Date of Award
1-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Education
First Advisor
Emilie Johnson
Second Advisor
Robyne Elder
Third Advisor
Roger "Mitch" Nasser
Abstract
Imposter Phenomenon (IP) remains an essential framework for understanding how professionals attribute success to chance or misconceptions rather than genuine abilities. IP is especially pertinent for individuals who feel like frauds when attaining higher positions, convinced the promotions resulted from luck rather than accomplishments and credibility. The misguided mindset cultivates feelings of inadequacy or deceit, even when accolades, experiences, and qualifications prove the contrary. The prevalence of IP is widespread, impacting numerous individuals who have faced or continue to endure episodes of varying intensity. The psychological state makes individuals vulnerable to feelings of inadequacy, leading to reduced productivity, increased procrastination, and heightened insecurity. In professional settings where the development and preservation of career identities are critical for long-term success and advancement, IP can impede an individual's potential and adversely affect overall employee well-being. In STEM fields, IP can hinder individuals' abilities to excel and thrive professionally, often negatively impacting mental health and well-being. The scholar-practitioner conducted a study involving seven STEM faculty members from a Midwest university and external STEM practitioners who experienced IP. The scholar-practitioner developed a prototype for an Immediate Informal Intellectual Intervention (I4) Mindful moment and Reality Reset protocol to help participants quickly recognize, address, and overcome IP episodes. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the scholar-practitioner commenced with a qualitative approach and surveyed participants before and after experiences with IP, followed by a focus group of three of the seven STEM practitioners. In addition, a document analysis was performed to assess the effectiveness of the cognitive-behavioral intervention. The scholar-practitioner utilized qualitative research methods to triangulate the data, underscoring the necessity for immediate IP intervention resources within STEM environments and across various professional fields. The scholar-practitioner then conducted a quantitative analysis using a two-sample matched pair t-test to determine whether the transition from pre-test to post-test scores was statistically significant. The test assessed the null hypothesis, which assumed the means of the two populations were identical without requiring the variances of the populations to be equal. The results revealed a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test groups, prompting the scholar-practitioner to reject the null hypothesis. This approach aims to expand and improve the range of IP mitigation strategies—both immediate and short-term—designed to reduce the impact of IP in the STEM domain. Moreover, the scholar-practitioner shared intentions for future short-term and immediate IP interventions grounded in organizational change theories and professional learning.
Recommended Citation
Smith, Peter D., "Resetting the Imposter Phenomenon Reality: A Mixed Methods Research Study of an Immediate Cognitive Behavioral Intervention on STEM Practitioners" (2025). Dissertations. 789.
https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/dissertations/789
