Postdoctoral fellows’ attitudes toward immigration and undocumented students’ pursuit of higher education: a mixed methods study
Date
2020
Authors
Jach, Elizabeth A., author
Gloeckner, Gene, advisor
Johnson, Jen, committee member
Gupta, Kalpana, committee member
Eakman, Aaron, committee member
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Abstract
Previous research has demonstrated that certain attributes are associated with greater support of undocumented immigrants and undocumented students. While higher education has examined the attitudes and attributes of students, faculty, and staff regarding their opinions of undocumented students' pursuit of higher education, there is a gap in the literature when it comes to considering the opinions of postdoctoral fellows (postdocs). As the most highly trained group within the academic pipeline, postdoctoral fellows are increasing in number while tenure track positions are declining in the United States. Postdocs will become leaders inside and outside academia. How the academy has (or has not) socialized this group matters for the future of the academy and beyond. Furthermore, attributes associated with greater support of undocumented immigrants and undocumented students constitute attributes and experiences of many postdoctoral fellows. This transformative convergent mixed methods study uses a four-article approach to examine postdoctoral fellows' attitudes toward immigration and undocumented students' pursuit of higher education. The study employs Deaux's (2006) model for the social psychological study of immigration and the conceptual frames of Whiteness and allyship. This study involves four key components, including a literature review, a quantitative study, a qualitative study, and a mixed methods discussion. The first component of the dissertation serves as a review to critically examine previous literature on opinions of undocumented immigrants in the United States as well as undocumented students' access to higher education (Jach, 2019). The review considers the context of the current political climate and interrogates going beyond raising consciousness toward liberatory praxis (Freire, 2007). The second component of the study uses data from the General Social Survey (GSS) to examine respondents' attributes potentially associated with views of immigration. Specifically, the study conducted a preliminary analysis of whether respondents' attributes, including holding a possible postdoctoral position, predicted views of immigration, and whether immigrants should have the same education as Americans. Results suggested that a combination of respondents' attributes predicted these views, and that being a non-White, a non-U.S. citizen, and having a graduate degree each increased the odds that respondents would support undocumented immigrants and/or immigrant education. The third component of the study used qualitative methods to interview postdoctoral fellows about their views of undocumented students' pursuit of higher education and how they can support undocumented students. Participants were recruited through the National Postdoctoral Association, and eligibility requirements included having completed a doctoral degree, current employment as a postdoctoral fellow, self-identifying as White, having citizenship in the United States, and agreeing that undocumented students should be supported. Findings suggested that postdocs with a personal or professional connection exhibited greater support toward undocumented students. Participants articulated strategies for how to support undocumented students as an ally and expressed a need for adult education on how to exhibit such support. The final chapter and fourth component of the dissertation used a mixed methods approach to examine quantitative and qualitative findings. The convergence and divergence of results were considered using Deaux's (2006) model for the social psychological study of immigration. The closing chapter also considers implications for practice and future research.
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Subject
mixed methods
undocumented immigrants
attitudes
undocumented students
postdoctoral fellows