>
Art

Research Papers in Physics and Astronomy

Diandra Leslie-Pelecky Publications

<Previous Article Next Article>

TITLE:

Self-Definition of Women Experiencing a Nontraditional Graduate Fellowship Program

AUTHOR(S):
Gayle A. Buck, Department of Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 118 Henzlik Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588-0355
Diandra Leslie-Pelecky, University of Nebraska -- Lincoln
Yun Lu, Office of Qualitative and Mixed Methods Research, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 213 Henzlik Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588-0345
Vicki L. Plano Clark, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 156 Behlen Laboratory, Lincoln, NE 68588-0111
John W. Creswell, Office of Qualitative and Mixed Methods Research, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 213 Henzlik Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588-0345

DOCUMENT TYPE: Article

Published in JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, VOL. 43, NO. 8, PP. 852–873 (2006). Copyright © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Used by permission. Available online at http://www.interscience.wiley.com

ABSTRACT:

Women continue to be underrepresented in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). One factor contributing to this underrepresentation is the graduate school experience. Graduate programs in STEM fields are constructed around assumptions that ignore the reality of women’s lives; however, emerging opportunities may lead to experiences that are more compatible for women. One such opportunity is the Graduate Teaching Fellows in K–12 Education (GK–12) Program, which was introduced by the National Science Foundation in 1999. Although this nontraditional graduate program was not designed explicitly for women, it provided an unprecedented context in which to research how changing some of the basic assumptions upon which a graduate school operates may impact women in science. This exploratory case study examines the self-definition of 8 women graduate students who participated in a GK–12 program at a major research university. The findings from this case study contribute to higher education’s understanding of the terrain women graduate students in the STEM areas must navigate as they participate in programs that are thought to be more conducive to their modes of self-definition while they continue to seek to be successful in the historically Eurocentric, masculine STEM fields.