Mentoring and sponsorship in higher education institutions: men’s invisible advantage in STEM?

ABSTRACT

This article is concerned with the source of men’s invisible advantage in the male-dominated disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). It is suggested that this advantage has been obscured by combining sponsorship and mentoring. The research asks: Are men or women most likely to be mentored? Is it possible to distinguish between mentoring and sponsorship? Is there gender variation in either or both of these depending on the source – whether from the academic supervisor, line manager or other senior academics? This qualitative study draws on interview data from 106 respondents (57 men and 48 women) at high, mid and early levels, in four universities: one each in Bulgaria, Denmark, Ireland, and Turkey. It shows that both men and women received mentoring from their PhD supervisor, albeit with slightly different reported nuances. Men were more likely than women to receive sponsorship in that relationship. Both men and women received sponsorship from the Head of Department, whose wider responsibilities may have reduced homophily. Men were more likely than women to receive sponsorship and mentoring from senior men, with most women indicating a lack of access to such senior academics. By distinguishing between mentoring and sponsorship, this article contributes to our understanding of the way male dominance in STEM is perpetuated and suggests the source of men’s invisible advantage in STEM.     

Using Rhetorical/Relational Goal Theory to Examine College Students’ Impressions of Their Instructors

Guided by rhetorical/relational goal theory, the purpose of this study was to examine whether students’ impressions of their instructors’ credibility, attraction, and homophily are influenced by four specific rhetorical and relational communication behaviors that instructors use when communicating with their students in the classroom. Participants were 193 undergraduate students enrolled in a variety of introductory communication courses at a large mid-Atlantic university. Using a series of multiple regression analyses, it was found that (a) clarity emerged as the sole indicator of instructor competence, trustworthiness, and task attraction; (b) clarity and confirmation emerged as indicators of goodwill; and (c) humor and confirmation emerged as indicators of social attraction and attitude homophily.     

Intergenerational Transmission of Traditional and Contemporary Gender Ideologies via Father-Son Memorable Messages

The purpose of this study was to investigate the memorable messages (N = 198) fathers transmit to sons about “being a man.” Five dominant themes emerged from fathers’ messages: work ethic, morality, strength, family provider, and other. Overall, our results suggest that fathers’ messages promote both traditional and contemporary gender ideologies. The prevalence of the work ethic and morality themes demonstrate fathers’ role in teaching sons about integrity, commitment, and fair treatment of others. Based on our findings, we suggest future researchers explore mothers’ gendered messages, fathers’ generativity, and father-son relational quality.     

Plagiarism and copyright: Best practices for classroom education

Plagiarism and copyright infringement are terms that most students are familiar with, and when asked, most students will readily express the sentiment that plagiarizing the work of others or committing copyright infringement is wrong. Despite students' basic understanding of these concepts, many struggle to put them into practice. Often this is a result of students not having enough knowledge about how to cite sources or how copyrighted works can legally be reused for scholarly purposes. This article identifies a way in which copyright and plagiarism can be taught as well as a process students can work through when addressing these issues.     

Seven steps to help you become more knowledgeable about U.S. copyright law

As copyright law is so closely ingrained with library services, it is important for librarians to learn about it and how to balance the law with the needs of users. Unfortunately, many Library and Information Science degree programs do not address copyright issues as part of course curriculum. As such, librarians may have to educate themselves about the law. This article will identify seven steps librarians can take to facilitate this process.     

Emergence and maintenance of leadership among gifted students in group problem solving

This paper reports results of a study of the emergence and maintenance of leadership in groups of gifed students engaged in unstructured, creative production. The study used Fiedler's dimensional analysis of task structures. Information is presented concerning the relationship between group perceptions of leadership effectiveness, group product creativity, and the style of leadership adopted. Instructional implications for teachers of the gifted are presented.