The current paper details results from the Girls and ICT survey phase of a three year study inves... more The current paper details results from the Girls and ICT survey phase of a three year study investigating factors associated with low participation rates by females in education pathways leading to professional level information and communications technology (ICT) professions. The study is funded through the Australian Research Council's (ARC) Linkage Grants Scheme. It involves a research partnership between Education Queensland (EQ), industry partner Technology One and academic researchers at (affiliation removed for review purposes). Respondents to the survey were 1453 senior high school girls. Comparisons were drawn between Takers (n = 131) and Non Takers (n = 1322) of advanced level computing subjects. Significant differences between the groups were found on four questions: ''The subjects are interesting''; ''I am very interested in computers''; ''The subject will be helpful to me in my chosen career path after school''; and ''It suited my timetable''. The research has demonstrated that senior high school girls tend to perceive advanced computing subjects as boring and they express a strong aversion to computers.
Work engagement has recently been identified as an important outcome of healthy work environments... more Work engagement has recently been identified as an important outcome of healthy work environments. Engagement of workers empowers organisations and provides them with a solid basis for sustainability and strategic planning for productivity gains. Using the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) this research compared antecedents of work engagement within workers based in four countries: Australia, New Zealand, China and Hong Kong (N = 10,614). A K-means cluster analysis established five groups of like-minded participants: Highly Engaged (15%), Engaged (27%), Unengaged (30%), Disengaged (19%) and Very Disengaged (9%). The categorical engagement variable so derived was used to assess self-report levels of Work Demands, Work-life Balance, Work Family Conflict, Social Support, and Psychological Strain. Significant differences between the engagement groups were identified for all of these variables, with the largest effect sizes reflected in those variables measuring workplace relationships. In addition, significant differences across the national samples were identified. This research therefore demonstrates: (1) endorsement of previous research findings that organisations can consciously provide environments that foster employee engagement;
Purpose -This paper seeks to identify aspects of work environment, culture or expectations that c... more Purpose -This paper seeks to identify aspects of work environment, culture or expectations that contributed to women's comfort or discomfort within the information and communication technology (ICT) industry. Design/methodology/approach -The study is empirical in nature and addresses the perspectives of 178 professional women currently working within the Australian ICT industry who responded to the "Women in ICT" survey conducted through James Cook University. Likert-scale responses were subjected to principal component analysis and then K-mean cluster analysis, distinguishing four groups of respondents. Explanations for group membership were then sought from responses to open-ended survey questions. Findings -There was common agreement among respondents that, when making their career decisions, they had expected to enjoy good community image, and that their work would be socially useful, satisfying and flexible. Respondents also agreed that careers in ICT are rewarding, and provide opportunities, and disagreed with prevailing negative stereotypes about the industry. Opinions diverged on the organisation-specific issues of management approachability and equality, as well as around respondents' confidence in their own technical ability and their intention to encourage young women to enter the industry. Originality/value -This paper identifies distinct patterns of response and thereby provides support for the thesis that the widely reported discomfort of women within the ICT industry is not a cultural (industry-wide) phenomenon but, rather, one that has its roots within particular workplace relationships. It is these relationships that appear to encourage or undermine confidence and women's intentions to encourage others to enter ICT.
This paper reports on two questions from a survey of year 11 and 12 girls' perceptions of the two... more This paper reports on two questions from a survey of year 11 and 12 girls' perceptions of the two advanced computing subjects available within Education Queensland (EQ). The two subjects are Information Processing Technology (IPT) and Information Technology Systems (ITS). Similar to trends in other western countries, the Queensland experience demonstrates that the number of girls enrolling in IPT and ITS are declining to a level which causes concern. Therefore engaging girls in advanced level computing subjects has become a priority. Girls from 26 government (GS)
This paper presents an analysis of the combined data sets from a large ARC (Australian Research C... more This paper presents an analysis of the combined data sets from a large ARC (Australian Research Council) funded study on the declining enrolments of female students in high school information technology subjects, and a SiMERR (Science, ICT and Mathematics Education for Rural and Regional Australia) study of 9 rural or remote schools in the state of Queensland. The aim of examining the combined data set was to investigate any apparent differences between girls' perceptions of studying higher level ICT subjects in rural areas compared to metropolitan areas. The findings of the study highlighted some problems experienced by female students studying outside of metropolitan areas. They perceived the subject offerings to be 'more boring' than their city counterparts and reported a lower level of home ownership. The paper offers possible explanations for the findings and strongly recommends that strategies need to be implemented to overcome these problems.
INTRODUCTION: The ICT Industry and Designing the Future-As in other modern Western societies, Aus... more INTRODUCTION: The ICT Industry and Designing the Future-As in other modern Western societies, Australian businesses, financial institutions, industries and governments have become increasingly reliant on Information Communication Technology's (ICT) capacity to provide effective, operational and cost effective solutions across a rapidly growing array of applications. The ubiquitous and seemingly indispensable nature of ICT in modern societies has spawned a hydra-like industry that is difficult to define and is highly dynamic (Moore, ...
This article reports findings of a national online survey of Australian women employed in Informa... more This article reports findings of a national online survey of Australian women employed in Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-related careers. The Women in ICT Industry Survey was the culminating stage of a larger Australian Research Council Linkage Grant project investigating factors associated with low and declining female participation rates in professional-level ICT pathways. The survey comprised a mix of forced-choice and open-ended short-response items, and was completed by 272 Australian women. Application of K-means cluster analysis to forced-choice item responses revealed three discrete groupings of female ICT professionals. Overall, respondents reported that their ICT career was rewarding, provided opportunities and challenges, and was beneficial to society. Respondents generally disagreed with Queensland high school girls' perceptions that ICT is boring, sedentary, and not relevant to their future career directions. They also disagreed that the industry fits the prevailing negative stereotype of being populated by 'geeks' and 'nerds'. Divergent opinions centered mainly around participants' confidence in their own technical ability, whether they would encourage young women to enter the ICT industry, and how they perceived and responded to industrial issues of equality and management approachability. These findings support suggestions for a range of policy and curriculum initiatives designed to enable more positive experiences of computing in school, and to optimize ICT career pathways in tandem with furthering wider educational ends.
This paper reports on two questions from a survey of year 11 and 12 girls' perceptions of the two... more This paper reports on two questions from a survey of year 11 and 12 girls' perceptions of the two advanced computing subjects available within Education Queensland (EQ). These two subjects are Information Processing Technology (IPT) and Information Technology Systems (ITS). The Queensland experience is similar to trends in other western countries; numbers of girls enrolling in these subjects are declining to a level which causes concern. Therefore engaging girls in advanced level computing subjects has become a priority.
Preliminary results from 289 women in ICT industries, Australia-wide, suggest that ICT career wom... more Preliminary results from 289 women in ICT industries, Australia-wide, suggest that ICT career women are extremely satisfied with their career choice overall. However, further findings, and comparisons with a study conducted in the United Kingdom (UK), suggest that subtle discrimination, a 'glass ceiling' effect, in the ICT workplace continues to provide a source of job dissatisfaction for women in this industry.
This paper provides early findings from the 'Women in Information and Communication Technolo... more This paper provides early findings from the 'Women in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Industry'survey, which is the final stage of a large research project into low participation rates of girls in ICT. Preliminary results from 289 women in ICT industries, Australia-wide, suggest that ICT career women are extremely satisfied with their career choice overall. However, further findings, and comparisons with a study conducted in the United Kingdom (UK), suggest that subtle discrimination, a 'glass ceiling'effect, in the ICT ...
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