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Women Engineering Faculty Well-Being: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Shannon Kristine Stefl

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This study examined the lived experiences of women as they navigate faculty pathways in engineering. This qualitative research study centered on the well-being journeys of seven women who have achieved tenure as engineering faculty to uncover how these women psychologically experienced and incorporated well-being across their personal and professional lives in support of their success, happiness, and satisfaction.

Leveraging qualitative research techniques aligned with the interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) methodology, this study elicited and systematically analyzed accounts of well-being across participants’ professional and personal life spaces. The well-being journeys of seven participants, JoAnn, Rose, Marie, Allison, Dylan, Mary, and Gabriella, …

West Point Women: An Oral History Of The West Point Experience And Leader Identity Development, Leslie Ann Lewis

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Although women have been at the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point for over 40 years, they are an understudied group. This omission also encompasses studies about leader development and leader identity development. Over the years, West Point has focused its leadership research on identifying predictors of leadership performance and, with the integration of women cadets, merely added them into their studies to see if they had the same predictors as men. Other than this shift, the literature neglects how women’s experiences at West Point affected their leader identity development. To address this knowledge blind spot, this study …

A Qualitative Study Of African American Women In Engineering Technology Programs In Community Colleges, Jacquelyn Blakley

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This study examined the experiences of African American women in engineering technology programs in community colleges. There is a lack of representation of African American women in engineering technology programs throughout higher education, especially in community/technical colleges. There is also lack of representation of African American women in careers related to engineering. The enrollment for African American women students in engineering technology programs is minimal compared to the overall student enrollment in the programs. Previous research focuses on minorities in engineering programs in higher education but does not focus specifically on African American women in engineering technology programs in community …

The Impact Institutional Culture Has On Women's Political Leadership Efficacy Development, Laura Mcmaster

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The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore how institutional culture impacts women's political leadership efficacy development. By utilizing a constructivist design and a methodology rooted in feminine inquiry that included an interview and document (photo) analysis, a group of traditionally aged (18-24 year old) college women shared their lived experiences at one public land-grant research institution. The themes that emerged were based on multiple photo-elicitation interviews conducted with the participants throughout a semester. The data gathered was analyzed using a constant comparative method. Interpretation was done, in part, based on a leadership efficacy development framework. The students' …

Tomorrow's Leading Ladies: How Core Self-Evaluations, Leadership Perceptions, And Social Support Influence Young Women's Leadership Aspirations, Lauren Ellis

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Given that women are an underrepresented population in organizational leadership, the purpose of this dissertation was to understand the forces driving college-aged women’s leadership aspirations. Using a two-study design, the current research sought to understand the influence that internal (psychological) and external (social) factors can have on a young woman’s desire to lead. In Study One, which included 228 college-aged female participants, results indicated there was a significant, positive between Core Self Evaluations (CSE) and leadership aspirations and provided partial support for the mediating effects of leadership fit on the CSE-aspiration relationship. Results from Study One failed to support the …

The Context Of Successful Navigation Of Gendered Norms In Outdoor Adventure Recreation: The Case Of Professional Female Adventure Athletes, Katherine Evans

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Females have long found it difficult to find entrance to and acceptance in the outdoors because of socially engrained gender expectations, a lack of female role models, and fear. Despite the hurdles, research indicates that females who participate in outdoor recreation are more empowered, and have higher levels of self-esteem, self-trust, self-worth, assertiveness, self-sufficiency, independence, confidence, and body image (McDermott, 2004; Pohl, Borrie, & Patterson, 2000). Therefore, it is important that females are not only encouraged to participate in outdoor recreation, but empowered to do so. Current research on females' leisure in the outdoors largely focuses on women who are …

Navigating The World Of Academia As A Mother And Contingent Faculty Member: A Narrative Inquiry, Kathryn Ledford

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Although women hold many professional positions, they are still held accountable to present gendered customs like parenting children. Additionally, women who work in higher education are surrounded by masculine norms. For academic women who are also mothers like the author, many obstacles confront their management of the interlocking spheres of home, work and self. An examination of these women's narratives will illuminate how women navigate the world of academia, while maintaining our roles as mothers and individual identities.
For women who are mothers of children under six years old, and who are also contingent faculty members at four-year institutions, both …

The Leadership Experience Of Female Chief Admissions Officers: A Phenomenological Research Study, Krista Timney

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College admissions is a highly-competitive, business-oriented, and collaborative profession where women continue to be underrepresented in leadership positions. A study is needed of the barriers that have the potential to hinder the advancement of women in this unique and challenging field, as well as the opportunities and approaches to leadership that may lead to their success. The southeast region of the U.S. was chosen for this study because it is an area where women have been successful in advancing into leadership roles in admissions. The primary research question was: How do female chief admissions officers describe their lived leadership experiences? …

Roles, Responsibilities, Celebrations, And Post-Presidency Aspirations Of Female College Presidents, Almeda Jacks

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Of the 3,300 university and college presidents in higher education in the United States, only 23% are held by females (The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2007). The percentage of female students in most institutions in higher education is higher than those of male students.
The Central questions that guided this research study are as follows: What are the roles and responsibilities of presidents of higher educational institutions? How do presidents of higher education celebrate their professional and personal accomplishments? Additionally, what are the post-presidency aspirations of the eight women interviewed who all currently are in their first presidency position in …