Minority Students' Perceptions of Their Doctoral Programs in Special Education

Abstract

Education, as in other areas, has a chronic shortage of minority faculty. Arguably, special education has one of the greatest needs for minority doctoral students within the field of education. However, past research has indicated that the graduate school socialization process may hinder the progress of many minority doctoral students. This study reports the perceptions of minority doctoral students about their programs in special education. These students (n = 164) were participants in a larger satisfaction survey involving 619 doctoral students. Results indicate that although Latino/Latina students felt most satisfied with their programs overall, Asian and African American students reported more feelings of dissatisfaction. Implications for students, faculty, and program administrators are presented.