On the Fence: The Influence of Protégé-Mentor Relationships on Women Doctoral Students' Academic Career Aspirations in Engineering

Diane Yu Gu

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Conference: 2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Publication Date: June 10, 2012
Start Date: June 10, 2012
End Date: June 13, 2012
ISSN: 2153-5965
Conference Session: Retention of Women Students
Tagged Division: Women in Engineering
Page Count: 8
Page Numbers: 25.994.1 - 25.994.8
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--21751
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/21751
Download Count: 325

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Diane Yu Gu University of California, Los Angeles

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Diane Yu Gu is a doctoral candidate at the Higher Education and Organizational Change program at UCLA. Her research interests include gender issues in physical sciences and engineering, graduate student socialization, globalization and its impact on higher education, transnational collaborations among scientists and engineers, etc.

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Abstract

On the Fence: The Influence of Protégé-Mentor Relationships on Women Doctoral Students' Academic Career Aspirations in Engineering Diane Yu Gu Ph.D. Candidate Higher Education and Organizational Change Graduate School of Education and Information Studies UCLA Moore Hall, Box # 951521 Los Angeles, CA. 90095-1521 E-Mail: dianeyugu@ucla.edu Phone: 310-904-2917Diane Yu Gu- Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, UCLAAbstract: According to a 2004 report from the Commission on Professionals in Science andTechnology, women in engineering and the physical, mathematical, and environmentalsciences make up less than 6 percent of full professor positions. Two decades ago,researchers projected that occupational equity for females in science and engineering wasjust “a matter of time”—time for increasing the number of female Ph.D. students andmoving them through the ranks of academia (Fox, 2001). However, the prediction thatgrowing numbers of female Ph.D. students would lead to greater gender equity amongthe professoriate has not come to pass. Fox (2000) studied women doctoral students’experiences in science and engineering by surveying over 3,000 women. Her findingsrevealed that women are less likely to be “taken seriously” by their advisers, feel lesscomfortable speaking in research groups, and are less likely to receive effective help andfeedback from their professors. Her work suggests that greater attention should be paidto understanding the experiences of women graduate students in science and engineering,with a particular focus on their interaction with faculty members. Although a wide rangeof higher education literature emphasizes the importance of student-faculty interaction onstudents’ satisfaction and professional development (Astin, 1977, 1985, 1993; Bean,1985; Bean & Kuh, 1984; Pascarella, 1985; Pascarella & Terenzini, 1976, 1979, 1981;Tinto, 1993; Wilson et al., 1975), the research on female graduate students and theirinteractions with faculty in science and engineering is fairly limited. Accordingly, the objective of this project is to examine interaction among womengraduate students and their faculty members in the field of engineering. Morespecifically, I examine how student-faculty interactions support or limit women'saspirations to pursue academic careers. To pursue these issues, I conducted ethnographicinterviews women doctoral students and extensive participant observation in the Schoolof Engineering at Western University—a large research university in the western regionof the United States. This university was selected due to its strong engineering programsand large number of graduate students in engineering. Theoretically speaking , I utilizedtheories related to mentoring and organizational socialization, combined with feministstandpoint theory, to guide my study throughout its duration. The specific researchquestions are: 1) In what ways do student-faculty interactions influence the socializationexperiences of women doctoral students in engineering? 2) How do student-facultyinteractions impact women doctoral students' aspirations to pursue academic careers? This research suggests that improving organizational practices and policies invarious areas concerning the advising relationship, funding, and non-academic issuessuch as expanding counseling and social opportunities would no doubt enhance thequality of women doctoral students' mentoring experience. Such efforts may effectivelyassist graduate women in engineering to overcome academic, professional and personalhardships and encourage them to pursue careers in academia. The increase and quality offemale professors in academia may in turn benefit future women doctoral students intheir mentoring and career training.Diane Yu Gu- Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, UCLA

Citation
Format

Gu, D. Y. (2012, June), On the Fence: The Influence of Protégé-Mentor Relationships on Women Doctoral Students' Academic Career Aspirations in Engineering Paper presented at 2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, San Antonio, Texas. 10.18260/1-2--21751

TY  - CPAPER
AB  -     On the Fence: The Influence of Protégé-Mentor Relationships on             Women Doctoral Students&#39; Academic Career                      Aspirations in Engineering                                  Diane Yu Gu                                 Ph.D. Candidate                   Higher Education and Organizational Change               Graduate School of Education and Information Studies                                     UCLA                           Moore Hall, Box # 951521                          Los Angeles, CA. 90095-1521                          E-Mail: dianeyugu@ucla.edu                              Phone: 310-904-2917Diane Yu Gu- Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, UCLAAbstract:        According to a 2004 report from the Commission on Professionals in Science andTechnology, women in engineering and the physical, mathematical, and environmentalsciences make up less than 6 percent of full professor positions. Two decades ago,researchers projected that occupational equity for females in science and engineering wasjust “a matter of time”—time for increasing the number of female Ph.D. students andmoving them through the ranks of academia (Fox, 2001). However, the prediction thatgrowing numbers of female Ph.D. students would lead to greater gender equity amongthe professoriate has not come to pass. Fox (2000) studied women doctoral students’experiences in science and engineering by surveying over 3,000 women. Her findingsrevealed that women are less likely to be “taken seriously” by their advisers, feel lesscomfortable speaking in research groups, and are less likely to receive effective help andfeedback from their professors. Her work suggests that greater attention should be paidto understanding the experiences of women graduate students in science and engineering,with a particular focus on their interaction with faculty members. Although a wide rangeof higher education literature emphasizes the importance of student-faculty interaction onstudents’ satisfaction and professional development (Astin, 1977, 1985, 1993; Bean,1985; Bean &amp; Kuh, 1984; Pascarella, 1985; Pascarella &amp; Terenzini, 1976, 1979, 1981;Tinto, 1993; Wilson et al., 1975), the research on female graduate students and theirinteractions with faculty in science and engineering is fairly limited.        Accordingly, the objective of this project is to examine interaction among womengraduate students and their faculty members in the field of engineering. Morespecifically, I examine how student-faculty interactions support or limit women&#39;saspirations to pursue academic careers. To pursue these issues, I conducted ethnographicinterviews women doctoral students and extensive participant observation in the Schoolof Engineering at Western University—a large research university in the western regionof the United States. This university was selected due to its strong engineering programsand large number of graduate students in engineering. Theoretically speaking , I utilizedtheories related to mentoring and organizational socialization, combined with feministstandpoint theory, to guide my study throughout its duration. The specific researchquestions are: 1) In what ways do student-faculty interactions influence the socializationexperiences of women doctoral students in engineering? 2) How do student-facultyinteractions impact women doctoral students&#39; aspirations to pursue academic careers?        This research suggests that improving organizational practices and policies invarious areas concerning the advising relationship, funding, and non-academic issuessuch as expanding counseling and social opportunities would no doubt enhance thequality of women doctoral students&#39; mentoring experience. Such efforts may effectivelyassist graduate women in engineering to overcome academic, professional and personalhardships and encourage them to pursue careers in academia. The increase and quality offemale professors in academia may in turn benefit future women doctoral students intheir mentoring and career training.Diane Yu Gu- Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, UCLA
AU  - Diane Yu Gu
CY  - San Antonio, Texas
DA  - 2012/06/10
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - On the Fence: The Influence of Protégé-Mentor Relationships on Women Doctoral Students' Academic Career Aspirations in Engineering
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/21751
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--21751
ER  -