Understanding and Improving the Doctoral Advisor-Advisee Relationship in Laboratory Sciences Using the Power-Dependence Theory
The aim of this paper is to offer a theory-based model to investigate the power differential in the Ph.D. advisor-advisee relationship in laboratory-based sciences in the United States (U.S.) and to use it to shed light on the pertinent dependence and power dynamics in this relationship.
Unsuccessful outcomes of Ph.D. students, such as attrition, low completion rates, prolonged time-to-degree, and challenges to well-being, remain significant concerns, including within the field of laboratory sciences. The advisor-advisee relationship, which is central to the ‘apprenticeship’ model of doctoral training, underlies the success of the advisee, the advisor, the graduate education system, and the associated research enterprise. However, challenges faced by doctoral students in this relationship, due to the high dependence on and the advisor’s high power, impede these outcomes. These challenges are exacerbated by special circumstances in the doctoral process in laboratory sciences. Analyzing dependence circumstances and the associated power situation in a systematic, theory-based study is valuable for understanding and improving this relationship and its outcomes in the laboratory sciences.
A systematic analytic model to study the power-dependence dynamics in the doctoral advisor-advisee relationship in laboratory sciences is developed based on the theoretical framework of Power-Dependence theory by Emerson (1962). Potential root causes and methods to mitigate the dependence-based power imbalance in this relationship are highlighted through informed discourse and maneuvering the power-balancing operations of the Power-Dependence framework.
A model is provided to analyze and enhance the advisor-advisee relationship in laboratory sciences using the Power-Dependence theory. Valuable insights into the power dynamics and dependence in this relationship, as well as potential methods for improvement, are discussed. The Power-Dependence theory is applied here for the first time in an academic advisory setting or a laboratory supervisory relationship. The developed model provides a basis for dependence-based power analysis in empirical field studies.
The analytic model derived and the insights gained are valuable for improving the doctoral advisor-advisee relationship in laboratory sciences, enhancing their productivity, supporting advisee well-being, and catalyzing scientific advancement.
Applying the model developed in this study, analytical research drawing on Power-Dependence theory can be extended to empirical field studies to understand the power dynamics in this relationship. Analytical studies can also be conducted on different variables, including the stages of the doctoral degree, the circumstances of the advisor and advisee, and the demographic and socio-economic categories of the actors.
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