id10341800 pdfMachine by Broadgun Software - a great PDF writer! - a great PDF creator! - http://www.pdfmachine.com http://www.broadgun.com Doing Science: Lessons Learned from the Oral Histories of Women Scientists A dissertation submitted to the Division of Research and Advanced Study of the University of Cincinnati In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctorate of Education (Ed.D) In the Department of Educational Foundations of the College of Education 2005 by Laura Ann Koehl B.A. Biology, Thomas More College, 1980 M.S. Biology, Illinois State University, 1983 Committee Chair: Annette Hemmings, Ph.D. Abstract The major purpose of this study was to examine, through the use of oral history technique, the lived experiences of seven women scientists and the factors that affected their pursuit of science. Numerous reports indicate that while women are gaining ground in the sciences, they are behind their male counterparts in many areas and continue to face barriers (National Science Foundation Report, 2002; Wilson, 2004). There is still work to be done to understand how gender differences in science participation affect the lives of women scientists (Clewell and Campbell, 2002). The qualitative data from seven women’s histories was coded to identify emerging themes in the areas of family life, education and experiences with science. The seven women interviewed represented work in science, technology, engineering and math, had terminal degrees and 10 to 55 years of professional experience. Six themes were identified as major factors in the science careers of these women; experiences with science, support from others, an ethic of care, passions of the mind, self efficacy in science and belonging vs. marginality. Each of these had some impact on each woman’s sense of identity as a scientist and their strong sense of agency for accomplishing their career goals. The factors and influences that lead them to their careers speak to the ways in which they were able to overcome any barriers and become successful scientists. The stories of these women present a picture that is both consistent with and offers some challenge to the feminist critique of science. While their stories attest to the predominance of males in science they also refute that image in the way these women were able to create a science career for themselves that is not solely defined by the conditions of a male science. As the feminist critique suggests, gender is an important variable in the factors influencing the pursuit of science. While these women acknowledged the role of gender in their scientific experience they often saw it as outside themselves. This study offers some assertions that might be considered for further research into how women can successfully pursue science careers. A woman who has a head full of Greek like Madame Dacier or one who engages in debate about the intricacies of mechanics like Marquise du Chatelet, might just as well have a beard, for that expresses in more recognizable form the profundity for which she strives. Kant as quoted in Schiebinger, 1989 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES........................................................................................................................................ 3 CHAPTER 1 ................................................................................................................................................. 4 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM ................................................................................................................... 4 WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION IN SCIENCE ....................................................................................................... 4 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY ............................................................................................................................. 7 APPROACH.................................................................................................................................................. 8 WOMEN’S STORIES; EXEMPLARS OF EXPERIENCE .................................................................................... 10 RATIONALE AND USEFULNESS.................................................................................................................. 13 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY .................................................................................................................... 17 CHAPTER 2 ............................................................................................................................................... 18 LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................................................................... 18 FEMINIST CRITIQUE - SCIENCE AS SOCIALLY SITUATED........................................................................... 18 Feminist Standpoint Theory: Gender and the Male Nature of Science............................................... 21 Social context; Objectivity and Identity .............................................................................................. 23 Male Science: Controlling Nature and Women .................................................................................. 27 Women’s Scientists and the Nature of Science.................................................................................... 29 BARRIERS TO PARTICIPATION................................................................................................................... 31 INFLUENCES ............................................................................................................................................. 35 PEDAGOGY – CHANGES IN SCIENCE EDUCATION TO ATTRACT MORE WOMEN ........................................ 38 Models of Gender and Science............................................................................................................ 41 WOMEN PRACTICING SCIENCE ................................................................................................................. 42 CHAPTER 3 ............................................................................................................................................... 45 METHODS.................................................................................................................................................. 45 INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................................... 45 PARTICIPANTS .......................................................................................................................................... 46 DATA COLLECTION .................................................................................................................................. 48 TRUSTWORTHINESS .................................................................................................................................. 50 DATA ANALYSIS....................................................................................................................................... 52 CHAPTER 4 ............................................................................................................................................... 54 NARRATIVE OF FINDINGS................................................................................................................... 54 INTRODUCTION – EMERGING THEMES OF INFLUENCE .............................................................................. 54 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES WITH SCIENCE .................................................................................................. 57 CHILDHOOD MEMORIES ........................................................................................................................... 57 Practical Experiences ......................................................................................................................... 59 Encountering Stereotypes ................................................................................................................... 63 Experiences with Gender .................................................................................................................... 67 THE SUPPORT OF OTHERS – FAMILY, MENTORS, ROLE MODELS.............................................................. 73 Family ................................................................................................................................................. 73 Influential Others................................................................................................................................ 75 PASSIONS OF THE MIND............................................................................................................................ 79 Love of the Intellect............................................................................................................................. 79 Passion for the Profession .................................................................................................................. 83 ETHIC OF CARE......................................................................................................................................... 85 Responsibility to Others and the World .............................................................................................. 85 Teaching Others.................................................................................................................................. 90 SELF