STEM Mentorship as a Catalyst for Human-Centered Leadership: A Quantitative Study on Women Mentors and Female High School Students in Engineering Education
Academic Article in Scopus
rThe underrepresentation of women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) still serves as barriers to innovation and equity in both education and the workforce. This study focuses on the Women Mentoring in STEM (WMS) project conducted by the School of Engineering and Sciences at a private Mexican university that matches female faculty mentors with high school students to promote interest and leadership of young women in STEM over a period of four program sessions. Data were secured through questionnaires conducted with 248 students and 55 female faculty mentor respondents that explored changes in motivation, understanding, self-identification across STEM discipline domains and institutional impact on mentor involvement. Quantitative data demonstrate an increase in student engagement of 34%, and the highest level of mentor engagement was noted when institutional incentives, which include volunteer-hour recognition, were introduced. Our conclusions reveal that structured, women-led mentorship increases student motivation and confidence, as well as a feeling of belonging in STEM, and institutional support conditions sustain mentor support. In summary, a human-centered education approach to mentorship is essential to advance equity and leadership pipelines, which can be attained via the WMS program to generate more equitable and sustainable STEM infrastructure.
