2014 GSA Annual Meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia (19–22 October 2014)

Paper No. 72-10
Presentation Time: 3:45 PM

GENDER IN THE GEOSCIENCES: FACTORS RELATED TO ACADEMIC AND CAREER CHOICE


PUGH, Kevin1, PHILLIPS, Michael1, BERGSTROM, Cassendra1, SEXTON, Julie M.2 and RIGGS, Eric M.3, (1)School of Psychological Sciences, University of Northern Colorado, Campus Box 94, Greeley, CO 80639, (2)Mathematics and Science Teaching Institute, University of Northern Colorado, Ross Hall 1210, Campus Box 123, Greeley, CO 80639, (3)College of Geosciences, Texas A&M University, Room 202, Eller O&M Building, MS 3148 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843

We investigated factors related to academic and career choice in the geosciences using Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT). We were particularly interested in identifying factors important for women as females comprise roughly 40% of degree completers and 20% of career geoscientists. SCCT proposes that academic and career choices are influenced by personal, environmental, and behavioral factors. For personal factors, we measured student self-efficacy and interest/identity in the geosciences. Regarding environmental factors, we assessed institutional barriers and supports and students' perceived connection to their instructors. For behavioral factors, we examined transformative learning experiences (TE; i.e., when students apply learning in their everyday lives).

We collected survey data from six US geoscience programs. A total of 408 individuals (64% female) completed a pre- and post-survey. Participants were majors (38%) and non-majors (62%). The personal factors, barriers and supports, and TE scales were adapted from previously validated measures. The connection to instructor scale and the outcome variable scales (inclination to major, confidence in major, intent to pursue a career) were developed for this study. All measures had acceptable reliability statistics.

Hierarchical multiple regression was used to explore whether the personal, environmental, and behavior factors predicted academic and career choice. Interest/identity and transformative experience were significant predictors of all three outcome variables. Institutional barriers and supports were significant predictors of confidence in major while connection to instructor was a significant predictor of intent to major and intent to pursue a career. When exploring gender differences, more variance was explained for females and connection to instructor and transformative experience were only significant predictors for females. In addition, females reported lower levels of interest/identity, self-efficacy, social support, connection to instructor, and transformative experience.

Implications are that instructors can support the recruitment and retention of women in the geosciences by developing stronger connections with students and teaching for transformative experience.

Session No. 72

T62. Supporting Student Success in Colleges and Universities I
Sunday, 19 October 2014: 1:00 PM-5:00 PM
210 (Vancouver Convention Centre-West)
Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 46, No. 6, p.191
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