Navigating New Terrain: The Path to Academic Competence for Chinese Doctoral Students in Social Sciences and Humanities

This article aims to explore the perspectives and experiences of Chinese international doctoral students in social science and humanities disciplines at U.S. institutions. Unlike doctoral students in STEM, these students have diverse and fewer guidance-development pathways. Grounded on self-formation theory and language socialization theory, this study initially focuses on the role of self-agency in their doctoral growth pathway. It also delves into their socialization experiences through interaction with faculty, peers, and programs. Employing semi-structured interviews guided by the constructivist grounded theory methodology, the findings reveal that Chinese doctoral students proactively lead their doctoral studies to reach their goals by seeking resources and interacting with others. Their experiences are significantly influenced by a combination of internal factors, such as their agency and goals, and external factors, such as program settings, resources, and interaction with others. This study offers both research and practical implications for student advisors, faculty members, student affairs professionals, and U.S. institutions. 本文旨在探讨在美国高校攻读社科和人文学科的中国博士生的经历，以及他们对于博士学习和博士项目的感悟。不同与STEM（科学，技术，工程和数学）领域的博士生，攻读社科和人文学科的博士生更加依靠自我探索来找到适合自己的发展路径，他们的发展路径也更具多样化。基于自我形成理论和语言社会化理论，本研究首先聚焦于自我能动性在他们博士成长路径中的作用。除此之外，研究还深入探讨了他们如何通过与教师，同学的互动，以及在博士项目，系所和学校的主动参与，获得社会化经验。通过采用以建构主义扎根理论方法为指导的半结构化访谈，研究结果表明，中国博士生通过积极寻求资源和与他人的互动，主动引导自己的博士学习，以实现个人目标。他们的经历受到内在因素（如能动性和目标）以及外在因素（如项目设置，学校资源和他人互动）的影响。本研究为学生导师，教师，学生事务管理人员 和美国高校提供了研究和实践方面的启示。