Why women choose service-learning: seeking and finding engineering-related experiences

• Autores: Holly M. Matusovich, William Oakes, Carla B. Zoltowski
• Localización: The International journal of engineering education, ISSN-e 0949-149X, Vol. 29, no. Extra 2, 2013, págs. 388-402
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • As a field, engineering remains challenged with regard to gender parity and ethnic diversity despite efforts over the last 20 yearsaimed at closing such gaps. Although research and curricular reform efforts have advanced our understanding of what works toattract women to engineering, we still know little from the student perspective as to why some practices are successful in attractingand retaining women. It is not enough to know what works, but we must also know why some practices work in order to createlasting change and reach diversity goals. Our study begins addressing this why question by qualitatively examining eight womenparticipants’ choices to enroll in a service-learning course (Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS)) that has beensuccessful in attracting women over 16 years. Our results show that our participants choose EPICS as a way to gain experiencedoing engineering; that EPICS provides the benefit of contextualized learning with resulting impacts within EPICS and in otherclasses, and that EPICS positively impacts commitment to engineering. Interpreting our results, we argue that women are seekingways to gain engineering experience in a setting that is comfortable to them, such as EPICS. The context of the experience andability to help others is important, but secondary to gaining engineering experience.