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Using autoethnography (Ellis & Bochner, 2000) as the primary method of data collection, this study sought to produce a holistic picture of Latina/o doctoral student experiences. In particular, the researchers examined the underlying nature of Latina/o doctoral student experiences as well as the context that engendered these experiences. Six Latina/o doctoral students representing various Research-I institutions participated in the study. The nature of the students' doctoral experience was found to be fragile and vulnerable. The context that produced a fragile and vulnerable experience included: (a) the lack of family understanding, (b) entering a new and unfamiliar world, (c) the lack of an adequate Latina/o presence in their programs, (d) experiencing an "outsider-within" status, (e) enduring identity changes, (f) yearning for validation, and (g) enduring conflicts between two different worlds. A discussion of future research questions generated from the study is included.
The doctor of philosophy (PhD) degree is the highest academic degree granted by American universities. It is also considered the most important achievement in the preparation of those who wish to become college or university professors, researchers, or public intellectuals, none of which need be mutually exclusive. As professors, PhDs hold the unique and influential role of preparing society's future professionals and leaders. Specifically, through the act of teaching, they are responsible for the preservation and transmission of knowledge. In a similar vein, they are central to the social process by which culture is preserved and transmitted (National Board on Graduate Education, 1972).
As researchers, PhDs are primary in the essential act of knowledge production. They are often called upon by federal, state, and private agencies to provide insights into society's most pressing social and technological problems. Consequently, they have acquired a significant social role in improving the quality of life in society (Kerr, 1963). As independent researchers, they are free to question, to extend, to modify, or to discard existing ideas, norms, values, and beliefs on the basis of evidence as a result of inquiry. The fruits of these efforts advance society in its understanding of nature, history, society, and the humanistic tradition (National Board on Graduate Education, 1972). As Ernest Boyer (1990) stated, "the probing mind of the researcher is an incalculably vital asset to the academy and the world" (p....