Foundation programmes and the underrepresentation of women and Māori in engineering study at polytechnics in New Zealand
James Mackay
Worldwide, foundational programmes have been developed to enable students without the necessary prerequisites to enter into and be successful in science and engineering study. Often the development of these programmes has been driven by a necessity to address underrepresentation of minorities in specific disciplines. At polytechnics across Aotearoa New Zealand, there is a noticeable lack of representation of women and Māori students in engineering study, with both groups typically averaging below 10% of the annual cohort. The provision of engineering foundation programmes, while a successful support mechanism for many students, has not had a substantial effect on improving this underrepresentation.
This report describes an investigation of engineering foundation programmes at 14 polytechnics offering either degree or diploma engineering programmes in Aotearoa New Zealand. Using a mixed methods approach, engineering schools were surveyed about their programmes and follow up interviews with academic staff and other stakeholders were used to determine what barriers currently exist for women, Māori and Pasifika students in engineering study. These data were coupled with a student survey carried out over five institutions totaling 107 respondents.
