These stories shed light on the successes and challenges of these women and point to opportunities for more research and future horizons for women in the maritime professions. © Copyright by Katherine M. McClellan March 26, 2020 All Rights Reserved A Qualitative Study on How Licensed-tracked Female Graduates from a Maritime Academy Have Advanced Professionally By Katherine M. McClellan A DISSERTATION Submitted to Plymouth State University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for candidacy for the degree of Doctor of Education Defended March 26, 2020 Degree Conferred May 2020 LICENSED-TRACKED FEMALE GRADUATES i ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The completion of this work would not have been possible without the encouragement and guidance of a number of people: Elliott Gruner, Ph.D., for his attention to detail and chairmanship of the dissertation team; Jessica Milam, Ph.D., for her expertise in the field and candid insights; and Jennifer Anderson, Ed.D., for her ongoing support and backing. It has been a pleasure to work with this team of dedicated professionals. Great appreciation goes to the women who were willing to be interviewed and to have their stories told. Hearing the lived experiences of these female officers has provided an authentic voice to the professional lives of merchant marine officers working on coastal and sea-going vessels. Their journeys may encourage others to follow similar career pathways. Thanks to the Z cohort. They are a talented group of scholars who will all make a difference in their chosen careers. Their support and encouragement has gone well beyond answering questions to truly being interested in a research topic that is basically unfamiliar to many of them. Special appreciation goes to my colleagues and to my parents for their faith in me and for their unwavering support. Their advice has kept me grounded and motivated to complete this long process and to learn from both constructive feedback and suggestions that there are numerous stages and highs and lows to writing and editing a manuscript. It is the drive, encouragement and support of others as well as my own self-empowerment that has enabled me to reach this milestone. LICENSED-TRACKED FEMALE GRADUATES ii Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................... i LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................ iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................ v Abstract ........................................................................................................................ vii Chapter 1 – Introduction and Purpose of the Study ....................................................... 1 Background of the Problem ....................................................................................... 1 Conceptual Framework .............................................................................................. 6 Background of the Problem Statement .................................................................... 10 Problem Statement ................................................................................................... 12 Research Question .................................................................................................... 13 Research Focus ......................................................................................................... 13 Key Terms ................................................................................................................ 15 Rationale .................................................................................................................. 19 Delimitations ............................................................................................................ 20 Summary .................................................................................................................. 21 Chapter Two - Literature Review ................................................................................ 22 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 22 Military Culture ........................................................................................................ 23 Hierarchal system. ................................................................................................ 23 Workplace dynamics in the military. ................................................................... 27 Recruitment and retention of military women. .................................................... 32 Maritime institutions. ........................................................................................... 34 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) ............................... 37 Undergraduate women in science and engineering. ............................................. 43 Graduate school perspective. ............................................................................... 45 Self-efficacy. ........................................................................................................ 46 Social coping. ....................................................................................................... 48 Glass-Ceiling Effect ................................................................................................. 52 Mentorship ............................................................................................................... 57 Female Leaders ........................................................................................................ 60 Government Agencies .............................................................................................. 68 International maritime organization. .................................................................... 68 Women’s international shipping and trading association. ................................... 69 Maritime administration. ...................................................................................... 70 LICENSED-TRACKED FEMALE GRADUATES iii Massachusetts maritime academy. ....................................................................... 72 Law enforcement. ................................................................................................. 74 Summary .................................................................................................................. 77 Chapter 3 –Methodology .............................................................................................. 79 Research Design ....................................................................................................... 79 Phenomenological Approach ................................................................................... 80 Problem and Purposes Overview ............................................................................. 83 Participants ............................................................................................................... 84 Sampling and Population ......................................................................................... 85 Recordkeeping .......................................................................................................... 87 Researcher Bias and Credibility ............................................................................... 87 Interviewing Framework .......................................................................................... 88 Interview Questions ................................................................................................. 89 Interview Procedure ................................................................................................. 89 Interview Guidelines ................................................................................................ 90 Study Protocol .......................................................................................................... 92 Method of Assessment ............................................................................................. 93 Summary .................................................................................................................. 95 Chapter 4 – Data Analysis and Findings ...................................................................... 97 Purpose of the Study ................................................................................................ 98 Research Questions Guiding Study .......................................................................... 98 Methodology ............................................................................................................ 99 Study Participants ................................................................................................... 101 Data Assembling .................................................................................................... 102 Coding Process ....................................................................................................... 104 The Data and Data Analysis ................................................................................... 105 Sailing Background of the Participants .................................................................. 105 A glimpse into their work world. ....................................................................... 106 The Participants .....................................................................................................