ASU Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This collection includes most of the ASU Theses and Dissertations from 2011 to present. ASU Theses and Dissertations are available in downloadable PDF format; however, a small percentage of items are under embargo. Information about the dissertations/theses includes degree information, committee members, an abstract, supporting data or media.
In addition to the electronic theses found in the ASU Digital Repository, ASU Theses and Dissertations can be found in the ASU Library Catalog.
Dissertations and Theses granted by Arizona State University are archived and made available through a joint effort of the ASU Graduate College and the ASU Libraries. For more information or questions about this collection contact or visit the Digital Repository ETD Library Guide or contact the ASU Graduate College at gradformat@asu.edu.
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- All Subjects: Counseling psychology
Description
Undeclared undergraduates participated in an experimental study designed to explore the impact of an Internet-delivered "growth mindset" training on indicators of women's engagement in science, engineering, technology, and mathematics ("STEM") disciplines. This intervention was hypothesized to increase STEM self-efficacy and intentions to pursue STEM by strengthening beliefs in intelligence as malleable ("IQ attitude") and discrediting gender-math stereotypes (strengthening "stereotype disbelief"). Hypothesized relationships between these outcome variables were specified in a path model. The intervention was also hypothesized to bolster academic achievement. Participants consisted of 298 women and 191 men, the majority of whom were self-identified as White (62%) and 18 years old (85%) at the time of the study. Comparison group participants received training on persuasive writing styles and control group participants received no training. Participants were randomly assigned to treatment, comparison, or control groups. At posttest, treatment group scores on measures of IQ attitude, stereotype disbelief, and academic achievement were highest; the effects of group condition on these three outcomes were statistically significant as assessed by analysis of variance. Results of pairwise comparisons indicated that treatment group IQ attitude scores were significantly higher than the average IQ attitude scores of both comparison and control groups. Treatment group scores on stereotype disbelief were significantly higher than those of the comparison group but not those of the control group. GPAs of treatment group participants were significantly higher than those of control group participants but not those of comparison group participants. The effects of group condition on STEM self-efficacy or intentions to pursue STEM were not significant. Results of path analysis indicated that the hypothesized model of the relationships between variables fit to an acceptable degree. However, a model with gender-specific paths from IQ attitude and stereotype disbelief to STEM self-efficacy was found to be superior to the hypothesized model. IQ attitude and stereotype disbelief were positively related; IQ attitude was positively related to men's STEM self-efficacy; stereotype disbelief was positively related to women's STEM self-efficacy, and STEM self-efficacy was positively related to intentions to pursue STEM. Implications and study limitations are discussed, and directions for future research are proposed.
ContributorsFabert, Natalie Shay (Author) / Bernstein, Bianca L. (Thesis advisor) / Kinnier, Richard (Committee member) / Dawes, Mary (Committee member) / Bekki, Jennifer (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
Description
Despite an increasing number of women completing doctoral programs each year, there remains a deficit in the representation of women in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Moreover, Women of Color (WoC) in STEM doctoral programs face unique stressors and barriers that their male colleagues may not, such as microaggressions, racism, and sexism due to their marginalized identities. Although there is a growing body of research focusing on how WoC in STEM successfully navigate academic challenges and symptoms of distress present in rigorous doctoral training, there is limited research examining intrapersonal (i.e., academic resilience) and interpersonal (i.e., perceived social support) factors that may mitigate the negative associations of these experiences. To address these gaps in the literature, the present study gathered data from 174 WoC during December 2021 and January 2022. Results supported the hypothesis that academic challenges would be positively associated with symptoms of distress. Furthermore, based on research showing positive associations between both academic resilience and social support and psychological well-being, the study also examined whether academic resilience and perceived social support from friends and romantic partners. While academic resilience was not found to moderate the association between academic challenges and symptoms of distress, perceived social support was found to have moderating effects, such that low and high levels of perceived social support increased the strength of the positive association between academic challenges and symptoms of distress. Results of the present study have implications for doctoral programs and mental health practitioners working at university college centers and support for need for the enhancement of the structure and process of the doctoral program experience for WoC in STEM.
ContributorsHopkins, Jessica (Author) / Randall, Ashley K (Thesis advisor) / Bekki, Jennifer (Committee member) / Truong, Nancy (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022