Triangulating Questionnaire and Interview Data on the WIT Project

1. Triangulating Questionnaire and Interview Data on the WIT Project Drs. Elizabeth G. Creamer, Carol J. Burger, Peggy S. Meszaros Virginia Tech (creamere@vt.edu) AERA 2004 Structured Poster Session, Triangulating the Findings of Research About Girl’s Choice of IT Careers April 13, 2004 San Diego, CA

2. Three Areas Where Questionnaire & Interview Data Were at Odds • Parental support for a career • Self authorship

3. Self-Authorship & Attachment Theory • Self-authorship. Influences how receptive students are to new information about career options, how they respond to negative feedback, and the reasoning they employ to make decisions. • Attachment theory. Attaching a positive value to parents’ views impacts self-efficacy [confidence in pursuing career-related tasks] which, in turn, impacts career aspirations (O’Brien et al., 2000).

4. Self-Authorship -- Questionnaire Data • The majority of respondents indicated that their decisions were not strongly influenced by parents or peers. • Only 19.5% of women; 16.8% of men agreed or agreed strongly that their decisions were strongly influenced by parents. • Only 12.2% of women; 10.8% of men agreed or agreed strongly that their decisions were strongly influenced by friends.

5. Self-Authorship -- Interview Data • When asked during the interview, who had a significant influence on their career interests, the majority of both men and women identified either their mother or father. • When asked why their parents’ opinions parents are important to them in decision making, most responses from college women fell in one of two categories: because they know what is best for me or because they care for me.

6. My father. “He’s my ultimate role model. His opinions matter because he’s always supported me in what I do and I count on his support.” Lucette, ZQ003 “My mother, because she’s always supported me in everything. If she doesn’t like something, then I’ve got to be iffy about it.” Krisha, ZO020 Self-Authorship -- Interview Data

7. Self-Authorship -- Interview Data • Very few students responded in a way that indicated that they were receptive to new information about career options or that they considered their own skills, abilities, and interests in the decision. • Christine, a computer science major is an exception. When asked how she would handle conflicting information, Christine responded in a way that reflected self authorship: “I think I would try and understand where both people were coming from and try and figure out what option that best fits me, rather than going on their decision. I’d see where I fit into the whole spectrum that they thought I should do.” Christine, ZR022

8. References