Navigating Gender Disparities in STEM Students

The study "Navigating Gender Disparities in Ethiopian STEM Students' Self-Efficacy: A Feminist Perspective" examined gender differences in self-efficacy among STEM students at the Bahir Dar University STEM center in Ethiopia using a mixed-method research design, specifically a descriptive survey in a comparative perspective. Semi-structured interviews and questionnaires with a 5-point Likert scale from "Never do at all" to "very highly certain can do" were used to gather data. Out of 186 STEM students in grades 9–12, 75 female and 76 male students completed the questionnaire, yielding 151 responses using an accessible sampling technique. The statistical program SPSS 24 was used to thoroughly evaluate the quantitative data (refer to the data set that is attached). Mean scores and independent samples t-tests were used to compare the levels of self-efficacy among the sexes. Drawing from Bandura's (1997) taxonomy, the study concentrated on five essential components of self-efficacy: self-efficacy in meeting others' expectations, self-efficacy for academic performance, self-efficacy for self-regulated learning, self-efficacy for recruiting social resources, and self-assertive efficacy. With all t-tests demonstrating statistical significance at P < 0.05, the SPSS analysis repeatedly showed that male students had considerably higher levels of self-efficacy than their female counterparts across all five evaluated components. In particular, males scored higher on the grand mean for self-efficacy in using social resources (M = 18.4400) than females (M = 10.2400), with a t-test result of t = -23.287. According to a t-test result of t = -21.818, male students scored M = 27.6533 in self-efficacy for academic success, whereas female students scored M = 16.2667. The grand mean for self-regulated learning was M = 40.613 for men and M = 24.106 for women, with a t-test result of t = -21.729. Males had a grand mean of M = 18.09 versus females' M = 10.94 in terms of self-efficacy to satisfy others' expectations, with a t-test result of t = -18.070. Lastly, male students scored M = 18.200 in self-assertive efficacy compared to female students' M = 11.066, resulting in a t-test result of t = -21.978. The qualitative information acquired through semi-structured interviews further corroborated these quantitative findings, which show that male students typically have a stronger belief in their abilities to ask for help, succeed academically, manage their learning, meet expectations, and assert themselves. The study comes to the conclusion that these findings are consistent with feminist theory, which affirms the reality of discrimination based on gender and emphasizes the urgent need for measures to support women in STEM.