An Evaluation of Factors for Retaining Female Students in Construction Management Programs

Bigelow, Ben F.; Bilbo, David; Ritter, Lisa; Mathew, M; Elliott, Jonathan W.

doi:10.1080/15578771.2015.1085927

Cited by 26 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…University pathways into the construction sector are not considered in these publications. Previous research has explored what factors attract female students to construction courses at the university level by surveying female students already enrolled in a construction management course (Akinlolu & Haupt, 2019;Bigelow et al, 2015Bigelow et al, , 2016Bigelow et al, , 2018Oo et al, 2018). Understanding these pathways and what influences female students who have already chosen construction management training is valuable research.…”

Section: Gender Imbalance In the Current Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Why Australian female high school students do not choose construction as a career: A qualitative investigation into value beliefs about the construction industry

Carnemolla

Galea

2021

J of Engineering Edu

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Background: The construction industry remains male dominated, despite the efforts of business and educational institutions to attract women into construction careers. Previous research has examined why female university students study construction management or engineering. To complement this knowledge, there is an opportunity to understand why so many Australian female high school students do not choose to pursue construction-related careers.Purpose: Framed in motivational theory, the purpose of the study was to understand why Australian female high school students do not choose a construction-related career by answering the question: How do the value beliefs of female high school students contribute to a rejection of the construction sector as a career choice? Design/method: Applying a qualitative methodology, we report on semistructured interviews with a sample of 15 Australian female high school students. Interview transcripts were inductively analyzed to reveal themes that were overlaid onto Eccles' expectancy-value theory to deepen our understanding of the values expressed by students when discussing their reasons for not wanting a career in construction. Results: Results revealed five themes: lack of awareness; lack of self-alignment; effect of male domination; sector esteem; and parental, teacher, and curriculum influence. Responses revealed the range of values contributing to the decision not to consider the construction industry. Conclusion:The paper concludes by suggesting that to increase the participation of young women in the Australian construction industry, the sector should respond to the value beliefs held by female high school students. It should transform the perception of construction into one of a profession that is relevant, valuable, and enjoyable for young women.

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Section: Gender Imbalance In the Current Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Why Australian female high school students do not choose construction as a career: A qualitative investigation into value beliefs about the construction industry

Carnemolla

Galea

2021

J of Engineering Edu

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…As the construction industry seeks to create a more diverse workforce, it is important to provide an inclusive environment where underrepresented populations feel valued. Previous research indicates that community involvement and a positive sense of community (SoC) promotes recruiting, retention and student performance for underrepresented populations (Bigelow, Bilbo, Ritter, Mathew and Elliott, 2016;Shane, Lopez del Puerto, Strong, Mauro, and Wiley-Jones, 2012). These studies establish the value of investigating sense of community within undergraduate construction management (CM) programs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 83%

“…The result was an increase in female enrollment at levels that exceeded the university, college and departmental gains. Bigelow, Bilbo, Ritter, Mathew and Elliott (2016), reported that of 15 variables identified from previous studies, sense of community was rated as the most influential factor for retaining female students within a construction program.…”

Section: Creating Community To Recruit and Retain A Diverse Construction Management Student Bodymentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Although the previously mentioned Bigelow et al (2016) study did not measure Sense of Community, the research did allude to the potential benefits for smaller communities operating within a larger student population. This concept is represented in the literature as early as the 19th century with German sociologist Ferdinand Tönnies and French Social Scientist Émile Durkheim.…”

Section: Creating Community To Recruit and Retain A Diverse Construction Management Student Bodymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sense of Community in a Midwestern Construction Management Program

Sauer¹,

Bruce²,

Bradford³

EPiC Series in Built Environment

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The U.S. construction industry lacks diversity in respect to female and minority populations. This lack of diversity presents a threat and an opportunity for construction firms and the industry as a whole. Undergraduate construction management programs can support the industry by recruiting and retaining a diverse student population. Previous studies indicate that sense of community is positively related to recruiting, student satisfaction, academic achievement, and retention for underrepresented populations in higher education. The researchers compared sense of community to investigate differences between demographic groups. The findings indicate a significant difference in sense of community based on gender and no difference based on race. The study provides insights on the experience of underrepresented populations within construction programs. The findings will assist construction programs as they seek to support underrepresented populations and measure the impact of interventions over time.

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“…In an attempt to grow the number of Hispanic construction managers, there should first be a growth in Hispanics obtaining construction science degrees . Retention of Hispanic students who could be the future construction professionals is a problem in Construction education (Escamilla et al, 2018;Bigelow et al, 2016). While the main reasons for the low retention rate of Hispanic students should be investigated, the focus of this study is not the problem of retention, but rather what retention strategies are most effective.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Evaluation of Factors for Retaining Hispanic Students in Undergraduate Construction Programs

Ostadalimakhmalbaf¹,

Danesh²,

Escamilla³

et al.

EPiC Series in Built Environment

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The number of Hispanic workers in the construction industry is more than any other industry in US, but they are under-represented in management position. In an attempt to grow the number of Hispanic construction managers, there should first be a growth in Hispanics obtaining construction science degrees. Retention of Hispanic students who could be the future construction professionals is a problem in Construction education. The objective of this study was to explore which of the factors reported by the literature, have the strongest positive effect on Hispanic students in undergraduate construction education programs. In order to identify which factors, have the strongest impact to assist undergraduate construction programs in determining where best to focus retention strategies to enhance Hispanic student success, this study employed the Delphi method. The results of the study showed that “financial aid”, “academic advising”, and “mentoring programs” were the topmost important factors. Additionally, it was found that “Construction-related student organizations” as the least important retention factor on the list. Research in the area of Hispanics in construction education is limited. This study can serve as a basis for future research in Hispanic students’ retention.

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An Evaluation of Factors for Retaining Female Students in Construction Management Programs

Cited by 26 publications

References 11 publications

Why Australian female high school students do not choose construction as a career: A qualitative investigation into value beliefs about the construction industry

Why Australian female high school students do not choose construction as a career: A qualitative investigation into value beliefs about the construction industry

Sense of Community in a Midwestern Construction Management Program

An Evaluation of Factors for Retaining Hispanic Students in Undergraduate Construction Programs

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