Background: Despite a well-documented underrepresentation of women in STEM majors and occupations, empirical evidence on whether there really is a "leaky STEM pipeline" is mixed due to a lack of methodological consistency. Studies vary by (1) the definition of STEM, (2) the decision to measure choices alone or to also include…

Purpose: This paper aims to demonstrate how Alayah, a 16-year-old African American girl, leverages multiple expressive modes for intersectional self-representation as speculative design. Here, speculative design refers to a multimodal composition (i.e. digital collage) which leverages multiple expressive modes for intersectional self-celebration…

The Impostor Phenomenon (IP) refers to the psychological experience of individuals mistakenly perceiving themselves as incompetent, despite external evidence of their success. Research has highlighted the prevalence of impostor feelings within academic settings, particularly among women. To better understand the gender gap in academia, our…

This study is an investigation of the English language learning aspirations and deprivations of female rural migrant youth in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) schools in two locales in western China. This study adopted basic interpretive research focused on individual voices and experiences. The capability approach provided…

The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of Afghan women refugees in community colleges. Using Yosso's (2005) community cultural wealth theory, the study explored Afghan women's motivation for attending college, the experiences that brought them to the college, the challenges they experienced while navigating the institution,…

Upward social mobility is often framed in research in ways that may disguise the unique journeys that Women of Color travel in college and as they aspire toward graduate degrees. This assets-based approach to a multisite case study explored how undergraduate Women of Color who aspire toward graduate education viewed the meaning of their potential…

Students with disabilities have higher rates of attention problems than those without disabilities. This can impede their academic success and postsecondary transition, but these effects have not been well-studied. Understanding these effects is especially critical among high school girls with disabilities who additionally experience significant…

Students with disabilities have higher rates of attention problems than those without disabilities. This can impede their academic success and postsecondary transition, but these effects have not been well-studied. Understanding these effects is especially critical among high school girls with disabilities who additionally experience significant…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore Somos Escritoras, a creative space and writing workshop, for Latina adolescent girls (grades 6-8), as a program that supports not only writing and literacy development of girls, but also their college going identities. Design/methodology/approach: This is a case study focused on the experiences of…

This study examines the challenges of female doctoral students in China at the intersection of neoliberal education and Confucian gender roles. Employing qualitative interviews with 12 students, it explores how they navigate academic pressures and societal expectations. Leveraging Margaret Archer's reflexivity theory, key findings show that these…

The problem addressed by this proposed study is that nontraditional African-American female college students in the United States experience more underlying issues with balancing the demands of work, school, and life than their non-minority peers. The proposed quantitative, correlational study investigated if and to what extent a relationship…

This study identifies women college engineering students' perception of online Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning and factors that influence their learning motivation during the COVID-19 period. By conducting interviews with ten women engineering students and applying attention, relevance, confidence, and…

This dissertation examined the motivation and source of support for first-generation Latina community college students who aspire to transfer to a four-year institution. The study is informed by Yosso's Community Cultural Wealth model, to explore how participants navigate their school environment and the vertical transfer process through an…

This study examined the long-term effects of perceived educational and career barriers due to sexism and racism in college students' pursuit of postgraduate education (PE) and how such effects were different across gender and racial majority/minority groups. With a sample of 2,717 undergraduate students, results from multinomial logistic…

Higher education for females is an indicator of development, democracy and gender equity, particularly necessary for a nation like Cameroon which attempts to become an emerging country by 2035. Hence, this paper is focused on ascertaining female aspirations to higher education for access and effective participation. In so doing, a study that…