Female lecturers engaged in stem disciplines in selected Ghanaian universities status, stature and challenges

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the status, stature and challenges of female lecturers in STEM disciplines in Ghanaian universities. The study was underpinned by the pragmatic philosophical paradigm. The study employed the descriptive survey design with the concurrent triangulation mixed method approach to collect data. The sample size for the study was 84 respondents. In the quantitative phase, a questionnaire was administered to (female lecturers sample in STEM disciplines) while the qualitative involved semi-structured interviews for the female lecturers in public universities. Data were collected in two phases using a five-point Likert-type scale questionnaire and a semi-structured interview guide. The descriptive function of the SPSS version was used to organize the quantitative data into frequency counts, percentages, mean scores and standard deviations. The reliability coefficient obtained using Cronbach alpha formula was 0.81. It emerged from the study that female lecturers’ engagement enhanced effective STEM disciplines teaching and a significant number of female lecturers in STEM disciplines were not of higher professional ranks. Findings also revealed that there were gender discriminations at workplace which promotes biasedness in appointments with traditional perceptions that a woman's place is not the hard sciences, sexism and stereotyping of women's roles as well. Findings revealed the lack of regular conferences for the female lecturers engaged in STEM disciplines and absence of award schemes in various universities for outstanding females in STEM disciplines. It also showed that female lecturers who are engaged in STEM disciplines do not support and mentor younger colleagues’ professional growth. Findings revealed that there were only few universities offering institutional support systems towards the female lecturers’ academic and professional growth in STEM disciplines in Ghanaian public universities. Finally, the findings revealed that the self-efficacy beliefs of the female lecturers in STEM disciplines has impacted positively in their academic engagements particularly in the exhibition of competencies and skills to achieve academic success in STEM disciplines in Ghanaian universities. In conclusion, it is indicated that female lectures engaged in STEM disciplines play significant roles in teaching-learning processes however, majority of them were not of high professional ranks. There has been the lack of support among colleague female lecturers in STEM disciplines as well as gender discriminations at work place and female lecturers’ self-efficacy beliefs encourages them to aspire for higher academic excellence. It was recommended among others that special incentives should be set aside in Ghanaian universities for females in STEM disciplines. Management of universities should tackle institutional and technical challenges through the provision of technological tools for effective instructional processes of STEM disciplines in universities. Universities should support female lectures in STEM disciplines through scholarships and fellowships programs and finally, government of Ghana through GTEC should make deliberate efforts and establish policies on enhancing gender balance and representation of females in universities in STEM disciplines.