Type of Document	Dissertation
Author	Kahveci, Ajda
Author's Email Address	ajda.kahveci@gmail.com
URN	etd-07082005-003623
Title	Impact of a Women's Program for Science, Mathematics and Engineering on Undergraduate Women: Activity Systems on the Periphery
Degree	Doctor of Philosophy
Department	Middle and Secondary Education, Department of
Advisory Committee	Advisor Name Title Penny J. Gilmer Committee Co-Chair Sherry A. Southerland Committee Co-Chair Jeffrey P. Chanton Committee Member Owen F. Gaede Committee Member
Keywords	Women In Science Women's Program Gender Issues Gender Equity Activity Theory Situated Learning
Date of Defense	2005-06-09
Availability	unrestricted
Abstract National reports such as National Science Foundation’s highlight women’s disproportionate distribution and differential treatment in the science, mathematics, and engineering (SM&E) fields, in both education and the workforce in the US. Women are less likely than men to choose a career that involves SM&E, and are more likely than men to earn bachelor's degrees in non-science and non-engineering fields. The need for support and encouragement is obvious for women already in college intending to pursue a major in a SM&E field. Comprehensive support networks can be and are established through programs for women entering college and willing to pursue careers in SM&E fields. The context of this research was the Program for Women in Science, Engineering and Mathematics (PWISEM) established in 2001 by a Southern teaching and research university in the US. I constructed a thorough theoretical lens by interweaving the theory of situated learning/legitimate peripheral participation and the cultural-historical activity theory. I explored the interactions and contradictions that affected the science identity formation of the PWISEM students, how they identified themselves as future scientists, and the key factors PWISEM involved in motivating and supporting women students in their intended SM&E majors. The design of the research was dominant-less dominant, the dominant approach being qualitative and the less-dominant being quantitative. The Program was successful in fostering the participation and retention of undergraduate women in SM&E. However, the women in the Program were more likely to internalize the status quo in the SM&E realms without actively challenging it (liberal feminist approach). To change the masculine culture embedded in SM&E, engaging in activism is essential. This research suggests that in fact, programs like PWISEM provide promising contexts for reforming the SM&E culture to be more appealing and inclusive of all. I suggest that there can be both explicit and implicit ways of transformation within such contexts and argue that the implicit approach is more powerful. This research also informs the theory of situated learning in that newcomer interactions are a key aspect and their actions should be understood to involve much more than knowledge circulation.
Files	Filename       Size       Approximate Download Time (Hours:Minutes:Seconds)     28.8 Modem   56K Modem   ISDN (64 Kb)   ISDN (128 Kb)   Higher-speed Access    dissertation-Ajda_Kahveci-07july05.pdf 1.55 Mb 00:07:11 00:03:41 00:03:14 00:01:37 00:00:08