%0 Journal Article
	%A A. S. Lourens and  B. Du Plooy
	%D 2014
	%J International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences
	%B World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology
	%I Open Science Index 87, 2014
	%T A South African Perspective on Self-Leadership  Development for Women Engineering Students  – A Pilot Study
	%U https://publications.waset.org/pdf/9997633
	%V 87
	%X Across the world, initiatives have been introduced to encourage women to enter into and remain in engineering fields. However, research has shown that many women leave engineering or suffer a loss of self-esteem and self-confidence compared to their male counterparts. To address this problem, a South African comprehensive university developed a self-leadership intervention pilot study in 2013, aimed at improving the self-efficacy of its female engineering students and increasing retention rates. This paper is a qualitative, descriptive, and interpretive study of the rationale and operational aspects of the Women in Engineering Leadership Association’s (WELA) self-leadership workshop. The objectives of this paper are to provide a framework for the design of a self-leadership workshop and to provide insight into the process of developing such a workshop specifically for women engineering students at a South African university. Finally, the paper proposes an evaluation process for the pilot workshop, which also provides a framework to improve future workshops. It is anticipated that the self-leadership development framework will be applicable to other higher education institutions wishing to improve women engineering student’s feelings of self-efficacy and therefore retention rates of women in engineering.

	%P 645 - 648