Becoming a Woman Engineer in the Community of Practice: Validity and Value in Engineering-Education Research.

The analogy of the leaky pipeline, the notion of women leaving or failing to choose science in droves, is represented frequently by researchers and scientists. "If the structural and cultural causes for the leakages are ignored, attempts at increasing the representation of women at various pipeline segments may fall short" (G. Sonnert, 1999). This paper extends this research perspective to women engineering students, considering little research has been conducted with women graduate students, particularly in relation to the reasons why they have continued their studies and their level of satisfaction with their career and lives. Moreover, R. Driver (1995) asserts "is a social dimension to the construction of scientific knowledge... which is constructed and transmitted through the culture and social institutions of science." The paper questions whether learning can take place if an individual does not participate fully in this sociocultural environment. The purpose of this research was to understand how sociocultural influences affect women's choices to participate in science. Three women from Canadian universities enrolled in the Master's in electrical engineering program were chosen as sample subjects. Qualitative interview data were collected using a multiple case study approach and narrative life histories were recorded. Appended are Themes-Findings from Women Master's in Engineering Interviews and tables of data from the study. (Contains 32 references.) (Author/BT)