Motherhood in the Academy: A Qualitative Study of Experiences in Communication Sciences and Disorders

Purpose: Research has repeatedly shown that having children negatively affects the early academic careers of women. The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate whether this well-established negative impact in “science, technology, engineering, and math” applies to the discipline of communication sciences and disorders (CSD) as well as to examine what solutions or supports would ensure their retention and success. Method: A national survey of 84 academic mothers in CSD was conducted to capture their experiences. An inductive, qualitative approach to the analysis of the survey transcripts was implemented to distinctly understand the participants' views and experiences of the interaction of motherhood and their academic careers. Qualitative research methods were used to provide a systematic way to explore complicated subjects that cannot be isolated from their contexts. Results: Analyses of the survey data revealed five major themes, including Balance, Expectations, Support, Solutions, and Fertility . Results of the survey indicate that academic mothers broadly feel as though they are being asked to choose which aspect of their lives they care about more (career or family). They also indicated that simple solutions, many of which have been implemented at various academic institutions, would alleviate many of their barriers to success and well-being. Conclusions: The findings of this exploratory study emphasize alignment with national data detailing the barriers academic mothers face within the academy within the discipline of CSD. Implications for change include developing supportive cultures around families, support with child care financials and logistics, autonomy around scheduling, and flexible positions.

Building better organizational rebrands: exploring the employee viewpoint

While organizational rebranding as abusiness phenomenon has become commonplace,it is accompanied bya startling failure rate and typically high cost. Employees play an important role in representing an organization’s brand, but researchers have virtually ignored the employee perspective of these initiatives. This qualitative case study addressed that gap by exploring the employee viewpoint of a rebranding initiative including the employees’suggestions on ways to be engaged to strengthen buy-in and alignment with the new brand. Based on employee input, current rebranding theory was reinforced and two new barriers to success were discovered and proposed. This study concluded that with a better understanding of employee viewpoints, organizations are able to generate better rebranding outcomes for their stakeholders, including customers, organization leaders, organizers of these initiatives and, of course, for employees.

Archaeological Sites’ Management, Interpretation, and Tourism Development—A Success Story and Future Challenges: The Case of Bibracte, France

Bibracte is described as a well-managed property with significant heritage value. Even as the site’s managing body and its partners continue to deliver encouraging and engaging projects, there are barriers to success. Thus, the primary purpose of this study was to identify and analyze the possible future challenges that the current management may encounter. This study used a field work methodology, and comprised interviews, observations, guided visits, discussions, discourse analysis, and the review of an important corpus of material, from which conclusions were drawn. Significant problems arising from various causes were identified. The results reveal that despite the appropriate heritage management, interpretation, and tourism development practices, the heritage and tourism potential remain not fully captured. The management of the site has established its notoriety as an important research center for experimental and educational archaeology, rather than as an important tourist attraction. Thus, the site has failed to become a popular tourist destination. These difficulties are said to have been molded and enforced by imperatives connected to the site and its surroundings, as well as the Réseau des Grands Sites de France title. This research may contribute to elucidating heritage sites and their unknown management difficulties, which will be beneficial to the sites’ employees and visitors.

A Systematic Review of Barriers to Accessing Undergraduate Research for STEM Students: Problematizing Under-Researched Factors for Students of Color

While the benefits of undergraduate research experiences for students from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups have been well explored, more research is needed to better understand how students of color access these experiences. We summarize a non-structured review of literature that highlights barriers to success that students of color face in relation to STEM programming at the postsecondary level. Building from this, we report on a structured review of barriers to accessing undergraduate research. We discuss implications of the relative lack of research on access to undergraduate research for students of color at postsecondary institutions. We consider how barriers for the success and persistence of students of color in postsecondary STEM, overall, may manifest as barriers to accessing the undergraduate research experiences argued to help reduce these barriers. With the hope of guiding future relevant action, we put forth recommendations for researchers and practitioners.