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STATEMENT OF PURPOSE Purpose of the Study: To determine the pathways and barriers encountered in the academic profession. Abstract: Building on a general model of barriers to work-life balance for career women (smith & McLean Parks, forthcoming), I plan to conduct a study targeting university women in particular. I plan to draw from female and male faculty positions and administrative leadership roles, and collect their personal experiences of pathways and barriers to advancement based on our work-life balance model. I plan to analyze respondents’ narratives of the pathways and problems they have experienced during their careers using concept mapping (Jackson & Trochim, 2002) a technique that classifies responses to open-ended questions into meaningful clusters representing naturally occurring categories. Although a number of studies have evaluated the aggregate outcomes of advancement processes in academia, few studies have focused on the processes by which these outcomes are created. It is my intent to provide insights into those processes. STATEMENT OF RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Sample and Measures: Email invitations will be sent to members of academe, asking them to participate in the study by accessing the survey on Survey Monkey. Participants will be asked to share the invitation with five of their colleagues, resulting in a snowball sampling process. All responses will be confidential and anonymous, as is clearly stated in the introduction to the survey. Respondents will be asked to describe one or more situations illustrating pathways and/or barriers, and respond to standard measurement questions regarding their attitudes towards their workplace and position. From the introduction to the survey (attached as a supporting document): "We will do our best to protect your privacy and your rights as a research participant. This survey is completely anonymous. Participation is entirely voluntary. You may choose not to participate in this research study or withdraw your consent at any time. You may skip any question that you do not wish to answer and will not be penalized in any way should you choose not to participate or withdraw. To protect your privacy we recommend you close out of the browser after completing the survey. Last but not least, your survey responses will NOT be shared with anyone. Because your responses are confidential and anonymous, none of your friends, your employers, your coworkers, your colleagues or anyone else will see your responses in the survey, and no personally identifying information will be collected or retained. All responses will be completely confidential." ANTICIPATED RISKS AND BENEFITS All responses are voluntary, anonymous, and confidential. From the introduction to the survey (attached as a supporting document): "Participation is entirely voluntary. You may choose not to participate in this research study or withdraw your consent at any time. You may skip any question that you do not wish to answer and will not be penalized in any way should you choose not to participate or withdraw." SUBJECT SELECTION The goal is to obtain between 100-200 responses. From the introduction to the survey (attached as a supporting document): "As a thank you for your participation, at the end of this survey, you will be given an email address to note and send an email to at your convenience. Once the study is complete, we will randomly draw from the emails received and send $50 Amazon.com gift cards to those whose email is drawn. Your actual chances of winning a gift card depends on the total number of participants." CONFIDENTIALITY Data will be collected via Survey Monkey. All respondents will be anonymous and confidential. From the introduction to the survey (attached as a supporting document): "Your completion of our survey will signify your consent to participate in this study. If you have any questions, concerns, or complaints about the research, please contact: faye l. smith at 816.271.5824 or fsmith6@missouriwestern.edu. If you wish to talk to someone else or have questions or concerns about your rights as a research participant, contact Dr. Brian Cronk, Interim Dean of Graduate Studies, at cronk@missouriwestern.edu or 816.271.4394. Remember, your survey responses will NOT be shared with anyone. They are completely anonymous. And don’t forget to forward the invitation to five of your peers. Please note that cookies must be turned ON in order to correctly submit your responses." PRIMARY SUPPORTING DOCUMENT Click for Word Document Extension Request on 05-31-2011 Continuing to collect data. Extension Request on 06-13-2012 continuing data collection