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This study examines and describes the experiences and perceptions of women and men associate professors from various academic disciplines as they chart and navigate their academic career trajectories.

Using a case study approach, we interviewed 11 purposively selected mid-career faculty members and five department heads.

Through the Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), we identified issues of clarity, climate, self-efficacy, and gender disparity as major concerns for mid-career faculty.

This research is limited to a research-intensive university in the southeastern United States. The small study population and unique context limit the generalizability of the study.

Findings of the study provide a lens for university and college administrators, human resources professionals, and other institutional leaders to view professional development programs for mid-career faculty members at their own institutions. The findings also suggest a need for improvements to current family-friendly policies to reduce gender bias and retain women faculty members.

This paper offers practical recommendations to higher education administrators and human resources professionals on how to positively cultivate a better work climate and culture for mid-career faculty members. It also offers suggestions on how to be sensitive to and improve gender equity among mid-career faculty in higher education.

This introduction sets forth the main themes of the volume, reviews the methods employed by the contributors, and demonstrates the relationships among the chapters.

Each of the chapters demonstrates the gendered nature of the academy and some of the ways in which women, especially women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, are disadvantaged. None of them provides complete catalogues of the issues confronting women and none reach definitive conclusions regarding the ways and means of transforming the academy. Additional research and experimentation will be required.

The gender transformation of the academy holds the promise of more opportunities for women, especially but not only in STEM disciplines and higher administration, and greater probability of balance between work and personal life for all.

The chapter serves as an overall introduction to the volume and the subject matter more generally.

We consider the theory and evidence supporting learning styles, and contrast these with the related concepts of learning preferences and student choice. Although the theory of learning styles remains popular in the field of education as one guidepost teachers might use to maximize the effectiveness of instruction for individual students, including students with learning and behavioral disabilities, a review of the evidence supporting a learning styles approach suggests that it offers little benefit to students with disabilities. In contrasting learning styles with the related concept of learning preferences, we posit that interventions based on student choice may offer a more parsimonious and evidence-driven approach to enhancing instruction and improving outcomes for students with learning and behavioral disabilities.

Social expectations of body image can generate negative body feelings, exacerbate compensatory behaviors and discourage healthy food choices. This study examined the food choices and perceptions of adult consumers dissatisfied with their body image about food products available in the “healthy foods” section of a Brazilian supermarket.

Exploratory, descriptive and qualitative study. Body image dissatisfaction was assessed with the self-reported silhouette scale validated for the Brazilian population. Chosen items were classified according with degree of processing. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 26 men and women and transcribed and thematically analyzed.

Participants chose 81 food products, most of which (53%) were ultra-processed. Thematic analysis revealed that participants were motivated mainly by consumption habits, preference, convenience and brand loyalty. Participants questioned the concept of health promoted by the supermarket and suggested that the kind of food items available in “healthy foods section” may confuse consumers about the healthfulness of packaged processed foods (PF). Despite being critical of the concept of healthfulness promoted by the supermarket, participants predominantly selected ultra-processed foods (UPF) mentioning health-related motivations for their selection, revealing a realm of contradictions. The results indicate that, for individuals dissatisfied with their body image due to overweight and with emotional eating behavior, the environment of the healthy foods section of supermarkets is not conducive to healthy food shopping.

Qualitative approach can bring results which add to the body of evidence on the importance of the food environment's influence on food choices, especially of individuals prone to making poor choices for the sake of improving their perceived body image.