MOTIVATION MAKES A DIFFERENCE, BUT IS THERE A DIFFERENCE IN MOTIVATION? WHAT INSPIRES WOMEN AND MEN TO STUDY ENGINEERING?

摘要

Despite years of research and intervention, women continue to be underrepresented in engineering [1]. In 2008, women comprised 18.4% of all recipients of an engineering degree [2], continuing an historical trend spanning the last 30 years, during which women's share of engineering degrees has remained stable or even declined. One of the goals of the Academic Pathways Study (APS) of which the present analysis is a part, was to contribute to the ongoing dialogue about underrepresentation in engineering, on both explanatory and remedial topics. The present study discusses some APS findings on gender and motivation to study engineering. Many scholars have pointed to differences in the ways men and women experience their undergraduate education to suggest potential remedies [3]. One commonly observed phenomenon is stereotype threat, a situation in which a member of a group that is a target of negative stereotypes must perform with the added anxiety that she might confirm those stereotypes [4]. This anxiety has been shown to negatively affect performance; in this way, the individual can reinforce the stereotype.