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- Genre: Doctoral Dissertation
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
This study examines the representation of Asian online brides by studying the images and profiles that are advertised on Asianonlinebrides.com. To do so, I combined the history and growth of the Human Trafficking industry, the idea of the Asian “exotic OTHER,” the power and structured/constrained agency, and social construction of gender theories. In particular, I utilized a mixed methods approach for data collection. The content and visual analysis in this study provided the two sides of the analytic coin: the written and the visual. I am particularly interested in the narrative comments offered by the prospective brides, e.g., what they state to be their preferences in their dream man/husband, and the personality traits, and characteristics that they write about themselves. The following were examined: the gender displays, picture frames, feminine touch, and the ritualization of subordination. For example, body language, clothing, skin, hair color, and texture, bone structure, posture, etc. I argue that this data alerts us to the whole host of ideas, assumptions, social, cultural, and gender constructions. The power relations that exceeds the text and inform us of these online brides. The findings have indicated that these women are vulnerable and caught within oppressive social structures. They have nevertheless utilized those structures to their advantage. By doing so, the brides have acted as assertive agents in that they have looked out for the interests of both themselves and their families. Moreover, a significant body of data was provided first hand through the written and visual narratives of the online brides. These brides have offered valuable insight into the field of Asian online brides. Their stories have presented a unique perspective to the online brides’ process that can only be captured through the narratives provided in this research.
ContributorsDai, Linh K (Author) / Cavender, Gray (Thesis advisor) / Jurik, Nancy (Committee member) / Swadener, Elizabeth (Committee member) / Tibbs, Donald (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
Description
Scholarship and the popular press alike assert that, within the workplace and the world, there are distinct generational groups who are hallmarked by fundamental differences. Generational scholarship, undergirded by the priori assumption that generational differences must be managed, has become a well traversed field despite very little empirical evidence to substantiate the claims made about the attitudes, values, and beliefs of these purported generational cohorts. Scholars debate the veracity of generational characteristics, but few have taken critical approaches and noted the absence of theory and meta-discourse in the field. All the while, the over-simplified stereotypes are perpetuatued and employed in making fundamental decisions about the lives and work of the old and the young. In this dissertation, I present a grounded qualitative and phronetic study that offers a framework for a more nuanced approach to generational scholarship. Specifically, I employ qualitative methods and take a phronetic approach to examine young professionals’ (a) sensemaking of generational constructs and (b) identification/disidentification with generational archetypes. This dissertation reveals the ways in which participants made sense of popular generational archetypes as stereotypes or generalizations that exist in broad contexts of media and culture but are unconsidered in the workplace. Further, in the context of work, participants demonstrated very limited identification or disidentification with popular generational archetypes. Despite this, participants created and enacted generational differences in their workplaces based on age and tenure in the industry through the development of emergent archetypes. Methodologically, this dissertation demonstrates the utility of more emic approaches to generational scholarship and evidences the need for situated and needs based approaches. Theoretically, this dissertation demonstrates the utility of sensemaking and identification in generational scholarship. Moreover, the insights gleaned from these frameworks illustrate the need for the critical examinations in the field, and meta-discourse about our assumptions.
ContributorsHitchcock, Steven David (Author) / Alberts, Janet K (Thesis advisor) / Miller, Kathy I (Thesis advisor) / Corley, Kevin G. (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016