of Best Practices in Health Professions Diversity, 13(2), 120–142. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27056496

37.

National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics. (2024). Doctorate recipients from U.S. universities: 2023 (NSF 25-300). https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf25300.

38.

Nguyen

B. M. D.

Nguyen

M. H.

Chan

Teranishi

R. T.

(2016). The racialized experiences of Asian American and Pacific Islander Students: An examination of campus racial climate at the University of California, Los Angeles. iCount: A Data Quality Movement for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED573725.pdf.

39.

Nguyen

M. H.

Chan

Nguyen

B. M. D.

Teranishi

R. T.

(2018). Beyond compositional diversity: Examining the campus climate experiences of Asian American and pacific islander students. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 11(4), 484–501. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000071

40.

Okahana

Klein

Allum

Sowell

(2018). STEM doctoral completion of underrepresented minority students: Challenges and opportunities for improving participation in the doctoral workforce. Innovative Higher Education, 43(4), 237–255. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-018-9425-3

41.

Ong

Smith

J. M.

L. T.

(2018). Counterspaces for women of color in STEM higher education: Marginal and central spaces for persistence and success. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 55(2), 206–245. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21417

42.

Pajares

(1996). Self-efficacy beliefs in academic settings. Review of Educational Research, 66(4), 543–578. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543066004543

43.

Perna

L. W.

(2006). Studying college access and choice: A proposed conceptual model. In Smart

J. C.

(Ed.), Higher education: Handbook of theory and research (pp. 99–157). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4512-3

44.

Perna

L. W.

Thomas

S. L.

(2008). Theoretical perspectives on student success: Understanding the contributions of the disciplines. ASHE Higher Education Report, 34(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.1002/aehe.3401

45.

Pew Research Center. (2019). Analysis of census bureau data: Asian Americans [Fact sheet]. https://www.pewresearch.org/collection/asians-in-the-united-states/.

46.

Ramos

(2020). Doctoral women of color coping with racism and sexism in the academy. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 15, 135–158. https://doi.org/10.28945/4508

47.

Rockinson-Szapkiw

Herring Watson

(2020). Academic-family integration: How do men and women in distance education and residential doctoral programs integrate their degree and family? Online Learning Journal, 24(4), 112–130. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v24i4.2318

48.

Rockinson-Szapkiw

A. J.

Spaulding

L. S.

Bade

(2014). Completion of educational doctorates: How universities can foster persistence. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 9, 293–308. https://doi.org/10.28945/2072

49.

Roy

McGill

C. M.

Bloom

J. L.

(2023). Doctoral student perceptions of faculty advisors: Four supportive behaviors to promote doctoral completion. NACADA Review, 4(1), 27–38. https://doi.org/10.12930/NACR-21-21

50.

Sabnis

S. V.

Beard

Tanaka

M. L.

Proctor

S. L.

Codding

R. S.

(2023). The invisible work of persisting: BIWOC students in school psychology doctoral programs. School Psychology, 38(5), 308–318. https://doi.org/10.1037/spq0000537

51.

Sallai

G. M.

Bahnson

Shanachilubwa

Berdanier

C. G. P.

(2023). Persistence at what cost? How graduate engineering students consider the costs of persistence within attrition considerations. Journal of Engineering Education, 112(3), 613–633. https://doi.org/10.1002/jee.20528

52.

Schademan

A. R.

Thompson

M. R.

(2016). Are college faculty and first-generation, low-income students ready for each other? Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 18(2), 194–216. https://doi.org/10.1177/1521025115584748

53.

Shiao

J. L.

(2024). Over-educated or overly invested in education? The role of educational commitment in Asian American socioeconomic attainment. Race and Social Problems, 16(2), 167–184. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12552-023-09403-9

54.

Stevens

S. M.

Ruberton

P. M.

Smyth

J. M.

Cohen

G. L.

Greenaway

V. P.

Cook

J. E.

Benetreau

(2023). A latent class analysis approach to the identification of doctoral students at risk of attrition. PLOS One, 18(1), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0280325

55.

Suzuki

B. H.

(1977). Education and the socialization of Asian Americans: A revisionist analysis of the “model minority” thesis. Amerasia Journal, 4(2), 23–51. https://doi.org/10.17953/amer.4.2.x203l74863857108

56.

Suzuki

B. H.

(2002). Revisiting the model minority stereotype: Implications for student affairs practice and higher education. New Directions for Student Services, 2002(97), 21–32. https://doi.org/10.1002/ss.36

57.

Takei

Sakamoto

Kim

(2013). The socioeconomic attainments of non-immigrant Cambodian, Filipino, Hmong, Laotian, Thai, and Vietnamese Americans. Race and Social Problems, 5(3), 198–212. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12552-013-9089-7

58.

Tang

Kim

Haviland

(2013). Role of family, culture, and peers in the success of first-generation Cambodian American college students. Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement, 8(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.7771/2153-8999.1057

59.

Tao

K. W.

Gloria

A. M.

(2019). Should I stay or should I go? The role of impostorism in STEM persistence. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 43(2), 151–164. https://doi.org/10.1177/0361684318802333

60.

Terrazas-Carrillo

Hong

J. Y.

McWhirter

P. T.

Robbins

Pace

T. M.

(2017). Place-making and its impact on international graduate student persistence. Journal of College Student Retention, 19(1), 59–80. https://doi.org/10.1177/1521025115611403

61.

Tinto

(1975). Dropout from higher education: A theoretical synthesis of recent research. Review of Educational Research, 45(1), 89–125. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543045001089

62.

Tinto

(1997). Classrooms as communities: Exploring the educational character of student persistence. The Journal of Higher Education, 68(6), 599–623. https://doi.org/10.2307/2959965

63.

Trent

Dwiwardani

Page

Bell

D. J.

(2021). Factors impacting the retention of students of color in graduate programs: A qualitative study. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 15(3), 219–229. https://doi.org/10.1037/tep0000319

64.

U.S. National Science Foundation. (2022). Higher education in Science and Engineering. https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsb20223/international-s-e-higher-education.

65.

Vang

Schademan

A. R.

(2026). Learning from success stories of Hmong graduates: Overcoming challenges and fostering a sense of belonging on college campuses. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 27(4), 1032–1055. https://doi.org/10.1177/15210251231219950

66.

Vea

B. B.

(2013). Disaggregating the college experiences of Filipino Americans: From the aggregate Asian American/pacific islander experience. In Maramba

D. C.

Bonus

(Eds.), The “other” students: Filipino Americans, education, and power (pp. 87–102). IAP Information Age Publishing.

67.

Vinson

(2020). The rise of distance learning and the online PhD: Is there cause for concern? Private University Products and News. https://pupnmag.com/article/the-rise-of-distance-learning-and-the-online-phd-is-there-cause-for-concern/.

68.

Wei

Liu

S. Y.

Wang

(2020). Impostor feelings and psychological distress among Asian Americans: Interpersonal shame and self-compassion. The Counseling Psychologist, 48(3), 432–458. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000019891992

69.

Xiong

(2020). Research on Hmong American college students: A scoping review. Journal of Underrepresented and Minority Progress, 4(1), 65–84. https://doi.org/10.32674/jump.v4i1.1537

70.

Yang

W. (Eric)

Zhou

(2008). What accounts for Chinese-American children’s high academic performance: A literature review of parental influences and home environment. Gifted Education International, 24(1), 88–104. https://doi.org/10.1177/026142940802400111

71.

Zerbe

Sallai

G. M.

Shanachilubwa

Berdanier

C. G. P.

(2022). Engineering graduate students’ critical events as catalysts of attrition. Journal of Engineering Education, 111(4), 868–888. https://doi.org/10.1002/jee.20481

72.

Zhou

(2014). Persistence motivations of Chinese doctoral students in science, technology, engineering, and math. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 7(3), 177–193. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0037196

73.

Zhou

Mollo

(2023). Parenting doctoral students: Who are they, and how are they doing? Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 18(1), 38–46. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000540

Scoping Review of Asian Doctoral Students’ Experiences and Persistence in United States Higher Education

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References