Keynotes and Speakers for ITx 2018
Whitirea Polytechnic
I am originally from the UK and moved to NZ in 2005. I started my life in NZ in Invercargill working for Gen-i as a senior network specialist before moving back into education for the Southern Institute of Technology as the programme manager for the Masters and postgraduate programme. I also taught infrastructure and networking.
I moved to Wellington in 2016 with my family for a new challenge at Whitireia Polytechnic. I am also studying for my Ph.D. through the University of Southern Queensland where I am into my final years.
My passion for gender equality stems back many years when I first started teaching in the UK and found that only 1 in 8 students to be female in the classes and wanted to pursue the reasoning behind this imbalance.
This paper explores some of the factors that discourage participation of Maori and Pacific girls in ICT in New Zealand.
Despite many ICT job opportunities, there has been a steady decrease in the percentage of girls, especial Maori and Pacific girls, entering into ICT study and pursuing ICT careers.
This study used a modified version of the conceptual framework designed by Bernhardt (2014) based on the “STEMcell” model. The STEMcell framework was used to explores the factors that discourage participation in ICT through such concepts as cultural, social, structural and social IT that contribute to the likelihood of student’s career choice in ICT.
An online questionnaire gathered data from year 11 students studying at high schools within Wellington, New Zealand. The findings indicated that Pacific girls more than Maori girls reported that their family members were seen as role models, which could impact on their future career choices.
The statistical results also show that stereotypes are still alive in both Maori and Pacific year 11 student’s perceptions and that both Pacific and Maori girls from year 11 are unlikely to follow a career in ICT.
Currently, the number of Maori and Pacific girls enrolling in ICT subjects at secondary school is still substantially below that for boys and, until changes are made, Maori and Pacific girls going into the industry will be in the minority.