Exploring how Ethiopian women students perceive a sense of belonging in engineering higher education

Abstract

In this study, we explored four undergraduate engineering women students’ sense of belonging to their engineering major, engineering college, and university in Ethiopia. Specifically, we explored how engineering women students perceived their sense of belonging to the engineering program and how the perceived sense of belonging impacted their academic participation and experience. We conducted an exploratory qualitative study through narrative interviews, thematic analysis, and a ‘sense of belonging’ lens to guide the study. Findings indicated that two participants who chose the engineering major themselves felt a sense of belonging to engineering, one who was assigned to engineering by the government did not feel a sense of belonging to her major, and one had partial belonging. The students indicated that having the autonomy to choose a major of their interest affected them in many ways: their motivation, persistence, performance, experience, sense of belonging, and whether to stay in the profession post-graduation or not. The Ethiopian government may need to prioritize making engineering a safer and more inclusive space where students of all genders feel they belong before forcing more women into the major. Furthermore, findings suggest the Ethiopian Ministry of Education might consider allowing the autonomy and agency of women students in choosing their major and/or university as they can make pragmatic decisions of what to study, where, and for what purpose.