Graduate School Intent: Stress Resilience, Early Exposure to Graduate Environments, and Self-Efficacy
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| Title: | Graduate School Intent: Stress Resilience, Early Exposure to Graduate Environments, and Self-Efficacy |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Adrian Alexander Rodriguez (ORCID |
| Source: | Innovative Higher Education. 2026 51(1):327-355. |
| Availability: | Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/ |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 29 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Graduate Study, Undergraduate Students, Hispanic American Students, Minority Serving Institutions, Student Attitudes, Intention, Anxiety, Resilience (Psychology), Self Efficacy |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10755-025-09857-2 |
| ISSN: | 0742-5627 1573-1758 |
| Abstract: | This study examines how aspirational, social, and navigational capital influence stress resilience as it relates to aspirations for graduate education. Guided by Social Cognitive Career Theory, the Community Cultural Wealth model, a Servingness Framework, and the Latiné Resilience Model, we investigated how university and social support, self-reassurance, and access to graduate students shape stress management, self-efficacy, and graduate school intent. Survey data were collected from 295 undergraduates at a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) in the southwestern United States. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) tested relationships among university stress, stress resilience through support (SRS), graduate pathway capital (GPC), graduate school self-efficacy (GSSE), and graduate school intent (GSI). SRS was modeled as a latent factor defined by university support, social support, and self-reassurance (positive indicators) and perceived stress (negative indicator). GPC captured access to graduate students across social, organizational, and classroom settings. Both SRS and GPC positively predicted GSSE, which then predicted GSI. Multi-group analyses showed GPC was especially predictive for first-generation students, while SRS predicted GSSE across gender and generational status. Follow-up analyses showed faculty encouragement predicted higher GSI across groups, and financial concern predicted lower GSI, with the strongest effect for Latiné students. Perceived visibility within one's program was also most predictive for this group. While no single GPC domain significantly predicted GSI, cumulative access across multiple domains increased odds of intending to pursue graduate study. Findings highlight the importance of a university's level of servingness in fostering social, aspirational and navigational capital for students to increase graduate school intent at HSIs. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1508403 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | This study examines how aspirational, social, and navigational capital influence stress resilience as it relates to aspirations for graduate education. Guided by Social Cognitive Career Theory, the Community Cultural Wealth model, a Servingness Framework, and the Latiné Resilience Model, we investigated how university and social support, self-reassurance, and access to graduate students shape stress management, self-efficacy, and graduate school intent. Survey data were collected from 295 undergraduates at a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) in the southwestern United States. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) tested relationships among university stress, stress resilience through support (SRS), graduate pathway capital (GPC), graduate school self-efficacy (GSSE), and graduate school intent (GSI). SRS was modeled as a latent factor defined by university support, social support, and self-reassurance (positive indicators) and perceived stress (negative indicator). GPC captured access to graduate students across social, organizational, and classroom settings. Both SRS and GPC positively predicted GSSE, which then predicted GSI. Multi-group analyses showed GPC was especially predictive for first-generation students, while SRS predicted GSSE across gender and generational status. Follow-up analyses showed faculty encouragement predicted higher GSI across groups, and financial concern predicted lower GSI, with the strongest effect for Latiné students. Perceived visibility within one's program was also most predictive for this group. While no single GPC domain significantly predicted GSI, cumulative access across multiple domains increased odds of intending to pursue graduate study. Findings highlight the importance of a university's level of servingness in fostering social, aspirational and navigational capital for students to increase graduate school intent at HSIs. |
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| ISSN: | 0742-5627 1573-1758 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10755-025-09857-2 |
