WOMEN IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: PIVOTAL TRANISTIONS FROM SCHOOL TO CAREERS, $655,849 FROM THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION FOR THREE-YEAR PROJECT—ONE YEAR EXTENSION

This study is an interdisciplinary collaboration among faculty with expertise in the areas of gender and science, quantitative and qualitative research methods in the social sciences, and information technology impacts on children, youth, and families.   The project was granted a one-year extension 2004-2005.

Investigators:   Drs Carol Burger, Elizabeth Creamer & Peggy S. Meszaros

Graduate Assistants: Soyoung Lee and Anne Laughlin

Progress:   The one-year extension has provided time for further data analysis resulting in additional national presentations and publications in peer-reviewed journals:

Meszaros, P., Creamer, E., Burger, C. & Lee, S. (2004). Cross-cultural analysis of American and Korean college women’s interest in Information Technology careers, presented at the Phi Beta Delta Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. March, 2004.

Meszaros, P.S. (2005). Symposium Chair, Assessing, refining, and using self-authorship to create learning partnerships. Presented at the American Educational Research Association Meeting, Montreal, Canada, April 2005.

Meszaros, P.S., Creamer, E.C., Burger, C.J., Laughlin, A., & Lee, Soyoung. (2005) The power of partners:   Helping females find their way to high tech careers. Presented at the 2005 National Science Foundation Awardees Meeting. Washington, D.C.

Creamer, E., Magolda, M., Meszaros, P. & Burger, C. (2004). Students’ resistance to career advice: An interactive dialogue, presented at the American College Personnel Association Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, PA., March, 2004.

Creamer, E.C. Meszaros, P.S., Laughlin, A., Burger, C.J., Lee, S.L. (April, 2005) Advancing the theoretical development of self-authorship using mixed methods. Paper presented at symposium, Assessing, refining, and using self-authorship to create learning partnerships, American Educational Research Association Meeting, Montreal, Canada.

Creamer, E.C., Meszaros, P.S., Burger, C.J. & Laughlin, A. (2005). Promoting self-authored decision-making. Presented at the 2005 ACPA National Conference, Nashville, Tennessee.

Creamer, E. C., Meszaros, P.S., Burger, C.J., Lee, S., & Laughlin, A. (2005) A statistical model predicting women’s interest in IT. Presented at the 2005 National Science Foundation Awardees Meeting, Washington, D.C.

Burger, C.J., Meszaros, P.S., Creamer, E.C., Laughlin, A. & Lee, Soyoung. (2005) Female students’ interest in IT. Presented at the 2005 National Science Foundation Awardees Meeting, Washington, D.C.

Meszaros, P.S., Laughlin, A., Creamer, E.G., Burger, C.J. & Lee, S. (In Press, 2006). Parental support for female IT career interest and choice. Encyclopedia of Gender and Information Technology.

Creamer, E.G., Lee, S., Meszaros, P.S., Burger, C. J. & Laughlin, A. (In press, 2006) Predicting girls’ interest and choice in IT. Encyclopedia of Gender and Information Technology.

 RESEARCH ON GENDER IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING: FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF THE IT CAREER CHOICE MODEL THROUGH RESEARCH AND DISSEMINATION, $194,456, FROM THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

 This is a supplemental two-year grant to explore further a theoretically grounded statistical model that identifies factors that predict young women and men’s interest in and choice of an IT major and a dissemination project to develop a Facilitator’s Guide to accompany the research based DVD/Video produced in the original grant.

Investigators: Drs. Carol Burger, Elizabeth Creamer & Peggy S. Meszaros

Graduate Students: Soyoung Lee and Anne Laughlin

Progress: The survey and interview protocol have been further refined and used to collect data from students enrolled in an IT major at Pennsylvania State University. The Facilitator’s Guide is being developed and pilot tested with its’ intended target audience—parents, teachers, school counselors, and college advisors.   Both the DVD/Video and Facilitator’s Guide will be released in 2006.

WOMEN IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: PIVOTAL TRANSITIONS FROM SCHOOL TO CAREERS INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, $34,250, FUNDED BY THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

Investigators:   Drs. Carol Burger, Elizabeth Creamer, & Peggy S. Meszaros

Graduate Students: Soyoung Lee and Anne Laughlin

Progress: An international conference was held in Oxford, England from July 31-August, 2005 bringing together scholars from around the world who investigate female IT career choice.   A full description of the conference appears in this newsletter.

VIRGINIA TECH SUMMER TRAINING ACADEMY FOR RISING STUDENTS (VTSTARS). $397,640, FUNDED BY THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

 Investigators: Drs. E. McPherson, P. Isenhour, P. Sforza, P. S. Meszaros, & R. Williams

Progress: The first cohort of rising at-risk high school sophomores was in residence on the VT campus in summer, 2005. Baseline data were collected and will be analyzed during fall, 2005. Students will be engaged in after-school science programs at their home schools during 2005-2006 and will return to campus in summer, 2006. The goal of this research is preparing “at-risk” high school students for college entrance and a career in science or technology.

PSYCHOSOCIAL RISK FACTORS AND PREVENTION STRATEGIES FOR ADOLESCENT FEMALE SMOKERS IN VIRGINIA, $130,000, FUNDED THROUGH THE VIRGINIA TOBACCO SETTLEMENT, VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY YOUTH COALITION

 Investigators: Drs. Peggy S. Meszaros, Angela Huebner, Fred Piercy, Helen Crawford, Neal Castagnoli & Kay Castagnoli

Graduate Assistants: Jenny Matheson, Lauren Shettler, Sean Davis

Progress:   This 3-year grant was extended for one year to complete data analysis and development of a workshop and monograph of research activities and publications.   The workshop, “Female Adolescent Smoking Prevention and Cessation: What Do We Know---Where Are We Going?” was held on the VT campus in May 2005 with 35 invited participants from Virginia and bordering states.   Susan Foster, Vice President and Director of Policy Research and Analysis at the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, Columbia University was the keynote speaker. Copies of the monograph “Female Adolescent Smoking Behavior in Virginia” were distributed to all participants.

Huebner, A., Shettler, L., Matheson, J. L., Meszaros, P., Piercy, F., & Davis, S. (2005). Factors associated with former smokers among female adolescents in rural Virginia. Addictive Behaviors, 30, 167-173.

Meszaros, P.S., Huebner, A., Koch, J.R., Merrick, H. (2005) A comparison of risk and protective factors between urban and rural adolescent female former and current smokers. Presented at the 13 th Annual Meeting of the Society for Prevention Research, Washington/ D.C.

VIRGINIA YOUTH COALITION COLLABORATIVE WORK, $17,000, FUNDED THROUGH THE VIRGINIA TOCACCO SETTLEMENT, VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY YOUTH COALITION

Investigator: Dr. Peggy S. Meszaros

Progress:   A collaborative team of tobacco and youth researchers has initiated pilot work to collect data from schools, community service organizations, and physicians to learn about co-occurring disorders and tobacco use.   The first phase of the project is complete and a second phase of data collection and analysis will be conducted in 2005-2006.