Exploring Gender-Based Career Capital Perceptions among Engineering College Students: A Qualitative Interview Study

Abstract

In recent years, diversity has emerged as a critical topic of discussion in the field of science and technology in Korean society. In particular, gender diversity has garnered attention in engineering, highlighting the need to develop gender-based competencies among engineering college students. The purpose of this study is to explore the career capital perception of gender-based engineering college students. This study employs focus group interviews to investigate the gender-based perceptions of career capital competency among engineering college students. Focus group interviews, a qualitative research method, involve discussions with small groups (typically 4 to 12 participants) on a specific topic. In this study, two focus groups were formed and divided by sex, comprising 6 male and 6 female students, with a total of 12 participants. The interviews were conducted, transcribed, and analyzed to uncover participants' perceptions of career capital, which consists of knowing-why, knowing-how, and knowing-whom. The results of the study revealed that, among the career capital recognized by engineering college students, motivation (an aspect of knowing-why) and knowledge and skill (aspects of knowing-how) were perceived uniformly across genders. In contrast, attitude and identity (aspects of knowing-why), ability (an aspect of knowing-how), and networking and information resources (aspects of knowing-whom) exhibited gender-specific perceptions. The results of this study emphasize the importance of the need to develop competencies in consideration of the gender perspective in order to accumulate career capital of engineering college students, contributing positively to career capital enhancement in engineering education. The study's findings serve as primary data for designing genderbased career capital programs.