Factors affecting the decision of female students to enrol in undergraduate science, technology, engineering and mathematics majors in Kazakhstan

Abstract

Using the qualitative interview-based research design approach, this study analyses the experiences of female students currently enrolled in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines in the universities in Kazakhstan. More specifically, this study aimed to explore the experiences of the students in the process of transition to postsecondary education and the factors related to their decision to enrol into STEM majors. The results of the study are useful for understanding the barriers, which affect the transition of women through the STEM pipeline in non-Western traditional societies and have some important implications for research on gender issues in STEM education in the post-Soviet and larger international contexts.