The mathematics education literature has documented gender differences in the learning of mathematics, interventions that promote female and minority students to pursue STEM majors, and the persistence of the gender, achievement, and opportunity gaps. However, there is a significantly lower number of studies that address the mathematics identities of students not majoring in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Even more elusive or non-existent are studies that focus on the factors that shaped the mathematics identities of female students not pursuing STEM majors (non-STEM female students). Because the literature has shown the importance of understanding students' mathematics identities given its correlation with student achievement, motivation, engagement, and attitudes toward mathematics, it is vital to understand the factors that influence the construction of mathematics identities in particular of those students that have been historically marginalized. To address this issue, I explored the mathematics identities held by 12 non-STEM major students (six taking a remedial mathematics course and six others taking a non-remedial mathematics course) in one urban business college in a metropolitan area of the Northeastern United States. This study used Martin's (2000) definition of mathematics identity as the framework to explore the factors that have influenced the mathematics identities of non-STEM female students. The data for this qualitative study were drawn from mathematics autobiographies, one questionnaire, two interviews, and three class observations. I found that the mathematics identities of non-STEM major female students' in remedial and non-remedial mathematics courses were influenced by the same factors but in different ways. Significant differences indicated how successful and non-successful students perceive, interpret, and react to those factors. One of those factors was non-successful students believe some people are born with the ability to do mathematics; consequently, they attributed their lack of success to not having this natural ability. Most of the successful students in remedial mathematics attribute their success to effort and most successful students in non-remedial mathematics attribute their success to having a natural ability to do mathematics. Another factor was successful students expressed having an emotional connection to mathematics. This was evident in cases where mathematics was an emotional bond between father and daughter and those in which mathematics was a family trait. Moreover, the mathematics activities in both classrooms were scripted and orchestrated with limited room for improvisation. However, the non-remedial students experienced moments in which their academic curiosity contributed to opportunities to exercise conceptual agency and author some of their mathematics knowledge. Further, successful students in remedial mathematics did not have the ability to continue the development of positive mathematics identities given rigid classroom activities that contributed to a limited sense of community to support mathematics learning.

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Sororities play an important role in the process by which sorority women become gendered by influencing members' ideas about what it means to be a woman. Women and men become gendered through regular social interaction with other women and men, and sororities have a particularly strong impact on their members because sorority women spend nearly all of their time with other Greeks. Gender is one of the major ways that we organize our lives and gender is the texture and foundation of our social, political, and economic worlds. This is why we must consider the consequences of gender negotiation in all arenas, including sororities. For the most part, the sorority women who participated in this study negotiated traditional gender arrangements and constructed conservative identities. Sororities on this Pacific Northwestern university created and perpetuated conformity, dependence and political apathy in their members. These organizations developed an environment in which gender stereotyping and victimization was learned and then legitimized. Within these organizations, however, are pockets of resistance, non-compliance, empowerment, and what could be called "potentially feminist" gender negotiation. / Graduation date: 2003

The purpose of the study was to determine whether the motivational factors, vocational personalities, barriers to enrollment, and enabling factors of the reentry women nursing majors were different from those of women nursing majors of traditional college age. Participants were female nursing majors from all four grade levels of a baccalaureate program at one midwestern university.The Chain-of-Response Model (Cross, 1981) was adapted as a conceptual framework. The sample consisted of 46 reentry women and 73 traditional college age women nursing majors. The Education Participation Scale (Boshier, 1982) and The Vocational Preference Inventory (Holland, 1985) were utilized. Barriers to Enrollment and Enabling Factors questionnaires were compiled by the researcher after a review of the literature and interviews with ten reentry and ten traditional age women nursing majors. The qualitative data were used to strengthen the study by triangulation with the quantitative data.FINDINGS1. The reentry women differed from the traditional age women in terms of motivational factors. The reentry women were found to be less motivated by social contact and more motivated by social stimulation than the traditional age women nursing majors.2. Differences in vocational personality were found on two scales of The Vocational Preference Inventory (Holland, 1985): (a) The reentry women scored higher on Acquiescence, and (b) The traditional age women scored higher on Self-Control. Both groups scored highest on the Social Scale.3. Barriers to enrollment that were of greater importance to the reentry women included: cost of college, other responsibilities, fear of failure, arranging for child care, attitudes towardeducation by family of origin and significant others. Barriers that were of greater importance to the traditional age women included: leaving home and friends and being tired of attendingschool.4. Enabling factors that were of greater importance to the reentry women included: encouragement from husbands and college personnel, change in responsibilities at home, change in priorities, making a decision on a career in nursing, and deciding they could get a degree in nursing if they really tried. The support of significant others was an enabling factor of greater importance to the traditional age women.

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The intent of this research thesis is the examination of post-secondary women’s positive experiences with pornography. Very little research has been conducted with women who enjoy pornography and yet recent statistics in Canada and the United States show that there is an increasing amount of female users of pornography (Cantor, Mares, & Hyde, 2003). This study presents an emerging grounded theory of the process through which a small group of post-secondary women come to label their experiences with pornography as positive. The study traces the experiences of four post-secondary women in Western Canada from their initial exposure to pornography to their current use of the material. Results showed the importance of personal control in the development of female sexual identity and the enjoyment of pornography. This study is embedded in a social constructionist theoretical framework and offers recommendations for further research in the area. iii / x, 179 leaves ; 29 cm

The body cathexis and "ideal" female figure for Black college females and White college females were investigated. The Body Cathexis Scale was administered to determine students' level of satisfaction with their bodies. Self reports of each student's ideal female measurements were also examined. It was hypothesized that Black college females tend to possess greater satisfaction with their body image than White college females. Black college females were hypothesized to report less restrictive measurements for what they believe would make up the ideal female figure than White college females. Results showed that some significant differences were found between Black and White college females. Of the 46 items on the Body Cathexis Scale, significant differences between Black and White college females were found on seven items with five indicating higher satisfaction of Black college females and two indicating that White college females had higher satisfaction. Of the five measurements of ideal female figure, only one differed significantly with the Black college females possessing a less restrictive measurement. Thirty-nine items on the Body Cathexis Scale and four on the ideal female figure measurements showed no significant difference. Therefore, the hypothesis of Black college females being more satisfied with their bodies and reporting less restrictive ideal female figure measurements than White college females was not supported. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

Access to abstract permanently restricted to Ball State community only. / Access to thesis permanently restricted to Ball State community only. / School of Physical Education, Sport, and Exercise Science

This ethnographic study describes the patterns of decorating in the study rooms of university sorority women. The primary method of data were collection was by means of interviews with sorority members. Observations and photographs of the study rooms of these members supplemented the interviews and provided validation for categorization purposes. A large body of research exists related to the effects and implications of sorority membership. Because much of this research is quantitative, it does not allow for the descriptive type data collected in the context of the culture which may be utilized in a qualitative study. The purpose of the present study was to document the decorating patterns of the informants and to identify cultural values and expressions of individual identity in the decoration of their living spaces. This study contributes to existing research on college student decorating patterns by relating the items used for decorations to cultural and individual values. In addition, it provides a detailed description of how the space in the study rooms is utilized. The data are also evaluated based on demographic information gathered. The results of this study indicated that the members of Alpha Beta sorority expressed certain cultural values by using similar items to decorate their rooms and by exhibiting common ways of using their living space. One of the values expressed by the members in their decorating was that of comfort, both physical and mental. Comfort was demonstrated in conditions such as the degree of tidiness of the room, the color scheme, the photos on display or the level of self expression available to the individual. Examples of identity expression were also evident in these study rooms. Items indicating personal accomplishments, items from personal collections and objects used for hobbies were found in many rooms. Conclusions drawn from this study were first, that the desire to decorate was nearly universal among the members of Alpha Beta sorority. Second, the desire for self expression seemed to be a significant motivation for decorating, although there was evidence of some peer pressure as well. Third, decorating generally, and decorating using a theme, appeared to be a behavior members embraced more readily over time. Interactions over time allowed for the cultural values related to decorating the study room to be acquired. This process is facilitated by the significance of the social network within the sorority culture. This study contributes to an understanding of how cultural and personal values are expressed in the study rooms of sorority women, and by extension, the values that could be expected in other interior environments. / Graduation date: 1999