ISSN 2736-1578
African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 5, May 2026 | pp. 26–33
DOI: 10.46882/AJGWS2026000202
Article Type: Full Length Research Paper
Title: Evaluating Digital Literacy Interventions for Female Students in Technical Institutions
Names of Authors: Chioma Okoye¹, Mariama Sanou²
Authors’ Affiliations: ¹Department of Vocational Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria, ²Institute of Technology, Nazi Boni University, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
Abstract: The underrepresentation of female students in engineering and digital technology fields across Sub-Saharan Africa persists due to systemic institutional barriers and early pedagogical gaps. This quantitative study evaluates a targeted 12-week boot camp intervention designed to improve full-stack software development competencies among n = 340 female technical college students. Pre- and post-intervention testing revealed a highly significant increase in core diagnostic programming performance metrics (t = 8.14, p < 0.0001). Multiple regression analysis confirmed that peer mentoring networks accounted for 43 percent of the variance in sustained program completion rates (beta = 0.48). The research asserts that technical education policies must combine structured hardware provisions with safe learning ecosystems to significantly improve female tertiary retention indexes in STEM pathways.
Keywords: Digital literacy, Technical education, STEM pathways, Female students, Peer mentoring
Manuscript Timeline: Received: 15 January 2026, Revised: 20 February 2026, Accepted: 10 March 2026, Published: 18 May 2026
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