The Study of Women’s Perceptions of Performance and Experience in All-Female and Mixed-Gender Engineering Teams
Open Access
Author:
Kirban, Devyn
Area of Honors:
Engineering Science
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Kathryn Jablokow, Thesis Supervisor Gary L Gray, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
engineering teams cohesion psychological safety emotions team performance experience women all-female perceptions STEM diversity gender
Abstract:
This thesis delves into the factors that affect women’s perceptions of team performance and personal experience in all-female and mixed-gender engineering teams. For this study, two surveys were designed to capture how women perceive several factors that affect performance and experience in teams of differing gender compositions. Data was collected from a combination of 130 female engineering students and alumni from The Pennsylvania State University. The data was analyzed using correlations and other types of analysis to draw conclusions about women’s perceptions of what leads engineering teams to have high performance and good overall experiences. It was observed that the female participants felt very positive emotions and thoughts on their experiences in all-female engineering teams. These research findings have many potential applications for teams in both academia and industry. As engineering continues to diversify, this knowledge can help foster high quality team dynamics and supportive environments for women in engineering teams, thus leading to better team performances and personal experiences.
