Meeting the future demands of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) requires cultivating a diverse workforce. However, historically underrepresented groups--such as Black, Hispanic, and American Indian individuals; first-generation college students; those who are socioeconomically challenged; and women--have struggled to achieve…

The fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are being refined to prepare learners for 21st-century careers. The jobs in the STEM fields are on the rise, but there is still a lack of representation of women in these fields. Gender stereotypes and biased viewpoints on gender may prevent female interest and success in STEM…

For many years, there have been discrepancies between masculine and feminine populations in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. The problem was the gender disparity in middle and high school STEM classrooms, in which teachers often lack an understanding of the underlying reasons and measures needed to lessen the gender…

Previous studies focused on women of color in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields have effectively neglected Asian American women because Asian Americans are well represented in STEM fields. Reflective of the invisible and model minority stereotypes, Asian Americans are often cast as high-achieving students, irrelevant…

Students' motivational beliefs about physics can influence their engagement and performance in physics as well as retention in their majors and careers. Students from underrepresented groups in physics such as women may not have enough encouragement and role models to help them develop strong motivational beliefs in physics. The societal…

This dissertation examines gender differences in career advancement outcomes among academic science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) scientists. In particular, this research examines effects of gender, PhD advisors and postdoctoral supervisors mentoring resources and gender homophily in the mentoring dyads on the career advancement…

In this inquiry I used Black Feminist Thought as the interpretive lens to investigate the characterizations and experiences of high achieving Black women undergraduate engineering and mathematics majors at a predominantly white institution. The qualitative inquiry considered intersecting oppressions to evaluate the experiences of this population.…

Vastly underrepresented in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) industries, women make up less than one-quarter of the nation's STEM workforce (United States Department of Commerce, 2017). In particular, women who are the first in their families to attend college are alarmingly less present within STEM disciplines than those whose…

The curriculum used in educating young people has the ability either to serve as a catalyst for the development of a science identity or potentially sway individuals away from the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). This study critically analyzed gender representation across 10 secondary education biology/life science…

This study explores the representation of women in computer science at the tertiary level through data collected about undergraduate computer science education at Kabul University in Afghanistan. Previous studies have theorized reasons for underrepresentation of women in computer science, and while many of these reasons are indeed present in…