Search Results

A national shortage of workers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) occupations has led to efforts to identify why people leave these fields. Lower persistence rates in STEM for females than for males have also led to examinations of features that cause females to leave STEM fields. The current study examines individual- and school-level features that influence undergraduate students' decisions to leave STEM majors, focusing on potential explanations for why females are more likely than males to leave. Persistence in STEM was examined in three samples: (a) persistence through the second year of college in a sample of high school seniors interested in STEM majors; (b) persistence through the fourth year of college in a sample of second year undergraduate STEM majors; and (c) persistence through the second, third, and fourth years of college in a sample of high school seniors interested in STEM majors. Differences between persistence in male-dominated and non-male-dominated STEM majors were also examined.

In all samples, gender differences were found for most individual-level predictors, with males tending to score higher than females on measures such as [Scholastic Assessment Test] SAT-Math, self-rated STEM ability, and high school extracurricular activities and awards in STEM. On the other hand, females earned better high school grades and had stronger relative non-STEM ability and achievement than males. Bivariate analyses indicated that those who persisted in STEM majors typically had higher scores than those who did not persist for SAT-Math, high school achievement, STEM course taking, undergraduate STEM grades, self-rated STEM ability, interest in STEM, extracurricular activities and awards in STEM, degree goals, and socioeconomic status. Multivariate analyses identified SAT-Math as one of the best predictors of persistence in high school samples, and undergraduate STEM [grade point average] GPA was one of the best predictors in the samples of second year undergraduates. In several samples, a significant cross-level interaction was found between gender and undergraduate females' college-level proportional representation in STEM; however, the effects were inconsistent across samples. Even when controlling for various individual- and school-level predictors, gender effects tended to remain significant, with females in most samples leaving STEM majors at higher rates than males.

Published abstract. Show less

This study is a qualitative inquiry into mid-career managers' perceptions of the impact of long-term (six months or more) unemployment on their career and career management practices. The study examined what career models, if any, reflected the career management practices of the managers prior to becoming unemployed, during unemployment and post unemployment. In addition to the traditional bureaucratic or linear model, the study assessed the managers' narratives for characteristics associated with alternative career models including Weick's Eccentric Predicate, Hall's Protean, Arthur and Rousseau's Boundaryless, Handy's Portfolio, Collin's Post-Modern, Bloch's Chaos Theory and Mainiero and Sullivan's Kaleidoscope Career models. The study also analyzed the managers' narratives to determine if they engaged in any practices that could be considered resilient career management behaviors during their employment search.

The study's source data were transcripts of a series of three 90 minute interviews conducted with six mid-career managers (four men and two women) who were between forty and forty-eight years old at the time of their layoffs and who held positions such as Senior Manager, Senior Architect and Senior Vice President in such industries as Advertising, Financial Services, Investments and Retail Manufacturing. The loosely structured interviews were designed to evoke stories about the managers' experiences prior and up to layoff, during their long-term unemployment in pursuit of re-employment, and re-employment, in addition to current perceptions of their careers. The interviews were evaluated using two forms of reasoning (Bruner, 1986), narrative reasoning and paradigmatic reasoning. Narrative reasoning was used to evaluate the managers' stories of their experiences both thematically and structurally. The data were subjected to Paradigmatic reasoning to develop a catalog of resilient career management behaviors as the basis for future quantitative research regarding the application of resilient career management characteristics during long-term unemployment. Research outcomes included individual mid-career managers' experiential data regarding long-term unemployment and perceptions of the phenomenon's impact on career management behaviors and models; and preliminary data to support the development of a quantitative inquiry into resilient career management behaviors during long-term unemployment.

Published abstract. Show less

The primary focus of this research was to determine if the Management Development Program for Women (MDPW) offered at Carleton has been able to promote positive change for managerial women with respect to certain variables that are associated with enhanced career success. A model of the effects was evaluated using questionnaire data collected from MDPW alumnae. This study found the MDPW has played a large role in helping women raise their sense of self-worth and increase their belief in their ability to manage their own careers. These women have also taken a more active role in career planning activities and in cultivating networks.

Having participated in the MDPW seems to have also enhanced the career and life satisfaction of respondents as well as reduce levels of emotional burnout. The positive outcomes for the women who participated in the MDPW implies that management training programs for women can be beneficial for women who wish to advance in their careers.

Published abstract. Show less

Student veterans have been overlooked as a unique student population at institutions of higher learning. Moreover, student affairs practitioners, faculty, staff, and peer students are largely unaware of the unique needs of student veterans. The purpose of this study was to build a base of research on the academic and social experiences of re-enrolling student veterans with the goals of better understanding the student veteran experience and discovering new avenues of support for this population. The researcher conducted a qualitative study utilizing grounded theory methodology to answer the primary research question: how do student veterans manage college re-enrollment after deployment, training, or self-induced military absence?

The researcher found student veterans were more mature and academically focused because of their military experiences. Student veterans were less likely to seek academic support and more inclined to pursue social support in the form of associating with fellow veterans with whom they felt more comfortable. Support was not a key factor in student veterans' navigation of re-enrollment and student veterans tended to downplay or hide their veteran status from campus community members. Financial considerations and social implications were the most pronounced challenges student veterans faced after returning to college.

Excerpts from published abstract. Show less

Nationwide, community colleges have a graduation rate average of only 18 per cent. As a result, institutions continually look for avenues to improve student success, persistence and achievement. While retention programs such as freshman orientation, communities of learning, TriO and mentoring receive extensive study to catalog the factors associated with increased student persistence, data on the Federal Work Study Program is lacking. The majority of studies about the Federal Work Study Program employ a quantitative design, comparing the graduation rates of participants to the general student population. While a positive trend is identified, the understanding of 'why and how' students persist when engaged in the Federal Work Study Program is minimal. This qualitative, transcendental phenomenological study focused on the experiences of the current Federal Work Study student or recent graduate (2012 to 2016). A minimum of two semesters of participation on campus was required to qualify a participant as persistent. Five themes were discovered in this study, through both the words and experiences of the participants and through utilization of student persistence theory. The five themes are: The Fledgling Student, Making Connections, Academic, Social and Institutional Integration, Non-Monetary Benefits and Giving Back. The Federal Work Study Program allows the participant to work up to eighteen hours per week on campus and increases interaction with supervisors, faculty, staff and peers. These connections and learning opportunities were found to enhance the participants' academic and social integration to the college culture, including discussion and future career planning. While participants in this study did not begin the Federal Work Study Program until their second year, efforts should be made to connect students earlier with the Federal Work Study Program to maximize the benefits of program participation.

Author's abstract. Show less

The purpose of this study was to understand why female students would choose to study vehicular repair, a traditionally male subject, in an overwhelmingly male learning environment. By understanding their motivations and challenges, the researcher hoped to make it easier for future women to study this subject and to encourage more women to consider the automotive field. Most of the students expressed either love of the subject matter or the ability to make a good living as reasons for studying automotive, diesel, and collision repair. Many were introduced to the automotive field at an early age or through their high school shop program. They believed very strongly in their ability to succeed in this field regardless of naysayers, whether in their family or in their classrooms. Encouraging females' interest in cars and trucks at an early age may be the key to more female technicians in the future.

Excerpts from published abstract. Show less

The future of the nursing workforce is challenged. The prospect of the continued nursing shortage coupled with high turnover of new graduate nurses within their first year of work leave nurse leaders great cause for concern. New graduates report lack of support as a key antecedent of turnover within their first year of employment. Unfortunately, new graduate programs across the country are not standardized and may or may not include strategies to enhance a supportive transition to the workforce. The theory of job embeddedness introduced by Mitchell and his colleagues in 2001 states that employees choose to remain at an organization partly because they feel connected to a social web. Mentoring is one way to enhance that connection. The current state of the nursing literature sorely lacks empirical evidence which can demonstrate the true value of a mentoring intervention. In addition, there is limited research that substantiates which type of mentoring intervention may be the most effective in promoting job embeddedness.

This paper presents the findings from an exploratory comparative cross sectional design study using a secondary data analysis to compare new graduate nurses' perceptions of job embeddedness by assessing for any similarities and differences in the perceptions of new graduate nurses who were mentored one-on-one versus those that were mentored in a group.

Excerpt from published abstract. Show less

This study is an analysis of 24 variables associated with employee attitudes, behaviors and outcomes. A total of 140 college graduates participated in the study. Utilizing exploratory factor analysis (EFA) techniques, the research examined relationships among the following variables: perceived fit, job satisfaction, cognitive ability, vocational personality, academic achievement and gender. Components were extracted using Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and orthogonally rotated resulting in three component solution. A simple, interpretable structure was revealed, demonstrating a strong but differentially related association among three forms of perceived fit and facet level job satisfaction. The person-trait variables in the study were minimally related to perceived fit and satisfaction.

Published abstract. Show less

As Canada continues to move towards a high-skilled knowledge economy, immigrant professionals are necessary to fill the shortfall of required workers. This study is designed to answer important conceptual and practical questions about the reasons for a gap between an organization's goal to hire immigrant professionals and the actual outcome. Utilizing a case study of three multinational corporations, all recipients of Canada's Best Diversity Employer award, 18 informants were interviewed. These informants included recruiters and hiring managers working across Canada, holding positions of junior manager to executive.

By analyzing the organizations' recruitment and selection processes, a better understanding of what strategic human resource management (SHRM) systems lead to immigrant professional hiring has been gained. Focusing on vertical and horizontal linkages under a configurational SHRM theory, it is evident that implementation of a holistic process is fundamental to improving recruitment and selection of immigrant professionals outcomes. This research adds to the body of work of SHRM by applying a fine-grained perspective and provides recommendations for practical applications.

Published abstract. Show less

The objective of this thesis will be to convey data to understand, to what extent did Czechoslovak immigrants influence the building of the Chicago public school system and in turn, how the immigrants changed as the result of their participation within the public school system of Chicago. Information is presented to investigate links between the Czechoslovak immigrants, the city of Chicago, and the public school system. Reports, letters, archival documents, and histories are put forth in an attempt to uncover correlations between the variables: public schools, immigrants, and host society. The findings correlate with the idea that an exchange of values between the variables takes place, in some cases hindering improvement and creating stress on the environment, but the overall result of interaction between the variables encourages progress and growth.

Author's abstract. Show less