Gender Equality Training for Students in Higher Education: Protocol for a Scoping Review

Abstract

Background: The principles of gender equality are integral to the goals, targets, and indicators of all sustainable development goals. Higher education institutes can be powerful agents for promoting gender equality, diversity, and inclusion not only in the higher education context but also in society as a whole. To address and overcome gender inequality in the higher education environment, experts posit that change needs to occur from day 1 of the student's academic experience. To this end, training is required. A preliminary review of the literature indicates that multiple gender equality-based training programs or initiatives for students have been designed and evaluated in second and third-level education settings. Examples of educational activities undertaken include delivery of didactic teaching, participation in a face-to-face collaboration project, site visits, case studies, and coaching. Yet, our initial search indicated that, to date, a comprehensive review collating the available evidence on gender equality training for third-level students has not yet been carried out.

Objective: Our review seeks to identify and explore the existing literature on gender equality training interventions for third-level students, with a particular emphasis on training content, methodology, and outcome evaluation.

Methods: This scoping review will be structured using the Arskey and O'Malley's 5-stage framework and will consider empirical research and other relevant published works that address gender equality training. Systematic searches will be carried out in 6 research databases and the gray literature using key search terms. Inclusion and exclusion criteria have been defined, and a data charting tool created to methodically extract information from selected literature. The free web software Rayyan will be used for primary screening where each reference will be screened in duplicate first by title, then abstract, and finally by full text.

Results: This review forms part of the LIBRA (Balance) study and has received peer-reviewed grant funding from the Irish Higher Education Authority. LIBRA aims to use simulation-based education to develop a gender equality leadership training program for student leaders in higher education. The findings will be summarized in tabular form, and a narrative synthesis produced to inform curriculum development.

Conclusions: This review seeks to inform curriculum design by reporting on the gender equality-enabling skills and leadership skills necessary to foster gender equality. This paper should inform recommendations for training and catalyze future research in this rapidly evolving area.

International registered report identifier (irrid): DERR1-10.2196/44584.

Keywords: PRISMA; Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses; coaching; communications skills; diversity; educator; equalities; equality; gender; gender equality; higher education; inclusion; postsecondary; review method; scoping; search strategy; simulation-based education; student; student leaders; sustainable goal; teacher; teaching; training.