Collaborative Research: Gender Diversity, Identity, and EWB-USA

Summary

This engineering education research project seeks to learn why the engineering service organization Engineers Without Borders is successful at attracting a large number of women volunteers and thus better understand the factors that can help recruit women into engineering degree programs. The project uses the constructs of self-efficacy and outcome beliefs to examine why individuals make choices about engineering degree programs and future career paths.

The broader significance and importance of this project will be to potentially inform engineering educators and policy makers about why women, who are significantly under-represented in engineering, are attracted to some engineering organizations but not engineering degree programs in general. The study will also shed light on why women who obtain engineering degrees may choose not use take advantage of that degree by following an engineering career. Given the large personal and societal investment in engineering degrees, this may have far-reaching impact on the number of engineers in the United States.

Funding

  • Mortenson Center for Engineering for Developing Communities Graduate Research Assistantship

Database

We encourage use of our methods for expansion andvalidation of the findings. In addition, ifyou would like access to the survey data set from our studies,please contact:amy.javernick@colorado.edu.

Research Questions

How are engineers involved and uninvolved with EWB-USA different and similar? Characteristics. Learning. Careers.

Research Methods

Qualtiative Phase. 1. Open-ended questionnaries 2. Coded responses 1. Pilot focus groups 2. Interviews and focus groups 3. Initial coding 4. Case-based and variable-based analyses Quantiative Phase. 1. Pilot survey 2. Tests of comparison 3. Official survey (preceded by employer interviews) 4. Regression analyses

Results

Results are presented below for each of the different datacollection and analysis methods.

Open-ended Questionnaires

505 respondents answered an open-ended questionnaire at EWB-USA conferences:

Analysis #1: Comparison of identity descriptions. Description of self. Description of typical engineer. Description of typical EWB-USA member. Analysis #2: Relative frequencies of response themes. What an engineer needs to know. Gaps in engineering education. Biggest gain from EWB experience.

Results from analysis #1:

  • Females showed statistically more identification with EWB-USA than males
  • EWB-USA may be helping members, particularly females, gain a sense of belonging with engineering

Females. Self and engineer 63%. Engineer and EWB-USA member 44%. Self and EWB-USA member 65% (statistically significant). Self, engineer, and EWB-USA member 52% (statistically significant). Males. Self and engineer 57%. Engineer and EWB-USA member 37%. Self and EWB-USA member 52%. Self, engineer, and EWB-USA member 37%. Statistical significance at p<0.01.

Results from analysis #2:

  • EWB-USA supplements needs and fills in educational gaps
  • Females identified engineers’ need for a global perspective more than males
  • Females reported many more gains than males
  • Females more frequently identified gains in technical skills, problem solving, and relationships than males

Top Response Themes (% of respondents)

NeedsGapsGains
Technical Skills56.57.16.9 (*F)
Interpersonal Skills31.715.77.1
Problem Solving19.856.3 (*F)
Societal Awareness18.65.45.7
Global Perspective12.8 (*F)11.124.4
Project Management10.89.618.5
Experience and Application10.637.619.9
Relationships0.81.920.3 (*F)
Total n499479492

* Indicatoes statiscally significant difference, p<0.05 by gender, top three responses in bold

Qualitative Research Participants

Qualitative Participant Population: 165 participants, 24 states, 18 engineering discplines, 37 hours of audio recording. 8% EWB female professional. 22% EWB female student. 18% EWB male professional. 15% EWB male student. 8% non-EWB female professional. 10% non-EWB female student. 11% non-EWB male professional. 8% non-EWB male student.

Survey Participants

  • 2,674 engineers
  • 25% involved with EWB-USA
  • 30% engineering students
  • Solicited from ASCE, ASME, EWB, and SWE

Answers to Main Research Question

Characteristics

  • EWB-USA members and non-members have similar engineering interests, intrinsic motivations, and personality traits of conscientiousness and emotional stability
  • EWB-USA members have broader interests, more altruistic motivations, and are more agreeable & open to experience

Learning

  • EWB-USA members and non-members have equivalent perceptions of their level of technical skill abilities
  • EWB-USA members perceived themselves to have higher professional skill abilities than non-EWB members, which may be due to increased complex and contextualized design experiences

Careers

  • EWB-USA members and non-members have similar interests in and experience with engineering research and graduate school
  • EWB-USA members have higher interest in and experience with engineering project management, public policy, government or law, and NGO work doing community development
  • Two cautions to the field: EWB-USA students may be disillusioned about work roles available to them, particularly females; EWB-USA members may not find their work roles as meaningful as non-members

Articles

  • Litchfield, K.andJavernick-Will, A.(2015). “.”Journal of Engineering Education. 104 (4),393-416. doi: 10.1002/jee.20102
  • Litchfield, K.andJavernick-Will, A.(2016). “‘.”Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education. 143 (1), 4016018. doi: 10.1061/(ASCE)EI.1943-5541.0000303.
  • Litchfield, K.andJavernick-Will, A.(2016). “”.PRISM, JEE Selects, 39.
  • Litchfield, K.,Javernick-Will, A.,andMaul, A. (2016).“.”Journal of Engineering Education.105 (1),70-92. doi:10.1002/jee.20109

Collaborative Research: Gender Diversity, Identity, and EWB-USA Team

Kaitlin Litchfield
Alayna Wachter
Casey Casias
Jessica Bryne