In pursuit of effective interventions to increase female enrollment in IT studies within higher education in the Nordics : A literature review examining successful strategies

Sammanfattning

This literature review identifies successful strategies for increasing female enrollment in IT studies at higher education institutions (HEIs) in the Nordic countries. It also examines factors before and after HEI studies that may influence female participation in IT and identifies strategies that HEIs and other stakeholders can use to increase female enrollment. Additionally, the literature review aims to identify research patterns in the research area, to analyze findings, and address the strengths, weaknesses, and gaps in the existing research. The main focus of the study is on effective strategies, the types of studies conducted, and the characteristics of there search in this field. The literature review is conducted using two databases: Web of Science and Scopus and only includes articles fully written in English. 15 articles are included in the final review. The results identify four key strategies: equity and access, gender-sensitive educational approaches, career guidance and role models, and addressing socioeconomic and motivational factors. Most of the included studies are from Norway, followed by Sweden. They are primarily using quantitative methods from educational and economic sciences. Further, the review highlights a lack of research on effective interventions, particularly from a sociological perspective, and shows that more qualitative studies and experimental research is needed tobetter understand and address gender differences in IT education.