COMPARING THE EXPERIENCES OF WOMEN IN UNDERGRADUATE ENGINEERING ACROSS DIFFERENT SCHOOLS

Abstract

A previous study by the authors that was conducted on students in accredited undergraduate engineering programs showed significant differences between men’s and women’s experiences in their programs. That previous first-stage study highlighted that the causes of Canada’s low retention of women in the field may be at least partially attributable to women’s negative experiences at the beginning of their careers, in their undergraduate education. The research done thus far by the authors was largely explorative; there is now a need to begin identifying where and when students are experiencing negativity tied to their gender. The purpose of the research herein is to get a more comprehensive understanding of how specific behaviours and practices of professors, teaching assistants, peers, and other personnel in the classroom affect students will have significant consequences for what inclusive pedagogy in engineering should look like. As a part of this, the previous pilot study was revised, expanded and distributed to four accredited engineering institutions in North America. The results of the present study reinforce authors’ previous theories and indicate that across the institutions surveyed, peers and professors made up the primary source of discouragement and intimidation against students. In addition, institutional differences uncovered in this study suggest that specific programs and initiatives at the institutions in question at least partially affect student experiences, and later their retention in the field. The authors conclude that institutions need to begin targeting peers and professors for equity education, bias eradication training, and other initiatives.