Abstract
This phenomenological study (Moustakas, 1994) explores the mentoring needs of 11 engineering postdoctoral scholars of color with an adaptation of the ideal mentoring model (Zambrana et al., 2015) used as the conceptual framework. A critical theory lens (Morrow & Brown, 1994) is applied to Moustakas' (1994) four-stage process of phenomenological data analysis to examine the interview data: epoché, horizontalization, imaginative variation, and synthesis. The essence of the phenomenon is engineering postdoctoral scholars of color have primary and secondary mentoring needs pertaining to their immediate career acquisition of a tenure-track faculty position. Primary mentoring needs include expanding professional networks for the tenure-track faculty job search and receiving guidance on work-life balance and enhancing technical skills. Secondary needs consist of refining research directions and research expertise promotion, as well as acquiring political guidance on matters of race/ethnicity in academia. These findings reveal the importance of higher education institutions and postdoctoral supervisors assuming greater responsibility for ensuring postdoctoral scholars receive the mentorship and career support they desire, which may require a systematic change in the postdoctoral training environment.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Conference Proceedings |
| State | Published - Jul 26 2021 |
| Event | 2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference, ASEE 2021 - Virtual, Online Duration: Jul 26 2021 → Jul 29 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© American Society for Engineering Education, 2021
Funding
This research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP; award numbers: 1821298, 1821019, 1821052, and 1821008). Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations are those of only the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF. This phenomenological study (Moustakas, 1994) explores the ways in which engineering postdoctoral scholars of color describe their mentoring needs, particularly as they relate to their desire to enter the professoriate. An adaptation of the ideal mentoring model that resulted from the research of Zambrana et al. (2015) is used as the conceptual framework, and a critical theory lens (Morrow & Brown, 1994) is applied to the interviews of 11 postdoctoral scholars. While an academic career is the single most desired career option for engineering postdoctoral scholars, only 16% secure a tenure-track faculty position (Andalib et al., 2018). The reason many fail to rise to the professoriate may lie in their mentoring needs being unmet during their postdoctoral appointment (Scaffidi & Berman, 2011; Yadav et al., 2020). Awareness of the mentoring needs of postdoctoral scholars of color may provide institutions with the knowledge to ease the transition to the professoriate, an important step in diversifying engineering academia. Presently, just under 10% of engineering postdoctoral scholars identify as racial/ethnic minorities (Yadav et al., 2020), which is a cause for concern since future faculty are derived largely from this career group. This research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP; award numbers: 1821298, 1821019, 1821052, and 1821008). The research question that guides this study is: What are the ways in which engineering postdoctoral scholars of color describe their mentoring needs, particularly as they relate to their desire to enter the professoriate? Comas Lamar Haynes is a Principal Research Engineer / faculty member of the Georgia Tech Research Institute and Joint Faculty Appointee at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. His research includes modeling steady state and transient behavior of advanced energy systems, inclusive of their thermal management, and the characterization and optimization of novel cycles. He has advised graduate and undergraduate research assistants and has received multi-agency funding for energy systems analysis and development. Sponsor examples include the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy and NASA. Dr. Haynes also develops fuel cells and alternative energy systems curricula for public and college courses and experimental laboratories. Additionally, he is the co-developer of the outreach initiative, Educators Leading Energy Conservation and Training Researchers of Diverse Ethnicities (ELECTRoDE). He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Florida A&M University and his graduate degrees (culminating in a Ph.D.) from Georgia Tech; and all of the degrees are in the discipline of Mechanical Engineering.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Alliances for Graduate Education | 1821298, 1821008, 1821019, 1821052 |
| National Science Foundation Arctic Social Science Program | |
| U.S. Department of Energy EPSCoR | |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Engineering