This dissertation study explores the experiences of 11 undergraduate women in a variety of engineering majors graduating from a Southern, research, predominately White institution and the use of theory to understand those experiences. While narrative inquiry is used throughout, this dissertation study is organized into three separate papers. The…

Percentage of body fat, age, weight, height, and 14 circumference measurements (e.g., waist) are given for 184 women aged 18-25. Body fat, one measure of health, was accurately determined by an underwater weighing technique which requires special equipment and training of the individuals conducting the process. Modeling body fat percentage using…

Using social cognitive career theory and the cognitive information processing model as frameworks, in this constructivist case study we examined the career-related experiences and decisions of 10 women engineering undergraduate seniors who accepted full-time positions. From the data analysis 3 major themes emerged: critical undergraduate…

In this chapter, we argue that intersectionality is a theoretical and methodological framework by which education researchers can critically examine why and how students in STEM fields who are members of intersecting marginalized groups have distinctive experiences related to their social identities, other psychological processes, and educational…

STEM studies and technological literacy are hot topics at the national and state level. At the October 20, 2009 Massachusetts STEM Summit, Lt. Governor Tim Murray spoke of the need for greater efforts in preparing our students for their technological future. In workshops throughout the day, speakers reiterated the same thing in many ways: neither…

This paper proposes a new model for team building, which enables teachers to build coherent teams rapidly and fairly for the term projects of software engineering courses. Moreover, the model can also be used to build teams for any type of project, if the team member candidates are students, or if they are inexperienced on a certain subject. The…

This phenomenological study examined the experiences of twelve female African Americans enrolled as fulltime undergraduate engineering students at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, an historically Black university, and seven female African Americans enrolled as undergraduate engineering students at Purdue University in…

Electronic mentoring (e-mentoring) programs are providing unprecedented opportunities for establishing mentoring relationships. E-mentoring is the merger of mentoring with electronic communications and links mentors with proteges independent of geography or scheduling constraints. In this case study, the authors apply a model of structured…

The aim of the 2018 International Association for Development of the Information Society (IADIS) Cognition and Exploratory Learning in the Digital Age (CELDA) conference was to address the main issues concerned with evolving learning processes and supporting pedagogies and applications in the digital age. There have been advances in both cognitive…

Created a model of persistence by integrating constructs derived from a number of theories relevant to women's career behavior. Results indicate that ability, self-efficacy, support-barriers, and interest congruence each added significantly to the model predicting persistence. Gender and expectancy-valence variables were not significant…

This article puts forward a project approach and a set of solutions to better prepare foreign students wishing to enter engineering schools in France. It focuses on how we train students to understand scientific presentations through intensive listening comprehension. Within this framework, it proposes a new educational ICT model that is original…

In 1980, the U.S. Congress charged the National Science Foundation (NSF) with a mission to lead development of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) for all of its citizens. Joseph Bordogna, deputy director of NSF, reaffirmed the agency's commitment to the mission when he stated that NSF needs to broaden participation in the…

Under a grant funded under the Women's Educational Equity Act, the Department of Freshman Engineering at Purdue has developed a model program for freshmen women entering engineering. The program focuses on an experimental course that provides beginning engineering women and men with: (1) hands-on laboratory experiences; (2) discussions by various…

This guide presents 37 sample industry-university programs as part of the American Electronics Association's leadership role of encouraging companies to increase investments in engineering education. Model university-industry partnerships in the following areas are presented: faculty assistance grants; faculty loan programs; endowments; graduate…

A model career preparation program for first-year engineering women at Purdue University is described. Key elements of this project, which is funded through the Women's Educational Equity Act, are: a course designed to provide engineering and career information and practical experience; a means of evaluating the methods and results; wide…