More than an intervention: strategies for increasing diversity and inclusion in STEM

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 234-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sosanya Jones
Keyword(s):  
Graduate School ◽  
Graduate Program ◽  
Stem Fields ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Program Leaders ◽  
Diversity And Inclusion ◽  
Graduate School Preparation ◽  
School Preparation ◽  
Insight Into

Purpose This paper aims to provide insight into the strategies used by leaders of graduate school preparation programs for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to recruit and retain graduate students of color within STEM fields. Design/methodology/approach This paper is a qualitative multiple-case study using a snowball sample and semi-structured interview protocol. Twenty interviews were conducted. Findings Graduate program leaders use particular strategies to increase diversity and inclusion within graduate STEM education, and these strategies are strongly influenced by their institutional context. The most common strategies include collaboration, mapping the political terrain, evaluation, mediation, persistence, persuasion, networking in and outside of the institution, strategic planning, bargaining and negotiation, reaching out to the greater campus, and coalition building and developing allies. Research limitations/implications All of the institutions in this study were public research institutions. Further inquiry is needed on more diverse types of institutions. Practical implications The results of this study can be used by institutional and STEM program leaders who wish to increase diversity and inclusion. Social implications This research study raises awareness about an under-studied group of leaders, as well as the importance of considering context when developing strategic plans for increasing diversity and inclusion for STEM. Originality/value This study is unique because while graduate school preparation programs have become an important strategy for addressing diversity in STEM fields, research on these programs usually focuses only on student outcomes. This study provides rare insight into what is required to implement, sustain and expand these kind of diversity programs.

Diversity and inclusion in an emerging market context

2014 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 293-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Preeya Daya
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Market ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Diversity And Inclusion ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Line Manager ◽  
Interpersonal Level ◽  
Insight Into

Purpose – The extreme demographic misrepresentation of organisations is a key business and societal issue in South Africa (SA). The purpose of this paper is to provide organisations that are committed to the creation of a diverse and inclusive environment with key considerations that need to be managed in order to create more diverse drive transformation. Design/methodology/approach – This research uses a combination of quantitative and qualitative techniques to gain an understanding of the elements that need to be managed to enhance perception of inclusion in the SA workplace. Findings – The study finds that key inclusion elements that need to be transformed at an organisational level include “senior leadership”, “organisation climate”, “organisational belonging”, “communication” and “transparent recruitment, promotion and development”. At an interpersonal level or relational level, inclusion components include respect and acceptance, the “line manager/subordinate relationship” (which includes the subordinates experience of dignity, trust and recognition), “engagement” which includes decision-making authority and access to information, and finally the “individual's relationship with the organisation's vision and values”. Finally, at an individual level, factors which influenced inclusion, and therefore required attention in recruitment or management were “personality”, “locus of control”, self-confidence which includes self-esteem and “power”. Research limitations/implications – While this research facilitated “deep” insight into the diversity and inclusion components, this study could have been enriched through exploring diversity and inclusion in other organisational contexts. Second, while the InclusionIndex™ survey provided a useful base measure of inclusion for this research, the use of a survey as the primary research tool might have been leading to the respondents. Third, because the InclusionIndex™ survey was used as the exploratory tool, and was the respondents’ first exposure to the diversity and inclusion terminology, the survey became the informal frame of reference for diversity and inclusion, and thus might have influenced the focus group discussion and semi-structured interview responses. Practical implications – Using these diversity and inclusion considerations, leaders of pluralistic and multicultural organisations can focus their attention on developing inclusion areas that are weak and require more consideration. Second, this research aims to establish that inclusion extends beyond recruitment of diverse individuals to a process driven at organisational, interpersonal and individual levels. Originality/value – These management considerations are important and valuable because they can be used to guide systemic change in organisations, driven at organisational, interpersonal and individual levels. This approach will help organisations to move beyond employment equity compliance, to a commitment to multicultural diverse and inclusive organisations.

scholarly journals Graduate school preparation from the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program: A systematic review

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-53
Author(s):  
Rachel Renbarger
Keyword(s):  
Graduate School ◽  
Underrepresented Students ◽  
The United States ◽  
Student Growth ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Graduate Degree ◽  
Graduate Degrees ◽  
Graduate School Preparation ◽  
School Preparation ◽  
Post Baccalaureate

Underrepresented students attain a lower proportion of graduate degrees in the United States (US), demonstrating inequity in higher education. The Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program has been providing underrepresented students with supports to increase their ability to attain a graduate degree. A systematic literature review identified that the Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program promotes student growth in personal, social, and academic areas, as well as assist students enter graduate school. Few articles mentioned issues with the program but include students’ difficulties with socialization and the transition into graduate school. Limitations of the collected studies and possibilities for future research examining this program are included

LGBTI staff, and diversity within the Australian accounting profession

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 595-614 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Egan
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experience ◽  
Staff Retention ◽  
Sexual Diversity ◽  
Accounting Profession ◽  
Accounting Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Diversity And Inclusion ◽  
Big 4 ◽  
Second Tier ◽  
Insight Into

Purpose Large accounting firms lay claim today to a broad focus on staff diversity and inclusion. Related initiatives focus on gender, culture, age and sexuality. This paper aims to seek insight from publicly available discourse provided by the “Big 4” in Australia (Deloitte, Ernst and Young, KPMG and PwC), along with two second-tier firms, into the nature and drivers of diversity initiatives for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) staff. Design/methodology/approach Web-based discourse provided as at May 2017 is examined and analysed. Findings All six firms provided a range of related disclosures, suggesting that a cultural shift for LGBTI staff was underway. Detail provided on actual policies and procedures was limited, and a struggle was suggested, between balancing the needs of diverse staff, with concerns for some, perhaps, more conservative clients. Some repositioning of arguments was suggested, focussed on shifting responsibility to staff and on shifting the object of celebration from staff to the firm. Research limitations/implications This study is limited to an interpretation of carefully constructed publicly disclosed statements. Further studies could explore the lived experience of these apparent changes with staff. Practical implications Recruitment and staff retention continue to be on-going challenges within the accounting profession. This study provides insight into initiatives targeted to support LGBTI staff. Social implications Availing space to bring ‘whole selves’ into the workplace is an important element of creating a pleasant, comfortable and engaging environment for staff. This study provides insight into the perspective of employers on the importance of such initiatives. Originality/value Little attention has been directed to exploring sexual diversity in the workplace or to sexuality within accounting studies.

Graduate School Preparation within an Undergraduate Program (Work in Progress)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Carpenter ◽  
Nate Derbinsky ◽  
Yugu Yang-Keathley ◽  
Durga Suresh
Keyword(s):  
Graduate School ◽  
Undergraduate Program ◽  
Work In Progress ◽  
Graduate School Preparation ◽  
School Preparation

Speech-Language Pathologists' Perceptions of Their Preparation and Confidence for Providing Dysphagia Services

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 1666-1682
Author(s):  
Lena G. Caesar ◽  
Merertu Kitila
Keyword(s):  
Service Delivery ◽  
Graduate School ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
The United States ◽  
Academic Preparation ◽  
Speech Language Pathologists ◽  
Confidence Levels ◽  
Graduate School Preparation ◽  
Graduate Preparation ◽  
Significant Relationships

Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) regarding their academic preparation and current confidence levels for providing dysphagia services, and the relationship between their perceptions of graduate school preparation and their current levels of confidence. Method This study utilized an online survey to gather information from 374 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association–certified SLPs who currently provide dysphagia services in the United States. Surveys were primarily distributed through American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Special Interest Group forums and Facebook groups. The anonymous survey gathered information regarding SLPs' perceptions of academic preparation and current confidence levels for providing dysphagia services in 11 knowledge and skill areas. Results Findings indicated that more than half of respondents did not feel prepared following their graduate academic training in five of the 11 knowledge and skill areas related to dysphagia service delivery. However, about half of respondents indicated they were currently confident about their ability to provide services in eight of the 11 knowledge and skill areas. Findings also indicated that their current confidence levels to provide dysphagia services were significantly higher than their perceptions of preparation immediately following graduate school. However, no significant relationships were found between respondents' self-reported current confidence levels and their perceptions of the adequacy of their academic preparation. Conclusions Despite SLPs' low perceptions of the adequacy of their graduate preparation for providing dysphagia services in specific knowledge and skill areas immediately following graduation, they reported high confidence levels with respect to their actual service delivery. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Rethinking bibliographic utilities for library consortia

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (8) ◽  
pp. 7-9
Author(s):  
Israel Odede
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Paradigm Shift ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Distributed Network ◽  
Network Resources ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Library Consortia ◽  
Individual Ownership ◽  
Insight Into

Purpose The paper aims to critically examine the bibliographic utility as a roadmap to increase library consortia and provide an insight into a new library consortia strategy that integrates librarians into a system of sharing both resources and knowledge. Design/methodology/approach This study adopted a literature review approach with a focus on bibliographic utility as a necessary prerequisite for effective library consortia, which is a paradigm shift from the concept of individual ownership to a collective access of distributed network resources and knowledge. Findings The reviewed literature indicated that significant bibliographic utilities and integrated library systems are factors that shaped and developed consortia activities in libraries. Originality/value The bibliographic utility has limited literature, and a few published scholarly studies have combined bibliographic utility and library consortia as strategies to share resources and knowledge

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