Where do New Zealand Female Engineers come from? Insights from a quantitative analysis

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dc.contributor.authorDocherty PD
dc.contributor.authorChase, Geoff
dc.contributor.authorFox WH
dc.contributor.authorNaswall K
dc.date.accessioned2019-11-13T20:04:43Z
dc.date.available2019-11-13T20:04:43Z
dc.date.issued2018en
dc.date.updated2019-03-13T15:20:56Z
dc.description.abstractCONTEXT Females are under-represented in the New Zealand engineering student cohort. Increased female engagement in engineering subjects is a target of many tertiary education providers. The lack of diversity in engineering graduates has ramifications for engineering industry and limits productivity. It also contradicts the Critical theory, which promotes equity of opportunity across different people groups. PURPOSE This research determines the rate of all-girls high school attendance from female students that progress to enrolment in tertiary engineering training APPROACH The high schools attended by each student that enrolled in engineering at the University of Canterbury between 2005 and 2017 were recorded. The rate of single sex high-school attendance of this group of students was compared to the national rate of single sex attendance (~13%) RESULTS A total of 1147 female records were analysed and 847 females recorded a New Zealand high school. Female students enrolled in engineering over the time period went to single sex schools in 56% of cases. In contrast, 4845 male records were analysed and 4441 recorded New Zealand High schools. In contrast to females, males went to single sex high schools at a rate of only 35%. CONCLUSIONS This rate of attendance at single sex high schools in the female engineering cohort is significantly higher than the nation average. This may be due to some cultural differences at single sex girls’ high schools. However, it may also be due to the parental ambition that may correlate with selection of single sex education for the children. Further investigation of the causes for this outcome may provide significant insight that could ameliorate the lack of diversity of the engineering cohorten
dc.identifier.citationDocherty PD, Chase G, Fox WH, Naswall K (2018). Where do New Zealand Female Engineers come from? Insights from a quantitative analysis. Hamilton, NZ: 29th Australasian Association for Engineering Education Conference. 09/12/2018-12/12/2018.en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10092/17615
dc.language.isoen
dc.rightsThis work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcodeen
dc.subjectEngineering educationen
dc.subjectQuantitative analysisen
dc.subjectFemales in STEMen
dc.subject.anzsrcField of Research::13 - Education::1302 - Curriculum and Pedagogy::130212 - Science, Technology and Engineering Curriculum and Pedagogyen
dc.subject.anzsrcFields of Research::39 - Education::3903 - Education systems::390303 - Higher educationen
dc.titleWhere do New Zealand Female Engineers come from? Insights from a quantitative analysisen
dc.typeConference Contributions - Otheren
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