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Engaging the Gatekeepers: Empowering Male Collegians to Promote Gender Equity in Engineering

Shoger, Suzanne Grassel
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1524234416029571

Abstract Details

2018, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Educational Studies.
Improving collegiate women’s access to and retention in engineering requires a multifaceted approach. Though a majority of existing interventions are aimed at changing women, strengthening their skills, and increasing their networks, little emphasis is directed at addressing the institutional factors that influence women’s opportunities for advancement (Cook & Glass, 2014; Ely, Ibarra, & Kolb, 2011). From a social justice perspective, research has demonstrated that allies, those from the dominant social group who understand the inequity placed on those in the minority, can be critical in addressing climate issues and promoting inclusivity (Harris & Edwards, 2010; Munin & Speight, 2010). Allies in Engineering (AIE) was created as a cohort of twelve male undergraduate and graduate engineering students who engaged in a co-curricular social justice education program over a period of one academic year designed to promote gender equity in an Engineering College (EC). Rather than situate responsibility for change solely with women (Lynch & Nowosenetz, 2009; Schafer, 2006), AIE was developed as a means of harnessing majority support, in this case males, as advocates for equity. While participating in social justice education focused on topics such as gender inequality, implicit bias, microaggressions, and systems of oppression, AIE cohort members were equipped to act as advocates and allies specifically for women in the EC, but also for other underrepresented groups. Through programming and outreach, this cohort also educated other EC community members, particularly men, on the importance of gender and other forms of equity. The methodological approach guiding this research was case study. The AIE cohort, inclusive of program sponsors (faculty and administrators) and archival materials, formed the unit of analysis, providing a structure for the collection and evaluation of data in this study. Analysis of AIE alumni focus group data, program sponsor interview data, and archival materials encompassed narratives of the collective and were examined through the lens of Weick’s (1995) seven elements of sensemaking to better understand the overall impact of the AIE program on participants. The focus of this study was to understand how the male cohort members as well as the sponsors of the program made sense of the initiative and of their roles as advocates and allies for gender equity in the EC. What emerged from this study was both larger and smaller than the capacity of one engineering college to effect change. The worldviews of several cohort members were reported to have been altered as a result of AIE. These students are now taking expanded views of inclusive environments and practices into their workplaces and into their adult lives, the impact of which will not be fully known for quite some time, if ever. Conversely, the majority of participants in this study, both students and program sponsors, agreed that the AIE initiative likely did not impact the climate of the EC in significant ways. While the program sponsors worked to make sense of the initiative, their basic views remained the same from the start of the program until the time of this study.
Tatiana Suspitsyna (Advisor)
Matthew Mayhew (Committee Member)
Collette Dollarhide (Committee Member)
206 p.
Education; Educational Leadership; Engineering; Gender; Gender Studies; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration; Womens Studies
Gender equity; gender; engineering education; allies; diversity; higher education; sensemaking; women in engineering

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Shoger, S. G. (2018). Engaging the Gatekeepers: Empowering Male Collegians to Promote Gender Equity in Engineering [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1524234416029571

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Shoger, Suzanne. Engaging the Gatekeepers: Empowering Male Collegians to Promote Gender Equity in Engineering . 2018. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1524234416029571.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Shoger, Suzanne. "Engaging the Gatekeepers: Empowering Male Collegians to Promote Gender Equity in Engineering ." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1524234416029571

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1524234416029571
436
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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.