| NSF Org: |
EES Div. of Equity for Excellence in STEM |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | September 14, 2012 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | May 24, 2017 |
| Award Number: | 1245124 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Mark Leddy
EES Div. of Equity for Excellence in STEM EDU Directorate for STEM Education |
| Start Date: | October 15, 2012 |
| End Date: | September 30, 2018 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $277,794.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $277,794.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
201 OLD MAIN UNIVERSITY PARK PA US 16802-1503 (814)865-1372 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
330C IST Building State College PA US 16802-7000 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | Disabilities Research in STEM |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.076 |
ABSTRACT
The "Modeling IT Career Choices of Persons with Disabilities: The Case of Military Personnel and Veterans" award is a Broadening Participation Research project designed to advance understanding of the factors that influence the entrance into, and persistence in, postsecondary information technology (IT) degree programs by disabled military personnel and veterans with disabilities. Researchers at The Pennsylvania State University and Washington State University are working together to explores interest in choosing a career in the IT field as a function of: perceptions about the skills and knowledge needed to be successful as an IT professional; gender stereotypes about IT skills and knowledge; perceptions about occupational roles of persons with disabilities; relative importance placed on various aspects of one's own identity regarding gender, race, ethnicity, socio-economic class and disability; one's feeling of self-confidence regarding the ability to possess the skills and knowledge needed in the IT profession; and role congruity between perceived gender and occupational roles, and IT roles.
The overarching research questions that are being examined in the study are the following:
1. Is there congruity between perceived IT roles and gender roles for military personnel and veterans with disability?
2. Is there congruity between perceived IT roles and occupational roles for military personnel and veterans with disability?
3. How do gender roles, IT roles and occupational roles combined with individual identity and self-efficacy affect IT career choices for disabled military personnel and veterans with disability?
A comprehensive survey data instrument was designed and developed by the research team and has undergone rigorous validity and reliability testing; it includes new scales for disability identity and for the occupational role of persons with disabilities. Data are being collected from participants recruited from The Pennsylvania State University, Washington State University, San Diego State University and Columbia College, in Columbia Missouri. Data are being collected from subjects using web-surveys and is being analyzed using a variety of statistical techniques corresponding to the use of latent variable modeling.
This project will be evaluated by an independent evaluator, Dr. Jennifer LeBeau, and the evaluation will include formative and summative assessments.
Results are expected to advance the STEM education field's knowledge about the factors influencing the selection of IT fields by students with disabilities. More specifically the work will provide a better understanding of those psycho-social variables affecting disabled military personnel and veterans with disabilities choice of IT fields. Additionally, findings from this work will inform role congruity and "individual differences" theories as they relate to disability and gender. There is strong potential for findings from this research to advance STEM education practices and policies for students with disabilities.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
This research modeled IT career choices of military personnel and veterans through work congruity, self-efficacy, and personal identity. The data was collected using a modified and validated survey instrument that the PIs had developed and used in prior NSF funded work (NSF #0733747). An advisory board, which consisted of veterans, veterans’ representatives and disability researchers, evaluated the survey instrument, provided feedback, and assisted in the administration of the survey to the military and veteran audiences. Survey participants were not recruited on the basis of intending to pursue an IT career. Following a pilot survey with the target audience, the full survey was then administered. There were 699 respondents completing the survey. Latent profiling analysis was used to uncover hidden groups represented in the data.
Three groups of people emerged from this research, each of which requires different responses for IT career pursuit. Group 1, consists of 70% (i.e. 489) of the respondents, is comprised of people who have strong intention to pursue a career in an IT field. This group has high levels of both technical and nontechnical self-efficacy, interest in the IT field, and intention to pursue an IT career. They did not perceive disability as a barrier to pursuing an IT career, even though they have high disability identification. They have the most IT experience and have taken the largest number of IT courses compared to those in the other groups. This group is overwhelmingly men (93%). This group needs appropriate career advice in order to leverage their IT education and experience from the military.
Group 2, consists of 21% (i.e. 150) of the respondents, is comprised of individuals with a low intention of pursuing a career in an IT field, even though they have the capability to do so. That is, they have high levels of technical and nontechnical self-efficacy, similar to Group 1. However, they had fewer IT courses than Group 1 and less IT experience than both Groups 1 and 3. Like Group 1, this group did not perceive disability as a barrier to pursuing an IT career, and had the lowest disability identity. This group contained the largest percentage of women (31%). They are capable of being recruited into the IT field, but perhaps they reject it due to misperceptions about the IT field. This group appears to be negatively influenced by stereotypes about the IT field as they relate to both the work people do in it and their gender.
Group 3, consists of 9% (i.e. 60) of the respondents, does not intend to pursue IT careers because of perceptual barriers related to IT self-efficacy and disability. This group, which is 82% men, has the lowest levels of both technical and nontechnical self-efficacy, and low interest in pursuing an IT career. Unlike the other 2 groups, they perceive greater barriers to having an IT career because of their disability identities. This group is troubling because they see their disability hindering their aspirations. They need support from both veterans’ affairs and disability offices at universities.
Trauth, E.M., Joshi, K.D., Graham, K. & Nithithanatchinnapat, B. (2015). An exploratory study of identity and IT career choice for military service members and veterans with disabilities. Proceedings of the 21st Americas Conference on Information Systems (Puerto Rico, August).
Trauth, E.M., Joshi, K.D. & Graham, K. 2014. Modeling IT career choice for the differently abled: Military personnel and veterans with disabilities. Proceedings of the 20th Americas Conference on Information Systems (Savannah, GA, August).
Filling the STEM Void: Why Veterans are the Answer. http://moneyinc.com/filling-stem-void-veterans-answer/
Breaking Down Their Own Stereotypes To Give Veterans More Career Opportunities.
Research Shows Veterans May Be Answer To Workforce Gap.
How black men, vets are uniquely qualified for STEM jobs.
Building a Veteran Workforce: How Higher Ed and the IT Field Can Help
Trauth, E.M. & Joshi, K.D. (2017). Modeling IT Career Choices through Work Congruity, Self-Efficacy, and Personal Identity. STEM Gender Equality Congress (Berlin, Germany, June).
Graham, K., Trauth, E.M. & Joshi, K.D. (2017). Study Results from Research on IT Career Choices of persons with Disabilities: The Case of Military Personnel and Veterans (MPV). Council of College and Military Educators Professional Development Symposium (Atlanta, GA, March).
Graham, K., Trauth, E.M. & Joshi, K.D. (2014). Supporting military personnel/veterans with disabilities: Is IT an answer? Council of College and Military Educators Professional Development Symposium (Savannah, GA, February).
University Presentations:
Southern University, Baton Rouge, LA, August 2018
Illinois State University, Normal, IL, July 2018
University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, May 2018
Baylor University, Waco, TX, September 2017.
Washington State University, Pullman, WA, March 2017
Wright State University, Dayton, OH, December 2016
Washington State University, Pullman, WA, November 2016
Columbia College, Columbia, MO, October 2016
Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, June 2016
University of Maryland Baltimore County, Catonsville, MD, June 2016
Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, June 2016
Last Modified: 10/08/2018
Modified by: Eileen M Trauth
Please report errors in award information by writing to: awardsearch@nsf.gov.
