University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Arizona State University are collaborating in a study that will address: a) What barriers and supports can be identified at various developmental stages (middle school and late high school and sophomore in college) as being salient for women's selection of a STEM related career? b) How do these barriers and supports fit into a comprehensive, intervention-focused theory of achievement and career choice? And c) How do these barriers and supports directly relate to interventions for girls and women interested in STEM careers?
Data collection will be conducted at two different metropolitan sites (Milwaukee, WI and Phoenix, AZ), across three different educational levels (middle, high school and early college), in three discrete studies (interviews and taxonomy development; instrument development and testing; and comprehensive model testing). Organizations involved include the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee Public Schools, Shorewood Public Schools, Arizona State University and Deer Valley School District (Arizona).
Intellectual Merit: The analogy of a leaky pipeline has been used frequently to describe the progressive developmental decrease of women's interest and participation in science, technological, engineering, and math (STEM) preparation. Something happens along the way that prompts women to think and believe that they cannot or do not want to continue in STEM courses, majors, or careers. There is no obvious reason why this would disproportionately occur for women than men since innate abilities do not differ between men and women (NSF, 2003). Although theoretical models include external influences on achievement and choice behavior, past research examining such models has more often focused on the internal aspects of a woman's choice, rather than on how the internal beliefs and perceptions interact with external factors. It is important, also to understand barriers and supports that may differ at various stages.
The research study is developing a taxonomy of barriers, including those related to the learning environment, and identifying those that appear to be differentially salient in the career choice process at various developmental points, and then testing the validity of the social cognitive career model containing measures of those supports and barriers. Finally, the investigators will link the taxonomy directly to interventions designed to promote resilience for women pursuing STEM careers.
The study increases the applications of the social cognitive career theory to understanding achievement related choices (Betz & Hackett, 1983; Hackett & Betz, 1981; 1989; Lent, Brown & Hackett, 2002) by incorporating elements of Eccles (1994) model of achievement to increase its predictive utility.
Broader Impact: It will identify developmentally appropriate environmental barriers and supports that affect women's retention in the path to STEM careers and translate those directly to interventions designed to promote resilience for women pursuing STEM careers.
