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2019 Annual Conference

October 8–11, 2019

St. Louis, MO

Self-Determination in the Face of Bullying: Women's Experiences in Academe

Thursday, October 10, 2019 at 11:00 AM–11:45 AM CDT
Mills 3 (39)
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CPAE CoConference: Emerging Issues for Faculty in Higher Education

Presentation Format Requested

CPAE CoConference Only: Emerging Issues or Research & Theory (45 Minute Concurrent)

Session Abstract

The purpose of this session is to report the results of our study on how women faculty maintain their sense of competence, autonomy, and relatedness in the face of bullying. Participants will learn how bullying is defined, some strategies women use to cope with bullying, and what women learn.

Target Audience

The target audience includes those who have seen or experienced bullying in the workplace. Individuals in the fields of higher education, student affairs, human resources, allied health and others interested in understanding how to cope with bullying in the workplace may benefit from this session. Those interested in understanding what women learn in the process may also benefit from this session.

Learning Outcomes

Participants will be able to: (1) define bullying and incivility (2) understand Deci and Ryan’s (2012) self-determination theory; (3) explain strategies women use to maintain their sense of competence, autonomy, and relatedness; (4) construct a list of “best practices” to cope with bullying in the workplace through discussion with each other; and (5) understand what women learn in the process of being bullied.

Session Description

Bullying and incivility affect academics’ productivity, quality of life, and workplace satisfaction. Women report experiencing more bullying and incivility than men (Hollis, 2015). While we know the nature of bullying behaviors and women’s responses which include moving to other institutions, avoidance, and using structural report mechanisms at the university (Denith, Wright & Coryell, 2015), what is less understood are the psychological strategies women use to combat bullying and what they learn in the process. Specifically, we want to understand how women faculty retain their sense of competence, autonomy, and relatedness in the face of bullying and to uncover what they learn. We will report findings from a study we are conducting. Our tentative findings thus far suggest that women mantain their competence, autonomy, and relatedness through positive-self talk, discussions with mentors and colleagues from other institutions, and through connections with individuals outside their department or college. Women experience changes in "meaning schemes" (Mezirow, 2000, p. 18). In addition to discussing the study’s findings, participants will break into small groups to compile a list of “best practices” for coping with bullying in the workplace as well as "lessons learned."   These “best practices” will be shared with the large group.

Format & Technique

After presenters and attendees introduce themselves, the presenters will solicit definitions for bullying and incivility. We will provide definitions from the literature. We will present our findings to the research questions: (1) How do women faculty maintain their sense of competence, autonomy, and relatedness in the face of bullying? (2) What do they learn in the process? Individuals will break into small groups to discuss “best practices” for coping with bullying in the workplace as well as "lessons learned"  and re-convene to compiles a list.

Primary Presenter

Dr Lisa Baumgartner, Educational Administration and Human Resource Development
Work Title

Associate Professor

Additional Presenters

Vince Lechuga, Ed.D., Texas A&M University
Work Title

Associate Professor

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