Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore how STEM identity development influences the experiences of women STEM faculty who obtained federal grant funding. Data was collected from semi-structured interviews conducted with ten full-time women faculty in STEM employed at U.S. postsecondary institutions who were or were previously lead investigator on a federal grant. Herlihy and Campbell's (2018) socio-cultural-STEM identity theoretical framework informed the data analysis. Findings from the study revealed four primary ways in which participants were positively influenced in STEM including: (a) having supportive interactions with others; (b) being encouraged by others; (c) finding connections with others; and (d) being recognized by others. Participants described navigating challenging experiences, including (a) having negative interactions with others and (b) developing ways to push through challenging experiences to persist in STEM. Results of this study further revealed that participants' grant seeking experiences were influenced by their personal values, with most participants indicating they sought grants for intrinsic reasons. Implications of the results of this study are made for higher education administrators and stakeholders along with recommendations for future research.

Notes

If this is your thesis or dissertation, and want to learn how to access it or for more information about readership statistics, contact us at STARS@ucf.edu

Graduation Date

2022

Semester

Spring

Advisor

Campbell, Laurie

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

College

College of Community Innovation and Education

Department

Educational Leadership and Higher Education

Degree Program

Educational Leadership; Higher Education

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0009083; DP0026416

URL

https://purls.library.ucf.edu/go/DP0026416

Language

English

Release Date

May 2023

Length of Campus-only Access

1 year

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)

Download

Share

COinS