Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), University of Dayton, 2021, Educational Leadership

The perspectives of engineering faculty have been explored in this study to answer research questions related to their perceptions of their role in the success and persistence of underrepresented minority students and self-efficacy related to the implementation of evidence-based teaching practices in engineering. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 faculty participants and interpreted through interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA). This study resulted in key findings which provides the host institution with insights which can inform faculty development and student success and persistence strategies for engineering administrators. The key findings from this qualitative research indicate engineering faculty in this study had a keen awareness of the high demand for engineering talent in the US, and also an awareness that engineering students have varied lived experiences, strengths, and challenges which can influence their educational engagement. Faculty also demonstrated the perspective that they play an important role in building critical relationships with students, which can serve as a catalyst to student support, guidance, encouragement, and persistence. Additionally, faculty discussed the importance of students having a broader support system, of especially peers, as well as the importance of having an internal motivation to succeed and persist in engineering. Finally, many engineering faculty expressed not originally considering teaching as a career path. This along with their expressed limitations in time, and the lack of required training early in their faculty careers, has resulted in a lack of self-efficacy in implementing evidence-based teaching practices known to promote URM student success and persistence in engineering.

Committee: Mary Ziskin (Committee Chair); Margaret Pinnell (Committee Member); Matthew Witenstein (Committee Member); Novea McIntosh (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Leadership; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2018, Management

There is a dearth of literature on STEM-educated self-employed or entrepreneurs, so this dissertation is a contribution to education, and Entrepreneurship theory and practice. The dissertation includes four studies to identify common career blueprints that individuals pursued to gain career success and job satisfaction to flourish. This mixed-methods qualitative, quantitative and quantitative-qualitative research examines what experiences effectively prepare STEM-educated majority and underrepresented minority students (URM) for the workforce when 74% of STEM-educated individuals are not employed in STEM fields (U.S. Census Bureau, 2014). Half of all majority white STEM degree holders go into a STEM job, but the likelihood is lower than 30% among underrepresented minority (URM) workers (ESA, 2011). These statistics point to the importance of educating URM STEM students with skills beyond a STEM degree to achieve career success and job satisfaction. This is concerning when government funding is focused on increasing U.S. STEM-educated in STEM fields. Study 1 is a qualitative study consisting of interviews with 38 individuals including 22 underrepresented minorities (URM) and 8 counselors whose insights were used to explore their definition and experiences of career success, education, transition into the workforce, diversity, workforce experience, and what fostered or hindered their career success. The study examines how individual experiences influence career success. The research revealed five characteristics common to career success: intrinsic satisfaction, the illusion that individuals can achieve career success based on their education alone, vocational experience, supportive guidance, and the presence of a personal champion. The research also suggests a need to educate individuals about the reality of the challenges of achieving successful careers and improvement in the career counseling process. Quantitative Study 2 focuses on job satisfaction of URM with (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Paul F. Salipante, Jr. Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Philip A. Cola Ph.D. (Committee Member); Richard J. Boland, Jr. Ph.D. (Committee Member); Chris Laszlo, Ph.D. (Committee Member); Bo Carlsson Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Business Education; Education; Engineering; Entrepreneurship; Mathematics; Minority and Ethnic Groups; Science Education; Technology