Educational pathways of Black women physicists: Stories of experiencing and overcoming obstacles in life

Rosa, Katemari; Mensah, Felicia Moore

doi:10.1103/physrevphyseducres.12.020113

Cited by 144 publications

(91 citation statements)

References 33 publications

(41 reference statements)

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“…This previous work has demonstrated the critical importance of thorough undergraduate preparation [26] and the unfortunate reality of harassment and exclusionary behavior experienced by women in graduate physics and astronomy programs [24,28]. Further work has been done outside the purview of physics education research which is also important to consider here, and beyond [32][33][34].…”

Section: A Women In Physics (And Astronomy)mentioning

confidence: 97%

Educational supports and career goals of five women in a graduate astronomy program

Barthelemy

McCormick

Henderson

et al. 2020

Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res.

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The topic of women in graduate education has been central to many calls for action in increasing diversity and inclusion in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The field of physics has been particularly resistant to change in the significant overrepresentation of men, while also being similar to the field of astronomy which has a higher overall representation of women than many other physical sciences. Little research has been done in the field of astronomy to better understand how women can be supported in other physical sciences. This paper presents an analysis of five women students in a U.S. astronomy graduate program. The results indicate the women in this study relied on student-student collaboration to succeed through their coursework and exams, while faculty and post-doctorate support were critical for their research perseverance. Furthermore, the career goals of these successful students indicate the importance of considering multiple life goals in determining a student's pathway, and potentially suggests that the way faculty careers progress needs to be reconsidered if the field wants more diverse faculty and role models.

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Section: A Women In Physics (And Astronomy)mentioning

confidence: 97%

Educational supports and career goals of five women in a graduate astronomy program

Barthelemy

McCormick

Henderson

et al. 2020

Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Similarly, Howard () explained that to carry out the day‐to‐day activities of their lives, members of the dominant group in any society are not necessarily required to know anything about those outside the dominant culture. We have found such a critical race critique throughout STEM education research (McGee, ; Mutegi, ; Ridgeway & McGee, ; Ridgeway & Yerrick, ; Rosa & Mensah, ) particularly related to science and mathematics education reform. Critical race awareness and recognition of racial disparities can and should permeate conversations about diversity in engineering, but how do we initiate these conversations?…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We have found such a critical race critique throughout STEM education research (McGee, 2016;Mutegi, 2013;Ridgeway & McGee, 2018;Ridgeway & Yerrick, 2016;Rosa & Mensah, 2016) particularly related to science and mathematics education reform. Critical race awareness and recognition of racial disparities can and should permeate conversations about diversity in engineering, but how do we initiate these conversations?…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Exploring the White and male culture: Investigating individual perspectives of equity and privilege in engineering education

Eastman

Miles

Yerrick

2019

J of Engineering Edu

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Background Engineering education in the United States has been accused of favoring White men at the exclusion of those traditionally underrepresented in engineering. However, contrary to the culturally responsive literature addressing approaches to “colorblindness,” engineering faculty believe they should treat all students equally. Purpose This study explored conceptions of equity and privilege present within the culture of engineering education, particularly the White male population. Method This longitudinal qualitative study investigated the experiences of one longtime engineering professor, an insider to the culture of engineering confronted with conceptions of his own privilege. We analyzed interview, focus group, and field note data to evaluate shifts in our participant's perspective while he was enrolled in a doctoral program that challenged his views of race, privilege, and equity. Results Our participant was initially opposed to conceptions of his own privilege. Through repeated challenges to his beliefs about privilege coupled with reflections on his experiences and positioning in society, his beliefs shifted toward recognizing inequities based on class and race. Conclusions In a discipline with an overrepresentation of White men, there can be resistance to addressing topics of equity and privilege. However, it is possible for engineering educators, despite their race and gender, to change their beliefs related to the culture of engineering education and to address inequities within engineering departments and classrooms.

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“…In PER, thematic analysis of qualitative interviews has been successful for documenting and understanding the experiences of underrepresented minorities. For example, Rosa and Mensah used such methods to examine the experiences and obstacles faced by six black women physicists [18]. While our six participants do not all identify as underrepresented minorities (although three do), the voices of new hires are not often heard from in physics education research.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hidden factors that influence success in the optics workforce

Leak

Santos

Reiter

et al. 2018

Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res.

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To prepare physics students for future careers, educators need to understand the skills and other factors necessary for entry and success on the job. Often these insights are based on CEOs, HR personnel, and managers, who provide broad perspectives regarding successful attributes of new hires. However, such insights are often more general and disconnected from specific jobs than insights gained from entry-level employees who recently transitioned from school to work. Using in-depth descriptive summaries and thematic analysis from interviews with six recently hired technicians and engineers in the field of optics, we explored factors that influenced their entry and success on the job. Six themes arose: documentation, computational skills, specialized learning, question asking, tinkering skills, and navigating cultural differences. We discuss the implications of these themes in both their value to employees as well as integration into the physics curriculum.

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Educational pathways of Black women physicists: Stories of experiencing and overcoming obstacles in life

Cited by 144 publications

References 33 publications

Educational supports and career goals of five women in a graduate astronomy program

Educational supports and career goals of five women in a graduate astronomy program

Exploring the White and male culture: Investigating individual perspectives of equity and privilege in engineering education

Hidden factors that influence success in the optics workforce

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