Longitudinal Comparative Study: Females’ vs. Males’ Graduation Outcomes in Undergraduate Engineering (original) (raw)
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Gender and Academic Performance in Engineering: An Empirical Study in a Leading Nigerian University
Journal of Physics: Conference Series
Engineering is increasingly becoming a more popular career for women globally. This study aims at examining the performances of female students in comparison to their male counterparts. This is then used to determine if there is any correlation in their performances. The sample population for this research is the engineering students in Covenant University, a leading University in Nigeria. The performance of the graduating students in this school over 11 years, from 2006 to 2017, was analysed and studied. The research suggests that more percentage of female students now graduate with first class and the percentage of female students graduating with third class between these periods has reduced to almost nothing over years. Thus, it is recommended that more women should be encouraged to enrol in engineering courses, as they tend to thrive in courses such as Electrical and Electronics Engineering and Mechanical Engineering.
The Effects of Gender on the Success of a Cohort of Engineering Students
engsc.ac.uk
The gender imbalance in the Australian engineering profession is significant and many engineering educators seek to redress this imbalance. This paper considers the implications of gender on the academic success of male and female students in engineering and spatial science programs. In 2004 the authors began a longitudinal study to identify the key predictors of academic success for a sample of 131 (18 females) on-campus students enrolled in first-year engineering and spatial science programs at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ). Earlier papers reported on the individual differences factors that influenced academic success, showing that previous education achievement (tertiary entrance score) was the key factor in predicting academic success for engineering students during their first year of study (
2018
Enrollment into engineering disciplines in tertiary institutions has always been identified for gender bias, higher population favoring the masculine. However, reports on the standard ratio of this bias nor the issue of whether it has any significant impact on the academic performance of engineering students (POES) scarcely exist. Meanwhile, Nigerian Universities still enjoy autonomy and their admission policies on entry requirements vary. Hence, this study examined the possible influence of gender and entry qualification (EQ) on POES. Data collected from 491 undergraduate engineering students from two universities were statistically analyzed. The study revealed female to male population ratio of 1:9. The result of the statistical analysis showed that EQ has a significant effect on POES (p0.05). Therefore, a more critical priority must be given to entry qualification and not the gender of the students intending to study engineering during admission and screening. However, female stu...
Explaining Academic Success in Engineering Degree Programs: Do Female and Male Students Differ?
Journal of Engineering Education, 2015
Background In Dutch engineering education, female students outperform male students. Using an interactionalist framework, this study explores factors that contribute to this gender-based difference. Purpose This study aims to answer two questions: Do female and male students differ in background characteristics, engagement factors, and academic success? Are differences in the relationships among background characteristics, engagement factors, and academic success gender-specific? Design/method Data on male and female engineering undergraduate students from five Dutch universities were subjected to linear structural modeling to compare potential gender differences in the relationships among the focal variables. Two structural models were considered. Results Female students spent more time on independent study, reported more social integration, completed more credits, and were more likely to stay in engineering than were male students. Academic integration and intention to persist were important for completion of credits for both genders. Social integration was only important for men's academic success. Females seemed to benefit less from good preparation through active learning during secondary education, and the effect of a high grade point average on math was negative for females but positive for males. Conclusions Interactionalist concepts can explain academic success, but the relationships among concepts vary by gender. Males' intentions to persist in engineering are an outcome of engagement processes during the first year, whereas females' intentions to persist in engineering are manifest at the start of the first year.
Female Underrepresentation in Undergraduate Education: Case study in School of Engineering
It is an eminent and established reality that worldwide, women are underrepresented in science, engineering and technology (SET) subjects in university education. Concerns about underrepresentation of females in the SET fields in Kenya have been raised and expressed by the government and various organizations for a long time. Equal representation between men and women in SET, and particularly in engineering, is crucial, as it would help in better reflection of the needs and interests of both sexes and provide a superior and more diverse talent pool to the economy and workforce of the country. The goal of the current study is to merge an examination of gender disparity in enrolment and progression at the School of Engineering (SOE), Moi University (MU) with reviewing current interventions to attract more females to university programs in Kenya. This analysis is based on retrospective longitudinal data (2003-2014) for engineering programs-level admission & graduation and institutional-level admission alongside with retention, Engineering parity index and Proportionality index computation. Multivariate regression analysis was used to study association between graduation outcomes and institutional characteristics. The major findings of the study are: While MU total admission is steadily increasing, no explicit trend in total enrolment of SOE was established. Analogous, there is no predetermined pattern in female admission for both SOE (13.9% average) and MU (45.4% average), however they are both skewed in favor of male. The comparison of female admission trends at SOE with other schools of MU revealed that the persistent underrepresentation of females in engineering is perplexing, particularly when female representation in other programs of MU has enjoyed superior improvement over time. Total retention rate, SOE was found to be 0.9 (10% drop-outs). Engineering parity ration was found to be 1.68 %, meaning that for every 59 students admitted to MU there was only one student admitted to SOE. Engineering female parity index was found to be 0.0038, meaning that on average for 260 female students admitted to MU only 1(one) female student was admitted to SOE. The situation in SOE is more distinct as the admission ratio of F/M is 0.143, meaning that for every 7 male students admitted to SOE there was only one female student. These trends suggest that females " participation in engineering professions is likely to be affected. This gender imbalance presents a missed opportunity and if we are serious about addressing the engineering skills shortage systematic intervention into the education system and graduate supply is required. In this regard, the study made numerous recommendations, the two main ones are: proposal to establish a national policy to attract more females to universities, in general, and to engineering programs in particular; and the second-is using a social media to reach youth, especially females, by establishing and running an " Engineering 101 " website/blog/online-forum that is focused and features on engineering and gender.
Challenges Faced by Female-Students in Engineering-Education
Gender-related challenges in learning technical courses are universal phenomenon. These challenges could restrain female students from achieving their fullest potential. The main focus of this study, therefore, is to examine self-recognized challenges faced by undergraduate female students in pursuing engineering at the School of Engineering (SOE), Moi University (MU). This article is an account from a larger gender-related study based on SOE, MU. Quantitative and qualitative methods have been applied in this study. The researchers designed, administered and analyzed a 20-question questioner addressed to female undergraduate students at SOE, MU. The focal point (single-school, cross-sectional) sample was chosen at random, and was limited to 50 female pupils representing each of the 5 engineering departments of SOE (about 20% of the population of the female students) at 2014/2015 academic year. From the survey reports, the sample consisted of 45 students (90%) under regular (GSSP) program and 5students (10%) under Privately Sponsored Students Program (PSSP). The respondents included students from each year of a 5-year degree-program: 25 students (50%) in 5 th year, 17 students (34%) in 4 th year, 3 students (6%) in 3 rd year, 3 students (6%) in 2 nd year and 2 students (4%) in 1 st year of study. The age bracket of female students was between 18 and 26 years old. Qualitative Data Coding Techniques were applied to interpret the collected data. The responses to the questioner were analyzed using NVivo software (version 10: QSR, 2012). 66% of the respondents agreed that there are barriers in their education at SOE. Based on the findings and their analysis, it is apparent, that the female students, indeed, faced numerous gender-related challenges and even harassment from teachers and classmates in studying at SOE. The study has made recommendations: in order to increase Retention and improve learning environment in the field of engineering education, female student Support and Mentoring activities should be designed and incorporated at engineering school.
GENDER INEQUILITY IN STUDENTS AFFINITIES FOR ENGINEERING COURSE: A CASE STUDY OF LANDMARK UNIVERSITY
This study focuses on the analysis of females’ affinities and performance in Engineering Courses in Landmark University. Senate approved result from 100 level to 400 level, 2013/2014 section were collected and statically analyzed. It was observed that Nigerian female student have little or no affinity for Engineering Courses, due to the complexity of equations and more attention need in class works as well as home works, they prefer other courses in sciences and social sciences with no or little effort. In Landmark University our analysis shows that for the past three years female students in the Engineering Departments are much lower than male students. It was discovered that the admission rate of undergraduate female Engineering students in Higher Institutions is between 30% - 50% and those who finally graduate is between 20% -30%. This transition in gender performance may be traceable to the following factors, low affinity for mathematics based courses, pear group effect, health issues, and lack of funding or sponsorship. This paper presents some the requisite solution to these challenges.
A study of female academic performance in mechanical engineering
Technology-Based Re-Engineering Engineering Education Proceedings of Frontiers in Education FIE'96 26th Annual Conference, 1996
In this study we examine the relative performance of female mechanical engineering students at North Carolina A&T State University in a range of classes, each emphasizing different skills. Contrary to all previous studies that we have found, the female students in our study performed better, by all measures, than the males in all but one class, and they performed equally well in that. Possible explanations for this finding are discussed.
Gender Differences In Major Selection And Academic Success For Students Leaving Engineering
2005 Annual Conference Proceedings
The major selection and academic performance of students who matriculated in and subsequently left undergraduate engineering programs are studied at the nine SUCCEED universities (Southeastern University and College Coalition for Engineering Education) from 1987 to 1996 (requiring student data from 1987 to 2002) to determine gender differences in these outcomes. Academic success after leaving engineering is characterized by three outcomes: graduation in the first non-engineering major, graduation after at least one additional change of major, and failure to graduate. The impact of gender and grade-point average (GPA) at the time of leaving engineering on major selection and subsequent academic success were investigated in a multicategory, logistic regression model. The results revealed a significant interaction effect between GPA and gender on students' post-engineering success. Females leaving engineering with GPA less than 2.65 were more likely to graduate in the first non-engineering major. At higher GPA's, the reverse was true. Females who changed their major at least once more were also more likely to graduate than their male counterparts when leaving engineering with lower GPA (less than 2.75), the difference is not observed for males and females leaving engineering with GPA greater than 2.75. Concomitant to these two success rates is that females with a GPA lower than 2.8 are more likely to graduate after leaving engineering than their male counterparts. With a GPA greater than 3.125, males were more likely to graduate after leaving engineering than females. With GPA between 2.8 and 3.125, males and females had the same probability of graduation after leaving engineering.
Indicators of Engineering Students' Academic Performance: A Gender-Based Study
Academic performance of engineering students continues to receive attention in the literature. However, the literature lacks studies that investigate the simultaneous relationship between students' systems thinking (ST) skills, and Five-Factor Model (FFM) personality traits and proactive personality scale, and their potential impact on academic performance across gender. Three established instruments, namely, ST skills instrument with seven dimensions, FFM traits with five dimensions, and proactive personality with one dimension, were administrated for data collection. A web-based cross-sectional survey using Qualtrics was developed to gather data from engineering students. To show the prediction power of the ST skills, FFM traits, and proactive personality on the academic performance of engineering students, Multiple Group Structural Analysis was applied. The study findings show how key skills and characteristics impact engineering students' academic performance and also how gender moderates these relationships. This study can provide important implications and contributions to engineering education and complex systems bodies of knowledge. First, the study will provide a better understanding of engineering students' academic performance across gender. This intent is to help educators, teachers, mentors, college authorities, and other involved parties to understand students' individual differences for a better training and guidance environment. Second, a closer look at the level of systemic thinking and its connection with FFM traits and proactive personality would assist in understanding engineering students' skillset better in the domain of complex systems.