Transitioning from Social Sciences to Information Engineering: A Case Study of a Taiwanese Female Doctoral Student
Sr No:
Page No:
161-168
Language:
English
Authors:
Yii-nii Lin*
Received:
2025-07-09
Accepted:
2025-07-25
Published Date:
2025-07-29
Abstract:
This case report explores the learning and developmental experiences of Anita, a 29-
year-old doctoral student in information engineering (IE) at a research-oriented university in
Taiwan. Anita previously earned a master’s degree in social sciences, worked in the field for
several years, and eventually transitioned into the IE discipline. Adopting a phenomenological
qualitative research approach, data was derived from a semi-structured interview with Anita. The
analysis identified five key themes: (1) motivation for transitioning disciplines, (2) academic
journey in information engineering, (3) peer collaboration and mutual support in overcoming
obstacles, (4) advisor-student interactions to facilitate learning, and (5) gender benefits for
women in information engineering. This study concludes with recommendations for female
students, educators, policy-makers, and practitioners, and provides directions for future research.
Keywords:
Female graduate student, pure sciences, learning, development.