Yilin He
EAP 507
07/05/2016
Analytical Summary (Revision)
An Analytical Summary of Strayhorn (2012)
In his article “Sense of Belonging and Graduate Students,” Terrell L. Strayhorn (2012) analyzed his previous survey and interview data pertaining to the connection between sense of belonging and graduate students. Initially, Strayhorn (2012) noted that there is a dearth of research focusing on the academic histories, motivations, and experiences of graduate students, and then, he pointed out further the core research gap – sense of belonging and graduate students. Therefore, for getting a better understanding of the link between them, Strayhorn (2012), in his article, aimed to explain and prove the correlation between socialization and sense of belonging among graduate students, to draw implications, and to recommend practical strategies to foster and develop a sense of belonging in graduate school.
As a result of his research, Strayhorn (2012) confirmed that socialization has a positive impact on graduate study: more specifically, socialization promotes a sense of belonging among graduate students, and in turn, sense of belonging contributes to academic success. In the end, Strayhorn (2012) suggested that university administrators and scholars should adopt these findings to expand current social interaction activities. Furthermore, he provided suggestions that help graduate students build a sense of belonging. For instance, guide graduate students to the requirements of completing their degree and gaining access to their professional field.
Focused Analysis of Graduate Student Socialization
Graduate student socialization is one of the key concepts in this article. Strayhorn (2012) extended the definition of it through using Brim (1966): “the process by which individuals acquire the knowledge, skills, dispositions, and behaviors that make them effective members of a particular department, school, and/or professional field to which they belong” (p. 93). In other words, graduate student socialization is the process one graduate student becoming familiar with his or her specific discipline. Meanwhile, Strayhorn (2012) wrote three key terms to strengthen this definition: 1) students’ socialization to their role as a graduate student as well as their role as a bona fide member of the professional field in which they aspire to work, 2) the process through which students come to know and understand the values, norms, and behaviors enacted by members of a particular discipline or field, and 3) successful socialization of graduate students to their new roles. Again, these key terms illustrate that graduate student socialization helps one graduate student get know about his or her particular field and fit in the specific new environment when he or she attends graduate school.
Many sources also build meaning into the concept of graduate student socialization. For example, Strayhorn (2012) used sources to state the basic components of graduate student socialization: “knowledge acquisition, investment, and involvement” (Weidman, Twale, and Stein, 2001, p. 93). He also used one source to extend the positive influence of socialization (Bragg, 1976). Eventually, Strayhorn (2012) used his previous research findings to elicit the relationship between successful socialization and sense of belonging (Strayhorn, in press b).
Language Pattern
Throughout this article, the number of paraphrase is 14 while the number of direct quotes is 3. From the difference of these numbers, it can be inferred that paraphrase is strongly recommended in academic writing. The reason is that paraphrases demonstrate the understanding of the external sources one writer read and the ability he or she can compare the ideas of different authors. Meanwhile, according to those numbers, we can also know the numbers of integrated references, which refer to direct quotes, and non-integrated references, which are paraphrases. For instance, “belonging is a universal human characteristic and a basic human need (Maslow, 1962)” (p. 93). Strayhorn (2012) rewrote the same idea by using his own words. It can be assumed that the original text of Maslow might be long and complex. Therefore, paraphrasing the relevant text into his simpler words will make it be a coherent part in his article and help readers understand his ideas.
Connection
Strayhorn (2012) mentioned the concepts of “outsiders” and “insiders” that were key concepts in research by Li (2008). Whereas Li (2008) mainly concentrated on her academic challenge – writing with an argumentative edge to meet the Western education’s expectation, which means she must transform her status from outsider to insider, Strayhorn (2012) identified that graduate student socialization facilitates graduate students to transform from outsider status to insider status, which can lead to a sense of belonging. Both of them suggested that becoming familiar with the norms, values, and expectations of the professional filed will help students become an insider in their departments. However, the concepts of “outsiders” and “insiders” in Li (2008) is more specific on academic writing status while in Strayhorn (2012) is more related to various aspects of graduate life.
References
Li, X. (2008). Learning to write a thesis with an argumentative edge. In C. Casanave & X. Li (Eds.), Learning the literacy practices of graduate school: Insiders’ reflections on academic enculturation (pp. 46–57). Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
Strayhorn, T. L. (2012). College students’ sense of belonging: A key to educational success for all students. Routledge.