Gender Equity in Rwandan Higher Education: The Case of Engineering Classrooms

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 3:20 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Redesigning Classrooms for an Inclusive Future (Table 2)

Abstract

Similar to many higher education contexts, universities in Rwanda have notable gender disparities in undergraduate STEM programs. In this mixed methods study, we ask the following research questions: (1) How do women describe their comfort level in the engineering classroom? (2) How do women’s group work impact their level of comfort in the engineering classroom? We analyzed quantitative data from 50 survey respondents and qualitative data from 20 interview respondents. Our findings show the importance of group work, faculty support networks (environmental factors), and self-efficacy in determining women students’ comfort in engineering higher education. These themes, viewed through a social cognitive career theory lens, have implications for the retention of women engineering students through both environmental factors and individualized support.

Authors

• Samantha L Santos, Arizona State University

• Meseret F. Hailu, University of Georgia

• Joselyne Munezero, University of Rwanda

• Marie Chantal Cyulinyana, University of Rwanda