The lack of women entering certain STEM fields impacts female representation in research faculty, teacher faculty, and leadership positions in higher education. Through a narrative inquiry methodology utilizing the theoretical paradigms of self-determination theory and relational autonomy, this study extended understanding of the factors that motivate persistence for women in certain STEM fields. While prior research focused on understanding the barriers to retention, this study sought to identify the factors motivating retention for women in certain STEM fields. The results of this study contribute to understanding the motivating factors that influence a woman’s persistence in STEM. The data gathered from this study suggest that relationships, especially with a female mentor, are a significant factor motivating the persistence of women in STEM. This aligns with the concepts of relational autonomy, which posits that constructive relationships are necessary for autonomy to flourish in one’s life.
","abstract_html":"<p>The lack of women entering certain STEM fields impacts female representation in research faculty, teacher faculty, and leadership positions in higher education. Through a narrative inquiry methodology utilizing the theoretical paradigms of self-determination theory and relational autonomy, this study extended understanding of the factors that motivate persistence for women in certain STEM fields. While prior research focused on understanding the barriers to retention, this study sought to identify the factors motivating retention for women in certain STEM fields. The results of this study contribute to understanding the motivating factors that influence a woman’s persistence in STEM. The data gathered from this study suggest that relationships, especially with a female mentor, are a significant factor motivating the persistence of women in STEM. This aligns with the concepts of relational autonomy, which posits that constructive relationships are necessary for autonomy to flourish in one’s life.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Constantinou, Andrea"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Ed.D. Doctor of Education","degree_level":"Dissertation - Public Access","degree_discipline":"Higher Education Leadership","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Bettyjo Bouchey"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2024,"date_issued":"2024-06-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2024-06-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:21:12Z","subjects":["STEM","women","motivation","persistence","autonomy","faculty","Higher Education"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/779","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Bettyjo Bouchey"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Constantinou, Andrea"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2023-11-21T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Higher Education Leadership"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation - Public Access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ed.D. Doctor of Education"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["STEM","women","motivation","persistence","autonomy","faculty","Higher Education"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/779"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The lack of women entering certain STEM fields impacts female representation in research faculty, teacher faculty, and leadership positions in higher education. Through a narrative inquiry methodology utilizing the theoretical paradigms of self-determination theory and relational autonomy, this study extended understanding of the factors that motivate persistence for women in certain STEM fields. While prior research focused on understanding the barriers to retention, this study sought to identify the factors motivating retention for women in certain STEM fields. The results of this study contribute to understanding the motivating factors that influence a woman’s persistence in STEM. The data gathered from this study suggest that relationships, especially with a female mentor, are a significant factor motivating the persistence of women in STEM. This aligns with the concepts of relational autonomy, which posits that constructive relationships are necessary for autonomy to flourish in one’s life.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Persistence of Female Faculty in STEM"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Bettyjo Bouchey"],"dc:creator":["Constantinou, Andrea"],"dc:date.available":["2023-11-21T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The lack of women entering certain STEM fields impacts female representation in research faculty, teacher faculty, and leadership positions in higher education. Through a narrative inquiry methodology utilizing the theoretical paradigms of self-determination theory and relational autonomy, this study extended understanding of the factors that motivate persistence for women in certain STEM fields. While prior research focused on understanding the barriers to retention, this study sought to identify the factors motivating retention for women in certain STEM fields. The results of this study contribute to understanding the motivating factors that influence a woman’s persistence in STEM. The data gathered from this study suggest that relationships, especially with a female mentor, are a significant factor motivating the persistence of women in STEM. This aligns with the concepts of relational autonomy, which posits that constructive relationships are necessary for autonomy to flourish in one’s life.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/779"],"dc:subject":["STEM","women","motivation","persistence","autonomy","faculty","Higher Education"],"dc:title":["Persistence of Female Faculty in STEM"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Higher Education Leadership"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation - Public Access"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ed.D. Doctor of Education"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:21:12Z"}