Gender,Race and Career Success in the Academic Profession

Abstract

Processes underlying the continuing under‐representation of women and members of minority ethnic groups in the academic profession were investigated by examining the career histories of professors in law and biology. Careers in law differ markedly from those in biology. In the academic profession the foundations of success are laid in the early stages of careers when it is important to acquire self‐confidence. Informal networks and patronage are a feature of the academic profession. The relationship between positive self‐evaluations of academic ability and the judgements of senior members of the profession is problematic. The significance of racial and gender stereotypes in these processes needs further investigation.     

Gender Differences for Optimism, Self-esteem, Expectations and Goals in Predicting Career Planning and Exploration in Adolescents

An Australian sample (N=467) of high school students was administered scales tapping optimism, self-esteem, career expectations, career goals, career planning and career exploration. The study tested a career mediational model based on social cognitive career theory (SCCT) and cognitive–motivational–relational theory (CMR). It was hypothesized that the stable person inputs of optimism and self-esteem would predict career planning and career exploration through the variables of career expectations and career goals differentially for young males and females. For males, optimism and self-esteem influenced career expectations, sequentially predicting career goals, career planning and career exploration. A different pathway was identified for females, with optimism directly influencing career goals, which subsequently predicted career planning and career exploration. Self-esteem predicted career expectations, which then directly influenced career planning and career exploration by bypassing career goals. Results are discussed in the context of SCCT and CMR.     

Beyond Beliefs: Parent and Child Behaviors and Children''s Perceived Academic Competence

Examined the relations of parent and child behaviors with children's perceptions of their academic competence. 74 high-achieving third-grade children, with varying levels of perceived academic competence, were observed working with mothers and fathers both on solvable tasks (Period 1) and during a period that included some unsolvable tasks (Period 2). Results indicated that children's perceived academic competence was positively related to father warmth, both at Period 1 and at Period 2. Children's perceived academic competence was also positively related to their own behavior when working with fathers at Period 2. Specifically, children with higher perceived academic competence showed more emotional restraint and were more self-reliant when working on tasks at Period 2 than were children with lower perceived academic competence. The results indicate that there are systematic, observable correlates of children's self-reports of their perceived academic competence.     

Academic Admission Requirements as Predictors of Counseling Knowledge,Personal Development,and Counseling Skills

The authors investigated whether undergraduates' scores on the Verbal and Quantitative tests of the Graduate Record Examinations and their undergraduate grade point average can be used to predict knowledge, personal development, and skills of graduates of counseling programs. Multiple regression analysis produced significant models predicting total Skilled Counselor Scale (S. Urbani et al., 2002) scores and total Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination (Center for Credentialing and Education, 2005) scores. No significant prediction model was found for the Counselor Skills and Personal Development Rating Form (M. P. Wilbur, 1991) Personal Factors scores. It is concluded that educators should recognize the limitations of these admission criteria and assign a weight to them on the basis of what they can and cannot predict.     

Academic Attitudes,Expectations, and Achievement

Scholars Who Teach: The Art of College Teaching: Edited by Steven M. Cahn: Nelson-Hall, Chicago, 1978, Cloth $14.95, Paper $7.95, 246 pages. Reviewed by Marilyn L. Schaefer.

Support for Teaching at Major Universities: Edited by Stanford C. Ericksen with John A. Cook.: Ann Arbor, Michigan: The Center for Research on Learning and Teaching, Fall, 1979. $3.00. Reviewed by Kurt F. Geisinger.     

Academic Intrinsic Motivation and Perceived Academic Competence in Greek Elementary Students with and without Learning Disabilities

The aim of this study was to examine differences in intrinsic motivation and perceived academic competence as well as in their association between 5th‐ and 6th‐grade students with learning disabilities (LD) (n= 40) and their typically achieving peers. Participants were 980 Greek elementary students from the metropolitan area of Athens. As predicted, students with LD showed lower intrinsic motivation and perceived academic competence than students without LD almost across all subscales. Exceptions were noticed in intrinsic motivation concerning curiosity/interest and history subscales as well as perceptions of academic competence in the subjects of history and science. Support was found that among typically achieving students intrinsic motivation was positively and significantly related at a moderate level to perceived academic competence across all subscales, as opposed to students with LD, for whom few correlations were found.     

构建先进性别文化,促进女性职业发展

落后的性别文化导致女性地位的缺失,是影响女性职业发展的最主要原因.建设先进性别文化,可以提高女性的主体意识,提高女性自我实现的欲望,对于女性的职业发展具有十分重要的意义.     

Examining Personal,Perceived, Treatment,and Self-Stigma in College Students: The Role of Parent Beliefs and Mental Health Literacy

ABSTRACT

Although college student mental health concerns are on the rise, many struggling students do not seek psychological treatment when needed. Stigma toward psychological treatment has been demonstrated to influence intent to seek treatment in college student populations. This study aimed to identify factors that predict treatment stigma in college students by examining other forms of student-held stigma, parent-held stigma, and mental health literacy. Results indicated that student-held personal, perceived, and self-stigma all predicted student attitudes toward treatment, while parent-held personal stigma was found to predict self-stigma in students. Those individuals who had received previous education about psychological disorders had lower levels of personal stigma, and, surprisingly, higher levels of self-stigma. Implications for campus outreach programming are discussed.     

Income Level, Gender, Ethnicity, and Household Composition as Predictors of Children''s School-based Competence

In the United States, being black, male, or growing up in a low-income and/or single-parent household have all been identified as risk factors for maladjustment during childhood. Interpretation of these findings is, however, often difficult because of the well-known associations among these variables. In the present study, we compared predictions of 3 different forms of children's competence from each of these 4 variables. In a sample of 868 black and white elementary school children from 2-parent and mother-headed 1-parent homes, we studied 3 aspects of school-based competence: conduct, peer relations, and academic achievement. Results showed that although the independent variables accounted for different amounts of variance in each domain of competence, income level and gender were better overall predictors of children's competence in conduct and peer relations than were ethnicity or household composition. Income level and ethnicity were better overall predictors of academic achievement than were gender or household composition, although each of the 4 variables made a significant contribution. Overall, income level and gender were thus the strongest predictors of children's competence. Black children were, however, more likely than white children to live in low-income homes. Our results thus highlighted some correlates of the unequal distribution of economic resources among black and white children growing up in the United States today.     

The Development and Validation of the Perceived Academic Underachievement Scale

Academic competence beliefs have been widely studied. However, conceptual and measurement efforts have not yet been directed toward understanding perceived underachievement (feeling that one's accomplishments fall below perceived capability). We conducted two studies in order to develop and examine validity evidence for the Perceived Academic Underachievement Scale (PAUS). Participants were individuals enrolled for credit in at least one post-secondary course. In Study 1, we evaluated content validity and conducted an exploratory factor analysis. In Study 2, we conducted a confirmatory factor analysis and investigated external validity. For both samples, PAUS demonstrated good internal consistency reliability, and items loaded strongly onto a single factor. PAUS was empirically distinct from a range of related constructs. Findings represent preliminary validation evidence.     

中学数学教研员的"专业知识""能力"及其"发展"

先让中学数学教研员对PKC发展现状进行自评,并对PKC的期望及其发展途径作出评价;然后通过开放性问题收集了教研员对PKC维度和PKC发展途径的补充意见;再通过多种量化分析方法,探索了教研员PKC的特征、教研员对PKC的期望、教研员的基本信息、教研员的PKC发展自评等之间的关系.结果表明,被试认同研究提出的PKC六维模型.虽然在不同维度的发展上存在差异,但总体而言,教研员对自己PKC的发展很有自信.因素分析显示,模型的6个维度可以进一步归纳为两个部分:(1)关于教与学的知识以及在指导和领导方面的能力;(2)关于学习内容、学生评价和信息技术运用方面的知识.被试认为,他们的专业发展途径包括:通过阅读、参加培训活动、参与和指导学校和跨地区的教研活动、观察和讨论课堂以及通过网络学习共同体进行经验分享,中学数学教研员专业水平的提升是这些途径共同作用的结果.     

Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy,Perceived Stress,and an Integrated Model of Student Persistence: A Structural Model of Finances,Attitudes, Behavior,and Career Development

In response to the extraordinarily diverse adult student population present in college today, a new structural equation model adapted from Cabrera et al. (1993) integrated model of student retention was identified with the addition of three variables: career decision-making self-efficacy (CDMSE), perceived stress and financial difficulty. The study examined the persistence of students (N = 937) 24 years of age or older studying in two-year and four-year degree programs, by combining data from a survey questionnaire and institutional records. Twenty-three variables were included, twelve endogenous variables and eleven exogenous variables, within a nonrecursive structural equation model. The exogenous variables controlled for the background characteristics of the population of adult students examined. Of the twelve endogenous variables of a new integrated model of student persistence, CDMSE, a career development construct related to the perceived vocational futures and career-related tasks of adult students has the widest range of influence among the endogenous variables.     

A Longitudinal-Sequential Study of Perceived Academic Competence and Motivational Beliefs for Learning Among Children in Middle School

The extent to which changes in children's self-assessments of their competence to master academic material are influenced by their developing beliefs about the causes of academic outcomes, goal orientation for learning, and study strategy use were examined in a longitudinal-sequential study. Fifth-, sixth-, and seventh-graders who transitioned to the middle level within the same school were asked to complete a self-report questionnaire for three consecutive years. Nearly two-thirds of the children were members of minority groups and slightly more than half were female students. Results showed that ability attributions for successful outcomes, mastery orientation, persistence, and self-monitoring strategy use predicted concurrent perceptions of academic competence for all grade levels. Initial self-perceived competence strongly predicted perceived academic competence one year later. No significant grade-level differences in self-perceptions of academic competence were found. The results were discussed in terms of a developing academic self-image.     

Personal and Contextual Contributors to Young Children's Activity-Based Perceived Self-Efficacy

This study investigated personal and contextual influences to young children's perceived self-efficacy (SE) in social and independent learning situations. The participants were children (n?=?24) 6–8 years old from four Finnish elementary school classrooms. First, teachers from each classroom were asked to rate their students’ social competence (SC). Second, the participants were videotaped in 45 social and 15 independent learning situations, and later interviewed about their SE perceptions using video-stimulated recall. Participants with higher SE demonstrated more stable perceptions and greater involvement in social learning situations. However, a statistically significant relationship between perceived SE and SC was not found. Participants also identified 4 factors promoting perceived SE: positive emotional states, mastery experiences, personal strategic behavior, and contextual support.     

Relationship of Student Grade Expectations,Selected Characteristics,and Academic Performance

Students (N=415) in three academic areas (education, engineering, and business) estimated their final grade in a course at the beginning, middle, and end of a term and completed the 16PF Questionnaire. Results indicated that the Ss initial grade estimate was most accurate. No differences were found between high (A, B) and low (C, D, F) achieving Ss. Ss with high academic averages underestimated, and Ss with low averages overestimated grades. Overestimating education Ss were less intelligent than underestimators and less assertive and mature than accurate and overestimating Ss. Underestimating business Ss were less mature than overestimators and possessed lower self-sentiment than accurate estimators.     

The Gender Wars,Academic Freedom and Education

Philosophical arguments regarding academic freedom can sometimes appear removed from the real conflicts playing out in contemporary universities. This paper focusses on a set of issues at the front line of these conflicts, namely, questions regarding sex, gender and gender identity. We document the ways in which the work of academics has been affected by political activism around these questions and, drawing on our respective disciplinary expertise as a sociologist and a philosopher, elucidate the costs of curtailing discussion on fundamental demographic and conceptual categories. We discuss some philosophical work that addresses the conceptual distinction between academic freedom and free speech and explore how these notions are intertwined in significant ways in universities. Our discussion elucidates and emphasises the educational costs of curtailing academic freedom.     

Service-Learning: Implications for the Academic,Personal, and Professional Development of Criminal Justice Majors

An exploratory senior and alumni survey was administered to better assess the experiential learning opportunities, including Service-Learning, offered to students in a criminal justice department. This article highlights the academic, personal and professional development of students, based on the perception of criminal justice majors in the department who completed a Service-Learning course. Educators continue to assess the academic outcomes for students and the benefits to the community. What may be less appreciated is how Service-Learning can also benefit students in their professional skills development. This article illustrates these potential benefits, and also discusses why Service-Learning courses are a critical part of development for criminal justice majors.     

Influence of Gender and Academic Risk Behavior on Career Decision Making and Occupational Choice in Early Adolescence

In this study we examined the main and interactive effects of academic risk status and gender on the early career development of adolescents, including career decision-making and occupational aspirations and expectations. Male adolescents were more likely than female adolescents to feel discouraged, lack necessary information about careers, perceive external barriers, and lack interest in making choices. Students identified as being at substantial academic risk were more likely to feel discouraged and indicate a lack of information needed to make career choices. Gender and at-risk status did not significantly influence occupational aspirations. However, adolescents at substantial academic risk reported significantly lower occupational expectations and had larger discrepancies between occupational aspirations and expectations than their peers. Implications of these findings for research and practice are examined.