GSE/RES: Collaborative Research: Potential Recruits in Engineering: A Longitudinal Study of Diverse Academically-able Young Women's Views of Engineering as a Career

这项拟议中的研究是一项原创性的调查，旨在研究可能被招募到工程领域的有学术能力的年轻女性如何学习工程专业。这项为期三年的合作研究，采用参与式行动方法，定性方法和定量措施，将“种子”的妇女的工程作为一种职业的探索，然后研究如何种族，社会经济和地理上不同的年轻高中妇女来了解工程专业。它旨在分析年轻女性的职业探索之旅，塑造他们的职业意识的影响，以及他们的观点和感受，他们的职业选择在工程的探索经验和超越的结论。 这项研究将包括120个不同的（非洲裔美国人，拉丁美洲人，美洲印第安人和欧洲-美国）的参与者在3个州和11 sites.Intellectual MeritThe研究提供了一个新的视角和创新的方法来解决这个问题，为什么有这么少的妇女，包括妇女的颜色，在工程和如何可能减少这种不平衡？在研究的职业探索阶段，将鼓励具有学术能力但对工程不感兴趣的年轻女性指导并记录她们自己学习工程知识的方法。通过鼓励妇女自己的职业探索和思考，并使用当前和适合青年的通信技术，PI打算引出他们对工程作为一个研究领域和职业选择的“真实”观点。这种方法是不同的，从目前的许多研究，记录年轻女性缺乏兴趣和参与工程，但不直接调查年轻女性如何看待和感知的职业，而他们探索其职业潜力。此外，这项研究将通过确定年轻妇女对工程作为职业选择的态度和决策的特点和主题，为职业发展文献提供宝贵的信息。此外，通过检查不同的年轻女性自己的意见，随着时间的推移，这项研究将提供一个更深层次和更丰富的了解性别，青年和多元文化的立场，在工程professional.Broader ImpactsOn一个广泛的全国范围内，这项研究旨在发现和描述的职业生涯探索经验的不同人口的年轻女性。它还试图研究年轻妇女在考虑未来职业选择时对工程不感兴趣的原因。该研究旨在提供知识，以扩大工程劳动力，并支持目前在学术界和工业界正在进行的多样性和多元文化倡议。 调查结果的传播将通过高等教育，商业社区和专业协会，促进对那些在工程队伍中代表性不足的人的更深层次的敏感性。这将主要通过在专业协会会议上的演讲、在同行评审期刊和受欢迎的新闻场所以及网站上发表文章来实现。

The proposed research is an original investigation of how academically-able young women, who might be recruits to engineering, learn about the engineering profession. The collaborative three-year study, using participatory action methodology, qualitative methods, and quantitative measures, will "seed" the women's explorations of engineering as a career and then examine how racially, socio-economically, and geographically diverse young high school women come to know the profession of engineering. It aims to analyze the young women's career exploration journey, the influences that shape their sense of the profession, and their views and feelings about their career options in engineering at the conclusion of the exploration experience and beyond. The study will include 120 diverse (African American, Latina, American Indian, and Euro-American) participants in 3 states and 11 sites.Intellectual MeritThe study offers a new perspective and innovative methodology to address the question, why are there so few women, including women of color, in engineering and how might this imbalance be lessened? In the career exploration phase of the study, young women who are academically-able but not already interested in engineering will be encouraged to direct and document their own approach to what they learn about engineering. By encouraging the women's own career explorations and reflections, and using current and appropriate-for-youth communication technologies, the PIs intend to elicit their "authentic" perspectives on engineering as a field of study and a career choice. This approach is different from much current research that documents young women's lack of interest and participation in engineering but does not directly investigate how young women see and perceive the profession while they explore its career potential. In addition, the study will contribute valuable information to the career development literature by identifying features and themes of young women's attitudes and decision-making about engineering as a career option. Moreover, by examining diverse young women's own views over time, this research will provide a deeper and richer understanding of gender, youth, and multicultural standpoints in relation to the engineering profession.Broader ImpactsOn a broad national scale, this study seeks to discover and describe the career exploration experiences of a diverse population of young women. It also seeks to examine the reasons for the disinterest in engineering of young women as they consider future career options. The study aims to provide knowledge to expand the engineering workforce as well as to support diversity and multicultural initiatives currently underway in academia and industry. Dissemination of the findings will be through higher education, business communities, and professional societies, catalyzing deeper sensitivity toward those underrepresented in the engineering ranks. This will be accomplished primarily through presentations at professional association conferences, publications in peer-reviewed journals and popular press venues, and web sites.