Adapting Psychosocial Scales to Measure Career Exit Factors in Colombian Women Engineers

Abstract

Despite ongoing efforts to promote gender equality, women remain underrepresented in STEM fields such as engineering. This underrepresentation is evident not only in early career choices but also among professional women engineers who face significant barriers in their work environments, leading to higher rates of leaving the profession. While this issue has been extensively studied in various regions worldwide, there is a notable gap in research on the experiences and career exit intentions of women engineers in Latin America. Furthermore, a lack of Spanish-language scales with strong validity evidence measuring key psychosocial factors associated with the decision to leave engineering hinders progress in understanding and addressing these challenges. Purpose: This study aimed to develop and implement a robust protocol for adapting and translating five scales that measure engineering identity, career commitment, career satisfaction, observed hostility toward women in the workplace, and the likelihood of leaving the engineering profession. The research sought to answer the question: How do respondents perceive these adapted scales' clarity, relevance, and representation in capturing the intended constructs? Methods: The protocol was guided by recommendations of the International Test Commission and the American Educational Research Association. A forward translation design was selected, focusing on achieving functional equivalence between cultures. The protocol involved multiple stages, including expert translation, cultural adaptation, and reconciliation processes. Additionally, an expert panel reviewed the scales, and a qualitative phase using cognitive interviews with a sample of Colombian women engineers provided further validity evidence and refinement. Results: The study contributes both theoretically and practically. From a theoretical standpoint, it presents a comprehensive, evidence-based protocol for scale adaptation, offering a model that can be replicated in other contexts. Practically, the adapted scales provide essential tools for researchers and practitioners working with Spanish-speaking populations, addressing a significant gap in the literature. By enabling more inclusive and accurate research on women engineers’ experiences in Latin America, these tools can inform policies and interventions aimed at reducing career exits and promoting gender equity in engineering.