Date of Award

5-2014

Level of Access Assigned by Author

Open-Access Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Education

Advisor

Susan Gardner

Second Committee Member

Elizabeth Allan

Third Committee Member

Amy Blackstone

Abstract

Research indicates that women and minority faculty often experience disparate socialization experiences in academia (Clark & Corcoran, 1986; Tierney & Bensimon, 1996; Tierney & Rhoads, 1994). For faculty, a positive socialization experience can lead to a successful academic career, whereas a negative one can cause alienation and departure (Tierney & Rhoads, 1994). Faculty attrition rates are higher for women than for men (Menges & Exum, 1983; Rothblum, 1988), and at high prestige institutions, women and faculty of color may have higher rates of attrition (Olsen, Maple, & Stage, 1995). Currently, the majority of international faculty members are employed at research universities and concentrated at the most prestigious universities in the US (Chow & Bhandari, 2011). This study focuses on the socialization experiences of international women faculty through a gendered view of socialization (Tierney & Bensimon, 1996). Employing a qualitative design, I explored the socialization experiences of 12 international faculty members working at one research university in the US. The data gathered from both individual and focus group interviews with 12 participants highlight the significant role that culture, gender, and mentoring have in faculty members’ experiences, as well as the importance of the anticipatory socialization experience.

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