Education Commons^™

Teachers In Action: A Phenomenographical Study On Mathematics Teacher Agency, Indira Gil

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teacher agency plays a critical role in determining teachers’ identities and decision-making abilities. It is also key in developing teachers’ sense of purpose, which leads to forming school environments where teachers are happy and thriving. However, teacher agency has not been researched in depth. Exploring teacher agency is essential in understanding how to create spaces where teachers feel comfortable and eager to share their personal skill sets. In this qualitative study, phenomenography was employed to detect and describe variations in mathematics teachers’ experiences of agency. This study investigates teacher agency by analyzing the experiences of 14 mathematics teachers teaching in …

Examining The Relationships Between Gender Role Congruity, Identity, And The Choice To Persist For Women In Undergraduate Physics Majors, Bronwen Bares Pelaez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Persistent gender disparity limits the available contributors to advancing some science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. While higher education can be an influential time-point for ensuring adequate participation, many physics programs across the U.S. have few women in classroom or lab settings. Prior research indicates that these women face considerable barriers. For university students, faculty, and administration to appropriately address these issues, it is important to understand the experiences of women as they navigate male-dominated STEM fields.

This explanatory sequential mixed methods study explored undergraduate female physics majors’ experiences with their male-dominated academic and research spaces in the U.S. …