How Faculty’s Academic Support Influence First-Year Female Students in Aviation A Qualitative Case Study

Abstract

An increasing number of female students are enrolling in aviation education institutions to pursue their dreams. To combat the issue of the underrepresentation of females, this case study explored the significance of faculty’s academic support to first-year females in aviation. There is scant research surrounding the topic of faculty in higher education and their perspectives on academic support. This case study aimed to bridge the existing literature gap related to faculty’s academic support and teaching styles to first-year female students. This qualitative case study’s objective was to increase awareness of the importance of faculty’s academic support and better understand how academic support can be improved among other higher education institutions. The qualitative research design brought in seven faculty members employed at a higher education institution in the southeastern United States. The participants in this study taught aviation-related courses, and their participation took place remotely via Zoom in the format of semi-structured interviews. After obtaining institutional review board (IRB) approval, the qualitative data collected from in-depth semi-structured interviews helped identify prominent aspects and patterns that higher education faculties in aviation recognize as significant for academic support. This study’s findings have theoretical and empirical implications that can better serve underrepresented students in aviation and provide meaningful guidance to current faculty on how academic support can be better provided. In conclusion, this study’s practical findings could bring awareness to females’ underrepresentation, a subject that is not currently widely studied or discussed in educational aviation institutions.