A DELPHI STUDY TO STRUCTURE A WORKING CONFERENCE ON WOMEN'S SUCCESS IN STEM

摘要

Although there is vast information regarding the difficulties that women face in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, still it is still not very clear how the critical work-related factors interact and have an impact on the attraction, retention, and advancement of women in STEM fields. Since there is little evidence regarding the magnitude and direction of established relationships between these work-related factors and women's success, it is critical to collectively attempt to define the scope of the research that scholars might consider focusing on. In addition, as we embark on the 21st century, many of the scholars who have been working in the area of women in STEM are approaching retirement. At the same time, new themes and issues are emerging from the next generation of scholars. To date, no gathering has brought these two generations together with the express purpose of comparing research themes and evaluating findings. In this paper the authors present results of a qualitative study that was conducted to provide structure for a working conference scheduled for late Spring 2007 intended to a) foster intergenerational and interdisciplinary dialogue on workplace factors associated with women's success in STEM, and b) develop a set of potential research questions to guide future work. This qualitative study implemented a process where principles of content analysis and the Delphi methodology were applied in structuring a working conference. Preliminary results of such process are presented here.