Nguyen, Dao T.
(2023)
Asian American Women’s Success [Stories] in STEM Fields in Higher Education: A Phenomenological Narrative Research.
Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
My study used phenomenological narrative methodology to get insights into lived experiences of Asian American women (AAW) in STEM fields in higher education (HE). Conceptually, the feminist research approach overall guided my research inquiry. Theoretically, the intersectionality, cultures of the academy, leadership power, cumulative advantage, and social cognition framed my research design and data analysis to seek key factors most influencing the AAW’s career pipeline and advancement in STEM fields in HE. The findings presented in this dissertation were from two data sources: (1) forty-eight documents related to the participants’ institutions and their career pathway stories in varied STEM fields; and (2) ten in-depth semi-structured interviews with ten AAW at four-year universities across the US. My study informs that despite barriers rooted in the intersectionality of gender-based, racial, and hierarchical biases challenging them in different stages of their career pipeline, they have successfully advanced in their fields thanks to varied factors. Structurally at the macro level, they were supported by their institutional departments through their academic and work supervisors, advisors, mentors, and faculty. National, institutional, and departmental funding sources helped retain them in professional education and development. Pedagogy and leadership training programs prepared them to become tenured faculty and field leaders. They also had amicable and supportive work teams and social networks. In the family, their parents and husband provided them with encouragement and support so that they could retain and focus on their professional development. Race-and-ethnicity-liked-community was also a significant facilitator for their life and work. Individually at the micro-level, they stood out in their fields with their significant growth mindset and mind tools – a clear vision for their career choice, positive thinking, perseverance, resilience, time and conflict management, work/study-family balance, and bi-cultural competence.
My study provides implications for the nation, organizations/institutions on how to consolidate such established higher education values as academic freedom and shared governance and to improve their policy and praxis to facilitate more AAWs to advance in STEM fields and for individual AAWs on how to prepare themselves to be successful in their STEM career in HE.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
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| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
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| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
21 September 2023 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
24 May 2023 |
| Approval Date: |
21 September 2023 |
| Submission Date: |
10 August 2023 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
218 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
School of Education > Administrative and Policy Studies |
| Degree: |
PhD - Doctor of Philosophy |
| Thesis Type: |
Doctoral Dissertation |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
Feminist research; intersectionality; cultures of the academy; leadership power; phenomenological narrative methodology; success case method; policy and praxis |
| Date Deposited: |
21 Sep 2023 20:50 |
| Last Modified: |
17 Aug 2024 14:30 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/45319 |
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