Asian Female Faculty in Higher Education: Their Perceptions and Experiences Through the Tenure Promotion Process

• In Event: Asian/American Women Navigating Academia: Challenges, Opportunities, and New Perspectives

Abstract

The experiences of faculty of color in higher education have been discussed widely and examined critically (Villalpando & Bernal, 2002). For example, Linda F. Winfield (1997) identified her 3-year tenure process as “institutionalized racism and sexism within the department” (203) as a faculty member of color in her autobiographical study. Recently Chhuon, Kyratzis, and Hudley (2010) discussed the educational experiences of Cambodian American women college students, focusing on their life stories related to the gendered expectations of their cultural group.
However, Asian female faculty’s stories in higher education has seldom been examined. While reflecting current increasing numbers of Asian American female faculty members in the U.S. context, it is urgent to understand their perceptions and experiences in academia, particularly focusing on the most significant events, such as the tenure promotion process.

The purpose of the study is to identify and discuss Asian female faculty’s perceptions and experiences through the tenure promotion process in the higher educational context. Also, it is to reveal how Asian female faculty’s experiences, career planning, and perceptions affect their tenure-promotion experience in higher educational contexts while acknowledging Asian female faculty as active listeners (Bakhtin, 1986). Although they are often situated in conflict within their gender and ethnic stereotypes by others in their institutions (Wear, 2009), Asian female faculty are generally eager to actively participate in academic discourse (Gee, 2002).

Based on a critical racial theory analysis of barriers that impede the positive experience and success of a particular group of faculty in higher education (Villalpando, & Bernal, 2002), the study will attempt to answer three questions: How do Asian female faculty perceive their role in academia? How do Asian female faculty practice their tenure promotion process? How do Asian female faculty practice their discourse in academic context?

Using qualitative case-study methods, I explored five purposefully selected participants. The criteria include (a) Asian female faculty members, (b) the first generation who came to the U.S. to pursue academic work, and (c) faculty members who are employed by four U.S. universities. Investigating their perceptions and experiences using semistructured interviews and online discussions using a Ning site provides a close look of their lives in academia. The data collection includes (a) two semistructured interviews and (b) online discussion in a Ning site. Data are inductively analyzed (Merriam, 2009).

Preliminary Findings: (a) Asian female faculty’s perceptions of their roles in higher education, (b) diverse and active discourses based on their gender and racial identity, and (c) academic identity formation through the process. The significance of the study includes the decontextualization of racial and gender cases of Asian female faculty in higher education, extends the broader discussion on racial and gender issues in higher education, and works toward eliminating racial and gender oppression to accomplish the broader goals of ending all forms of oppressions (Freire, 1990).

Author

• Deoksoon Kim, University of South Florida