Embedded Gatekeeping, Comparativeness, and Hidden Curriculum Create Feelings of Impostorism for Biology Doctoral Students

Impostor phenomenon is a pervasive experience amongst doctoral students with negative consequences on mental health and persistence in graduate school. While the psychological consequences of impostor phenomenon are well known, there are open questions about how structures in graduate education (e.g., policies and practices) inform doctoral students' experience with impostor phenomenon. In this study, we interviewed 20 biology doctoral students at two R1 institutions about their experiences with impostor phenomenon during graduate school. We used an abductive qualitative content analysis approach to identify the structures that contributed to their impostor feelings and understand how these structures may lead to impostorism. In our analysis of the interviews, we applied the framework of institutionalism to identify structures and associated themes that informed the participants' experiences with impostor phenomenon. The themes associated with the structures of graduate education that contributed to participants to feel like impostors included: 1) structures that act as high-stakes gatekeeping mechanisms; 2) structures that rely on knowledge of the hidden curriculum; and 3) structures that facilitate comparative social situations. The results of our study suggest that structures and the underlying characteristics are important when considering graduate students' experiences with impostor phenomenon.