Gender gap in STEM education and career choices: what matters?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Verena Tandrayen-Ragoobur ◽  
Deepa Gokulsing
Keyword(s):  
Stem Education ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Gender Disparity ◽  
School Level ◽  
Women In Stem ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Behavioural Factors ◽  
Degree Choice

PurposeThe paper innovates on the existing literature by assessing the gender gap in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) tertiary education enrolment and career choice in a small country setting and by extending on Master and Meltzoff (2016) theoretical framework to provide a holistic explanation of the gender disparity through a mix of personal, environmental and behavioural factors. The study first probes into the existence of potential gender disparity in STEM tertiary enrolment in Mauritius. Second, in contrast with existing studies where selective factors are used to measure the gender gap in STEM education, this paper investigates into a combination of personal, environmental and behavioural factors that may influence participation in STEM education and career.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses a survey of 209 undergraduates enroled in the main public university and investigates into the existence of a gender gap in STEM tertiary education enrolment and the reasons behind this disparity. Consistent with the theoretical model, the empirical analysis also investigates into the work environment (which cannot be measured from the survey), via semi-structured interviews of 15 women in STEM professions.FindingsThe logit regression results first reveal the existence of a gender disparity in the choice of STEM-related degrees. The probability of a female student to enrol in a STEM degree is lower than that of a male student, after controlling for all the personal, environmental and behavioural factors. The most important set of reasons influencing the student's STEM degree choice are self-efficacy and the student's academic performance in STEM subjects at secondary school level. The findings also demonstrate that young women are relatively more likely to choose STEM degrees than their male counterparts when they are supported by their family, school and teachers. There is further evidence of lower participation of women in STEM professions as well as significant challenges which women in STEM careers face compared to their male colleagues.Originality/valueThis study adopts a holistic framework to assess the factors that hinder women's participation in STEM tertiary education and career in Mauritius.

Academic's perceptions of work-integrated learning in non-vocational disciplines

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabrielle A. Lloyd ◽  
Bonnie Amelia Dean ◽  
Michelle J. Eady ◽  
Conor West ◽  
Venkata Yanamandram ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Professional Learning ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Integrated Learning ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Work Integrated Learning

PurposeWork-integrated learning (WIL) is a strategy that enhances student learning and employability by engaging students in real-world settings, applications and practices. Through WIL, tertiary education institutions forge partnerships with industry to provide students with access to activities that will contribute to their career-readiness and personal growth. The purpose of the paper is to explore academics perceptions of WIL from non-vocational disciplines, where WIL opportunities are less prevalent.Design/methodology/approachThe study employed a qualitative, case-study methodology to unpack academics' reflections on the question “What does WIL mean to you?” Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 33 subject coordinators across a number of non-vocational degrees at one university in Australia. Open coding and thematic analysis was used to explore qualitative data and identify common themes.FindingsData suggest that academics largely have placement-based understandings of WIL that cause tensions for embedding WIL meaningfully in their courses. Tensions surface when WIL is perceived as a pedagogy that contributes to the neoliberal agenda that sits in conflict with theoretical approaches and that restrict notions of career.Originality/valueAlthough WIL is not relevant in all subjects, these understandings are a useful starting point to introduce WIL meaningfully, in various ways and where appropriate, in order to provide students opportunities for learning and employability development. The paper has implications for faculty, professional learning and institutional strategies concerning WIL for all students.

Women in STEM/SET: gender gap research review of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – a meta-analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise Patterson ◽  
Damodharan Sowmya Varadarajan ◽  
Beena Saji Salim
Keyword(s):  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Gender Discrimination ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Women In Science ◽  
Research Review ◽  
Women In Stem ◽  
Stem Careers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
And Gender

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to conduct a meta-analysis of existing research on gender discrimination/gender gap and women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in the UAE, specifically, and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in general because of very limited number of articles published on the subject. It will give future researchers insights into the topics, methodologies and findings of such research from 1999–2019. Design/methodology/approach This study conducts a meta-analysis of 72 articles using the Wildcard operator search method and the Boolean operator to perform an integrative literature search related to gender discrimination studies done in relationship to or specific to the UAE. Findings In total, 88 papers related to the UAE and gender gap and women were identified. The articles were narrowed down to the ones published in high-ranked or Scopus journals (72). The findings suggest a decreasing trend in gender discrimination, but the issue still persists, requiring efforts from policy-makers, society and government to ensure gender parity is achieved. Academic research on women in STEM/SET workplace, specific to the UAE and the region, continue to slowly advance, with very few articles published in the same. Practical implications The study provides insights into gender gap research done in the past ten years specific to the UAE national women and gender gap in general and their career choices and prospects in the STEM/SET domain. Social implications There is a need to focus research on Emirati women in STEM careers to develop more insights into gender gap perceptions of Emirati women and identify challenges and methods to close the gender gap in STEM careers. Originality/value This paper brings a holistic perspective to the meta-analysis of research on the gender gap and women in the UAE’s STEM domain.

scholarly journals Lecturers’ perceptions on factors influencing the implementation of bilingual instruction in Indonesian universities

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 206-216
Author(s):  
Amirullah Abduh
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Systematic Assessment ◽  
Bilingual Instruction ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Number Of Factors

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore lecturers’ perceptions on factors that affect the implementation of bilingual instruction (BI) policy in Indonesian higher education. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study used 15 lecturers who taught in BI programs in three Indonesian universities. The data were gained through semi-structured interviews. The semi-structured interview data were analyzed via thematic approach. Findings The findings of the study suggest a number of factors influencing the implementation of BI, including the support from lecturers, leadership, and government. The availability of adapted curriculum and systematic assessment also influences the successful implementation of BI in Indonesian tertiary education. Practical implications The findings of this study have implications for the success of similar programs and the ways to gain understanding of BI within higher education contexts. Originality/value BI research is not new; however, little information is related to BI in Indonesia. This work contributes to a growing body of literature that explore BI and education factors within higher education setting. The significance of this study is to raise greater understanding of several important factors that influence the implementation of BI policy within university settings.

scholarly journals Gender Segregation in Education: Evidence From Higher Secondary Stream Choice in India

Demography ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soham Sahoo ◽  
Stephan Klasen
Keyword(s):  
Gender Gap ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Unobserved Heterogeneity ◽  
Sample Selection ◽  
Gender Segregation ◽  
Gender Disparity ◽  
School Level ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Secondary Stream

Abstract This paper investigates gender-based segregation across different fields of study at the senior secondary level of schooling in a large developing country. We use a nationally representative longitudinal data set from India to analyze the extent and determinants of gender gap in higher secondary stream choice. Using fixed-effects regressions that control for unobserved heterogeneity at the regional and household levels, we find that girls are about 20 percentage points less likely than boys to study in science (STEM) and commerce streams as compared with humanities. This gender disparity is unlikely to be driven by gender-specific differences in cognitive ability, given that the gap remains large and significant even after we control for individuals' past test scores. We establish the robustness of these estimates through various sensitivity analyses: including sibling fixed effects, considering intrahousehold relationships among individuals, and addressing sample selection issues. Disaggregating the effect on separate streams, we find that girls are most underrepresented in the study of science. Our findings indicate that gender inequality in economic outcomes, such as occupational segregation and gender pay gaps, is determined by gendered trajectories set much earlier in the life course, especially at the school level.

Does ethnicity count when contextualizing the low proportion of women in STEM in Serbia?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Karolina Lendák-Kabók
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Minority ◽  
Ethnic Groups ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Gender Stereotypes ◽  
Role Models ◽  
Women In Science ◽  
Women In Stem ◽  
Western Balkans ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type

PurposeThe aim of this article is to explore the perceptions of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields in two ethnic groups (majority Serb and minority Hungarian) in a multiethnic region – Vojvodina, in Serbia – from an intersectional perspective.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative study was implemented, capitalizing on in-depth, semi-structured interviews with university faculty members from two ethnic groups working in a multiethnic region of Serbia (Vojvodina) in the STEM field of studies. Intersectionality as a theoretical approach was applied to reveal the interconnectedness between gender, ethnicity and field of studies.FindingsThe intersectional analysis indicates that minority Hungarian women are more conservative and less inclusive toward other women in STEM, thus they continue to build and enforce gender-based stereotypes. Their lack of inclusiveness is due to having had to overcome a situation of “double jeopardy” (Almquist, 1975) when building a career in STEM, being both members of an ethnic minority and women in STEM. Majority Serb women have adopted masculine patterns of behavior, try to blend in, and become “one of the boys” (Powell and Sang, 2015) in order to diminish the gender penalty and be seen as equal to men. Both minority and majority women agreed that deeply rooted gender stereotypes prevent women from choosing a career in STEM and identified the need for more inclusive education programs at all levels and for more female role models in STEM.Originality/valueThe study contributes by increasing understanding of ethnic minority and majority women's issues in STEM studies in Serbia from an intersectional perspective. It may be relevant to policy makers and contribute to the development of policy recommendations that steer more women in general and ethnic minority women specifically toward STEM, with the ultimate goal of enabling Serbia to develop not only socially but also economically. The paper contributes to the limited research on the STEM-related career experiences of ethnic minority Hungarian women and majority Serb women in Serbia and in the Western Balkans in general.

scholarly journals Exploring the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on women entrepreneurs in Pakistan

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Faisal Mustafa ◽  
Ambreen Khursheed ◽  
Maham Fatima ◽  
Marriam Rao
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Research Design ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Women Entrepreneurs ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Microfinance Institutions ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on micro-businesses owned by women borrowers of microfinance institutions and to provide policy suggestions to assist women entrepreneurs in managing such an unexpected crisis from a qualitative perspective within developing countries such as Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts a qualitative research design to explore the impact of COVID-19 on women’s entrepreneurial activities. Seven women entrepreneurs were selected and semi-structured interviews with focused group discussion under case study research design are used. Thereby providing a contemporary view of the issues faced by women entrepreneurs in the period of huge social and economic upheaval. Findings The results provide valuable insights about how the COVID-19 crisis affected women entrepreneurs by particularly considering household income, business sales, lifestyle and mental health. The liquidation of women-led businesses indicated the necessity to reconsider creativity and digitalization for business survival. Moreover, the results also revealed that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the physical, mental and economic well-being of women highlights the need for considering gender gap issues in forming response policies for COVID-19 in developing countries. Originality/value As the COVID-19 crisis is a recent and existing phenomenon, this study is among the first to explore particularly the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on micro-enterprises mainly owned and managed by women. Thereby claiming that COVID-19 not only physically but also psychologically affected women entrepreneurs. Moreover, the study highlights a need of skill focused training programs for women entrepreneurs to make sure that they can protect their businesses during such difficult times.

Teachers as reform leaders in Chinese schools

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 663-677
Author(s):  
Darren A. Bryant ◽  
Chunping Rao
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Leadership ◽  
Teacher Leaders ◽  
School Level ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Shanghai School ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Middle Leaders ◽  
Instructional Reforms

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the influence of teacher leadership on the enactment of educational reforms in southeastern China. It considers how the work of middle and teacher leaders in schools is structured to support reform enactment at the school level. Design/methodology/approach The research was conducted in three case study sites in one school district in Shenzhen, China. Low, moderate and high academic achieving schools which had engaged teacher leaders in instructional reforms were selected. A combined total of 34 senior, middle and teacher leaders participated in semi-structured interviews, which were analyzed through a comparative coding process. Findings Across the three schools, teacher leaders without positional authority strongly influenced the instructional reforms. Their influence was strongest when bolstered by a combination of formal recognition systems, opportunities to lead projects that were directly related to the reform efforts, and mentorship systems that skilled novice teachers in reform-related skills and experienced teachers in leading reform enactment. Mechanisms and structures embedded in schools, when coherently focused on selected reforms, supported the efficacy of teachers without formal authority. And, middle leaders’ impact was enhanced when working collaboratively with formal and teacher leaders. Originality/value This research yields insight on teacher leaders’ influence of reform. It considers how the work of middle and teacher leaders can be structured as a collective that impacts on reform enactment at the school level. And, it illuminates teacher leadership in a Chinese context other than the scrutinized Shanghai school system.

scholarly journals Exploring behavioural factors for information sharing in BIM projects in the Malaysian construction industry

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Che Khairil Izam Che Ibrahim ◽  
Norsabrina Aine Mohamad Sabri ◽  
Sheila Belayutham ◽  
Abdul Mahamadu
Keyword(s):  
Information Sharing ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Digital Environment ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Behavioural Factors ◽  
Demographic Attributes

Purpose Despite the wave of enthusiasm for building information modelling (BIM) as a platform for information sharing, issues from the context of information-sharing behaviours still exist. The purpose of this paper is to explore the behavioural factors for successful information sharing in BIM projects in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach Based on a literature review, a questionnaire was designed containing seven identified behavioural factors and their sub-elements. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey with 42 experienced BIM practitioners. In addition to that qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine construction practitioners in the Malaysian construction industry. Initially, a descriptive statistical analysis was adopted, followed by multivariate analysis that was employed to examine the possible effect of demographic attributes (i.e. nature of organisation and work experience in BIM) on the behavioural factors. Findings The analytical results indicated that communication, accountability and trust were the top three behavioural factors influencing successful information sharing. Additionally, the majority of the behavioural factors on information sharing were found to be not significantly dependent on both, the nature of organisations and the level of BIM experiences. Overall, the success of information sharing in the digital environment (i.e. BIM) depends on organisational behaviour supported by the collaborative constructs. Research limitations/implications Due to the fact that BIM implementation in Malaysia is still in its infancy, this study was limited to local context with small-scale BIM practitioners. Therefore, their views may not represent all BIM-related stakeholders in the industry. Practical implications The success of information sharing in BIM projects is a result of a combination of various factors, and this study provides construction practitioners with information on the behavioural factors, which could assist them in creating collective and collaborative information sharing in a digital environment. Originality/value Despite the fact that this study is country specific, the paper presents a new perspective on the behavioural context of information sharing in BIM projects. The findings further extend the current BIM literature by providing an insight into what it takes for project teams to reinforce their information sharing in the Malaysian digital environment through improvements in behaviours.

Gender digital divide in India: a case of inter-regional analysis of Uttar Pradesh

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shashi Bala ◽  
Puja Singhal
Keyword(s):  
Digital Divide ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Regional Analysis ◽  
Uttar Pradesh ◽  
Gender Disparity ◽  
Second Order ◽  
North India ◽  
Access Time ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type

Purpose This study aims to endeavor to explore the extent of gender digital divide(GDD) in Uttar Pradesh (U.P., IT-Hub of North India), a most populous state of India, with a particular focus on the first and second order of digital divide, including availability, access time and use of the internet. Design/methodology/approach The authors have adopted stratified multistage sampling procedure for this research and conducted an empirical study on the data set of 600 respondents of six districts of U.P. to perform the inter-regional analysis. Furthermore, χ2 method has been used to reveal the factors responsible for the GDD among selected districts of UP. Findings Statistical results clearly indicate that out of 12 sub-districts, most of the districts suffered from first order as well as second order of GDD, and this gender disparity within an increasing digitization environment is due to the existence of exclusion from basic technological skills, social norms and financial constraints. Practical implications The results have implications for the U.P. Government in general and policymakers behind digitization projects in particular as well as the promoters of gender equality including researchers and fellows. Originality/value This study is the first to illustrate the orders of the digital gender gap in a developing economy such as India and to gain an insight into the factors behind it. This research will also consider a promising avenue for future work.

A paradoxical approach to instructional leadership

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (10) ◽  
pp. 1637-1646
Author(s):  
Haim Shaked
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Leadership ◽  
School Principals ◽  
Instructional Leader ◽  
School Level ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Nature Study ◽  
Conflicting Demands ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Experience Education

PurposePerceptual inhibitors to instructional leadership are based on disagreements with the premises of instructional leadership. This study explored how the paradoxical approach, which advocates “both/and” approach to conflicting demands, may moderate the influence of the perceptual inhibitors of instructional leadership.Design/methodology/approachThe current study is qualitative in nature. Study participants were 30 Israeli school principals, representing the larger body of Israeli principals in terms of sex, age, years of experience, education and school level. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Data analysis included a two-step theory-driven coding process.FindingsThis study found that the paradoxical approach allowed school principals to hold conflicting perspectives on instructional leadership simultaneously. Thus, it has reduced the effect of the perceptual inhibitors of instructional leadership, as it permitted principals to delay the decision between the expectation to fulfill the role of instructional leader and their disagreements with it.Originality/valueDespite prolonged pressures, school principals demonstrate limited involvement in instructional leadership, in part because of perceptual inhibitors. The findings of this study can be used in dealing with these inhibitors.

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