Matching Items (3)
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- All Subjects: College majors--Psychological aspects.
- Creators: Tracey, Terence J. G.
- Creators: Jolna, Karon
Description
Scholars have written about the emotional agitation among White students in response to race-based issues (Higginbotham, 1996; Tatum, 1994; Vasquez, 2006). Research has implicated the emotional experience of guilt with the anti-racist concepts of White racial privilege and Black racial oppression. However, methodological issues in the research raise questions about our current understanding of this issue, which has implications on the ability of educators to create effective course curricula and optimal learning environments. Grounded in a theory of guilt and shame and drawing upon tenets of modern forms of racism, I examined the effects of anti-racist education on White students. Specifically, I tested the effects of two factors on four dependent variables. The first factor, called the content factor, was comprised of three levels that exposed participants to statements conveying institutional forms of White racial privilege, Black racial oppression, and a control condition. The second factor, called the race factor, was comprised of two levels that represented the racial background of a confederate instructor: A White instructor and a Black instructor. Interventions (i.e., factor levels), which were embedded within a standardized lecture on racial inequality, were randomly assigned to participants. Exposures to interventions and data collection were facilitated by the use of laptop computers. Main effects and interaction effects among the six conditions on guilt, shame, negation, and racist attitudes were examined. Given the role of self-awareness in experiencing guilt and shame, identification with Whiteness as a moderating variable was also tested. A sample of 153, self-identified White students with a mean age of 21 participated in the study. They were recruited from three, large public universities located in the Western, South Western, and Mid Western United States. Categorical predictors were dummy coded and hierarchical multiple regression was used to analyze the data. Findings suggest that the interventions of White racial privilege and Black racial oppression, as institutionally focused concepts, exert no effects on guilt, shame, negation and racist attitudes compared to a control condition. Findings showed a main effect for identification with Whiteness, but not a moderating effect. Implications, limitations, and future research are discussed.
ContributorsEstrada, Fernando (Author) / Tracey, Terence J. G. (Thesis advisor) / Arciniega, G. Miguel (Committee member) / Cabianca, William (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
In this convergent mixed methods research project, I address the question of why large numbers of college students take women’s studies courses yet are reluctant to major in the field. Using availability bias and intersectionality as my theoretical framework I hypothesized that the reluctance to declare women and gender studies as a major stems from 1) the failure to see the applicability of the major to career goals and aspirations, 2) social stigma associated with feminism, 3) social location. As a part of my intervention I designed and tested two 10-minute video modules; one on job applicability featuring women studies alumni discussing their career paths and their decision to major in the field, and a second on deconstructing stereotypes about feminism. The control group was shown a generic video on cinematic representations. Students were randomly assigned to one of the three groups and administered a pretest and posttest survey designed to measure job applicability, social attitudes about feminism and social location. Interviews were conducted with 6 students. My goal was to better understand perceived practicality of the women’s studies degree, social attitudes about feminism and the
impact of these perceptions as they relate to a student's selection of the major.
My research questions include:
RQ 1) Among students taking a course in women’s studies, how and to what extent does participation in a module on job applicability influence a student's perceptions of the potential career applicability of the women’s studies degree?
RQ 2) Among students taking a course in women’s studies, how and to what extent does participation in the module regarding feminism impact a student's perceptions of the value of the women’s studies degree?
RQ 3) How does one’s social location interact with the findings of RQ’s 1 & 2?
My sample (n=115) was drawn from students enrolled in online and hybrid courses I taught in the WST program at Arizona State University, the largest such program in the country, drawing over 6,000 students annually. However, the number of majors at 84 students is not commensurate with the growth we are experiencing in terms of enrollment or the popularity of the courses. These research addresses these
My findings showed that the job applicability module increased student knowledge about the applicability of the women and gender studies major and that students had a better overall understanding of the degree in relation to career applicability, while the module about feminism did not have an effect on the choice of major. My findings suggest that students lack of previous career knowledge in terms of job paths available to WST graduates proved to be an obstacle for our program and intervening may allow for the increase of majors.
impact of these perceptions as they relate to a student's selection of the major.
My research questions include:
RQ 1) Among students taking a course in women’s studies, how and to what extent does participation in a module on job applicability influence a student's perceptions of the potential career applicability of the women’s studies degree?
RQ 2) Among students taking a course in women’s studies, how and to what extent does participation in the module regarding feminism impact a student's perceptions of the value of the women’s studies degree?
RQ 3) How does one’s social location interact with the findings of RQ’s 1 & 2?
My sample (n=115) was drawn from students enrolled in online and hybrid courses I taught in the WST program at Arizona State University, the largest such program in the country, drawing over 6,000 students annually. However, the number of majors at 84 students is not commensurate with the growth we are experiencing in terms of enrollment or the popularity of the courses. These research addresses these
My findings showed that the job applicability module increased student knowledge about the applicability of the women and gender studies major and that students had a better overall understanding of the degree in relation to career applicability, while the module about feminism did not have an effect on the choice of major. My findings suggest that students lack of previous career knowledge in terms of job paths available to WST graduates proved to be an obstacle for our program and intervening may allow for the increase of majors.
ContributorsVlahoulis, Michelle McGibbney (Author) / Dorn, Sherman (Thesis advisor) / Fonow, Mary (Committee member) / Jolna, Karon (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
Using a sample of 931 undergraduate students, the current study examined the influential factors on undergraduate students' academic performance, satisfaction, and intentions to persist in their enrolled major. Specifically, the current study investigated the salience of interest-major match in predicting academic success. Interest-major match has been found to be one of the most influential determinants of academic and occupational success. However, support for this relationship has been equivocal and modest at best. The present study was designed to improve upon the current understanding of this relation by examining the moderating effect of gender and employing a longitudinal design to investigate the reciprocal relation between interest-major match and academic outcomes. Correlational results suggested that women reported greater interest-major match and results of the path analyses demonstrated a moderating effect of gender. Although a reciprocal relation was not supported, the findings indicated that a student’s level of academic satisfaction may influence the degree of fit between his or her interest and academic major. The results also highlight the tendency for students further along in their academic tenure to persist to graduation despite poor fit. Implications for educators and administrators are discussed.
ContributorsWilkins, Kerrie G (Author) / Tracey, Terence J. G. (Thesis advisor) / Bernstein, Bianca (Committee member) / Homer, Judith (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016