One of the central goals of doctoral programs is to develop independent researchers and scholars who will lead the next generation of knowledge production. Despite extant evidence of inequalities in doctoral education, few studies have closely examined the experiences of first-generation college students who pursue a Ph.D. We examine how first-generation and continuing-generation doctoral students conceptualize the role of the faculty advisor/principal investigator (PI) in supporting their development as researchers. Our analysis of interviews from 111 first-year Ph.D. students in the biological sciences indicates that first-generation and continuing-generation students had similar overarching conceptions of PIs and the role of PIs in their development. However, the two groups ascribed different meanings to the same concepts. First-generation students expected more direct, skill-based guidance and assistance with learning to do research the “right” way. Conversely, continuing-generation students expected independence and support for their specific needs. We rely on Bourdieu’s conceptualization of habitus to explain these differences and conclude by offering implications for advancing equity in doctoral education and supporting first-generation students, particularly regarding the alignment of student–advisor expectations.

博士课程的主要目标之一是培养独立的研究人员和学者，他们将领导下一代知识生产。尽管存在关于博士教育中不平等现象的证据，但很少有研究紧密地研究了攻读博士学位的第一代大学生的经历。我们研究了第一代和后继博士生如何概念化教职顾问/主要研究者（PI）在支持他们作为研究人员的发展中的作用。我们对111位第一年博士的访谈进行的分析 生物科学专业的学生指出，第一代和连续一代的学生对PI的总体概念和PI在其发展中的作用都具有相似的总体概念。但是，这两个小组将相同的概念赋予不同的含义。第一代学生希望以“正确”的方式进行更直接的，基于技能的指导和学习协助。相反，后代学生期望独立性和对他们特定需求的支持。我们依靠布尔迪厄的惯性概念来解释这些差异，并通过为推进博士教育公平性和支持第一代学生（特别是在学生与顾问期望的一致性方面）提供启示。