Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Persistent gender bias (i.e., favorable treatment of men over women) has been consistently documented as the most likely cause perpetuating gender disparity in STEM occupations. It is therefore crucial to develop effective diversity interventions that increase awareness of gender bias and decrease sexism in STEM. However, interventions that facilitate greater recognition of gender bias in STEM may inadvertently trigger social identity concerns for women, suggesting they may not fit in those environments. Moreover, women may be less comfortable speaking up in groups where their gender is numerically underrepresented. To mitigate these negative consequences, current research tested the effectiveness of gender composition in a virtual group setting as an identity-safe cue. Results suggested that in groups that consisted primarily of women, participants identified more with their group and this increased identification, in turn, helped alleviate social identity threat. Additionally, participants in female majority groups were more likely than those in female minority groups to participate in group discussions via increased identification with their group. Thus, our findings indicated that diversity practitioners should consider exploring whether diversity interventions in STEM also inadvertently elicit social identity threat for women. Additionally, when developing new trainings, it is important to incorporate identity-safe cues in order to neutralize any potential threat associated with these trainings.

Despite having made significant strides in the overall labor market, women continue to lag behind men at the senior and executive C-suite levels. The gap is even more striking in organizations within the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). Although women-only leadership trainings have gained recent popularity as a strategy to address this, scholarship on the efficacy of such programs is still fairly scant. This study aimed to fill this gap in the research by looking into how graduates of such a program used the tools and knowledge gained during the training, to determine if and how it has impacted, in their view, their identity as leaders. Eighteen senior-level Information Technology (IT) leaders, graduates of the same in-house women-only leadership program were interviewed using a narrative inquiry approach. Data gathered during the interviews revealed which strategies participants put into practice, how they applied them, as well as the perceived outcomes that they derived. The narratives revealed women’s perspective of their leadership trajectory and their understanding of the training’s impact. Interviews were analyzed using content and thematic coding. Analysis of the participants’ accounts pointed to the training’s ability to facilitate leadership identity development through the following means: (1) the promotion of practical skills, (2) increased self-awareness and realization of others’ perceptions, (3) feeling a sense of belonging and connectedness, and (4) feeling recognized and empowered. It was also clear that context plays a significant role on the impact that the training can have. Three themes related to this emerged; (1) the availability of advocates, (2) executive visibility, and (3) fit with the organization’s leadership culture and ability to lead authentically. Participants’ stories also revealed the ways in which the training affected their ability to deal with a male-dominated organization, which ultimately depended on how much of an effect they believed that being a woman has on their workplace experience. Findings suggest that women-only leadership trainings can have a positive impact on senior-level leaders’ leadership identity, yet careful consideration must be paid to the contextual factors identified. Findings also provided concrete evidence pointing to the perceived effectiveness of specific program components.

This quantitative longitudinal study sought to highlight the difference between the proportion of men and women who planned to pursue a STEM major in the fields of mathematics, natural sciences, engineering, and computer and information sciences as freshmen, as well as to determine the proportion of men and women who changed their major choice by their senior year. In addition, the researcher sought to identify women students’ unique background characteristics and college experiences that have taken place over the course of their undergraduate college career that may have predicted their declared major choice (STEM versus non-STEM) as seniors. A review of the literature, along with Astin’s Involvement Theory, encouraged the hypothesis that college experiences influence women’s college major choice: STEM versus non-STEM. Secondary data obtained from the Cooperative Institutional Research Program at the higher Education Research Institute was used. The sample was delimitated to include only full-time undergraduate students who were graduating in 2012 or 2013. Five research questions were addressed in this study. Astin’s (1993) Input-Environment-Outcome Model was used as a conceptual framework. Descriptive (frequencies and percentages) and inferential (chi-square test and discriminant analysis) statistics were used to analyze the data. The results found a statistically significant difference between the proportion of men and women who planned to pursue a STEM major as freshmen as well as the proportion of men and women who changed their major choice from STEM to non-STEM. Discriminant analysis was used to predict group membership of STEM versus non-STEM major choice among women. It was found that many variables had an impact on predicting STEM group membership among women: satisfaction with college math and science courses, high school GPA, SAT score, high self-ratings of problem-solving skills and mathematical ability, and participating in undergraduate research. There were also variables that had a greater ability of predicting non-STEM group membership. The findings from this study will hopefully inform policy and practice. Implications for policy, practice, and future research are included. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2019. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

This study investigated the academic self-efficacy and persistence goals of 72 diverse female Engineering majors. Social Cognitive Career Theory (Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994) coupled with Practice Theory (Bourdieu, 1998) and Social Capital Theory (Lin, 1999) served as the theoretical framework. The relationships between social cognitive variables (engineering self-efficacy, outcome expectations, interests) as well as the influence of contextual and cultural variables (perceived campus climate, distance from privilege, and access to resources) on female students' intent to persist in Engineering were examined. Hierarchical linear regression revealed that only outcome expectations significantly contributed to the prediction of female students' intent to persist in Engineering. Exploratory analysis revealed that outcome expectations were most influential in predicting Engineering self-efficacy. Including privilege and perception of campus climate into the model significantly predicted self-efficacy above and beyond the original SCCT variables. This study supports the addition of cultural contextual variables in the SCCT choice model and warrants future research with minority female populations. Key words: women in STEM, social cognitive career theory, privilege, persistence, underrepresented students

Higher education currently seeks to increase female enrollment in STEM. Women face many challenges attempting to breach this male dominated arena with misconceptions, gender stereotypes, and few female role models. With the recent trend in higher education to encourage more women to enter the STEM disciplines and K-12 schools cutting funding for arts programs, theatre may be losing its value in the education system. The value of interdisciplinary studies is beginning to be forgotten during the grade school years as school boards battle budget cuts, but we can remind society of it through science plays. Theatre artists use other disciplines such as psychology, history, and science to enhance their work, but I argue that theatre can also help promote the needs of other disciplines. Science plays have become increasingly popular over the last two and a half decades and have done much for theatre. Science plays can assist in addressing the issues facing women attempting to enter STEM disciplines. The majority of science plays feature historical people and can therefore provide the much needed role models and address the other issues and misconceptions. To do this, science plays featuring women should target middle and high school girls as well as their teachers, parents, and guidance counselors who often discourage girls from pursing STEM interests.

Institutions of higher education are a key pathway for supplying the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce. Military service members have been identified as STEM-ready and a potential pool for STEM as they transition into civilian careers. Furthermore, women are the fastest growing subpopulation of veterans and may decrease the gender gap within STEM. Higher education researchers are interested in understanding the characteristics and experiences of students who select STEM majors and then persist to graduation. Literature related to women veterans is limited and a qualitative case study approach was utilized to achieve an in-depth understanding of their college experiences. This study examined four women who were successfully navigating STEM majors at one institution and revealed their varying motivations for enrollment and persistence. Three themes generated from this study included: self-awareness, success is personal, and military experience matters. Subsidiary themes included starting over; strategy; salience of age; stage of life; self-advocacy; standards; personal attributes; past experiences; personal responsibility for learning; procuring resources; career path (STEM) reinforced or introduced; creditable and credible; and cultivated soft skills. Veteran critical theory, multiple dimensions of identity and intersectionality were useful frameworks to reference as participants expressed the influence of their identities on their life and military experiences. The findings illuminate ways institutions of higher education can facilitate women veterans' success as students, supplying much needed diversity to the STEM pipeline.

No description available.

<p>Black women’s underrepresentation in STEM disciplines remains an urgent problem of major concern in higher education institutions across the United States. The purpose of this investigation was to explore Black women’s experiences in an active learning STEM Human Centered Design course at a Predominantly White Institution. It also examined how these experiences influenced Black women’s intent to persist in STEM educational pathways. Black Feminist Thought Theoretical Framework was used to conceptualize and interpret the experiences of five Black female first year undergraduate students at a Predominantly White Institution in the Midwestern region of the United States. This qualitative case study research utilized semi structured interviews, direct observations, and documents to gather and triangulate data for this study. The findings from this study revealed that: (a) <i>Imposter Syndrome: An Enduring Internalized Question of Competency, </i>(b) <i>Undermining of Academic Abilities</i>: <i>Cross Examination of Intellect,</i> (c) <i>Lack of Diversity: A Colorless Norm,</i> (d) <i>Isolation: Intrinsic Sensitivity of Separation from Others</i> were the salient experiences facing these five undergraduate Black women. This investigation contributes to the dearth of scholarship on Black women in STEM by highlighting their undergraduate experiences in a STEM course, and describing ways to ensure their persistence towards STEM educational pathways.</p>

No description available.

Women still lack representation in many Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields, particularly those with high earning potential. Past studies on women who study STEM have failed to acknowledge the impact of religious values on choice of major among women. Using data collected at a religiously-affiliated university in 2013, this study explores how 24 religious women made decisions about majoring in STEM fields. The results from this sample closely follow the literature review, while also adding many new layers to understanding how religious women make decisions about STEM. Themes identified using this approach are useful for designing future studies on traditional women who study STEM.