The relationships between gender, social expectation, and decision-making processes of engineering students

Abstract

This study aims to explore the gender roles, social expectations, motivations, career decisions, and sense-making processes of a group of undergraduate female engineering students, particularly in the fields of naval, marine technology, and maritime studies, in the United Kingdom. Based on the Social Cognitive Career and Motivation Theory, two research questions were listed, why do undergraduate female students decide to study engineering, particularly in naval, marine technology, and maritime studies, as their career development? How do undergraduate female engineering students describe and make sense of their academic voyage and experiences as pre-service engineering professionals based on their gender, social expectation, and decision-making process? In line with the qualitative phenomenological approach, interview, focus group activity and member checking interview were employed to collect the stories from 20 female undergraduate engineering students in the United Kingdom. Three main themes were categorised, 1) interest in STEM learning, 2) determination about an engineering career, and 3) the surrounding environment: connection and relationship with the ocean. The results showed the potential managerial developments for gender diversity and constructive gender policies in engineering based on the voices of female engineering professionals. The outcomes of this study will fill the gaps in gender and gender issues in the engineering profession.