A Narrative Inquiry of the Experience of Women in Mid-Level International Education Positions in the United States

• Main Author: Fullick, Jennifer
• Language: EN
• Published: The Chicago School of Professional Psychology 2018
• Subjects: Higher education administration|Educational leadership|Women's studies
• Online Access: http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10937492

<p> The need for experienced leaders to fill senior positions in the field of international education in higher education is growing. However, the disproportion between the numbers of women in mid-level positions compared to the number of women in senior level positions remains elusive. This qualitative research using narrative inquiry analysis produced rich data specifically related to the process of leadership development of women in mid-level positions. Seven women in mid-level international education positions at U.S. institutions of higher education voluntarily participated in multiple interviews. The social constructivist framework informed the construction of a three-phase data analysis process that included iterative participation of the study participants to establish the emergent themes of experiences of knowledge transfer and access related to leadership development. The iterative process resulted in narrative portrait vignettes of the participants and led to the identification of six themes affecting the experiences of knowledge transfer and access of women, which included financial resources, educational degree, gender, confidence, physical location and institutional impact. The narrative inquiry process resulted in theme interpretations and recommendations for the field of international education to &lsquo;mind the gap;&rsquo; both the gap in the literature on this topic and the gap in the stories of women&rsquo;s professional experiences. The results presented practical implications for the field of international education and informed recommendations to expand the body of future research for women in international education in the United States. </p><p>