HER TECH Gender-sensitive Engagement Framework:
From Access to Progression in ICT
Theme: Promoting equity and access
Phase and Stage: STEM – Primary education
Action: Data collection and research activities
Beneficiaries: Schools; Parents; Children
Users: Education providers; Training providers; NGOs/Society; Researchers and experts
The HER TECH Gender-sensitive Engagement Framework was developed within the European HER TECH project in response to the persistent under-representation of girls and women in ICT. Research shows that participation is influenced not only by access to digital education, but also by confidence, stereotypes, a sense of belonging, recognition of competence, and opportunities for continued engagement. The framework brings together evidence from research conducted across several European countries and translates it into practical guidance for educators. Its main objective is to support the creation of more gender-sensitive and inclusive learning environments that enable girls to engage with technology, develop confidence and competence, and identify opportunities for further progression in ICT.
THE CHALLENGE
Many initiatives designed to increase girls’ participation in ICT focus on providing access to technology or offering extra activities. However, access alone does not guarantee meaningful participation. Girls may enter learning environments with different levels of prior digital exposure and confidence, be reluctant to take part in unfamiliar activities, or repeatedly assume non-technical roles during collaborative work. Their competence may remain less visible, and positive learning experiences may not lead to continued engagement. These barriers are often subtle and embedded in everyday educational practices, making them difficult for educators to recognise and address. The challenge was therefore to identify the conditions that influence girls’ engagement beyond initial access and to translate them into practical strategies that educators can apply across different learning contexts.
OUR SOLUTION
“The HER TECH project developed a Gender-sensitive Engagement Framework structured around four interconnected dimensions: Access, Belonging, Recognition, and Progression. The framework translates research findings and documented educational practices into practical strategies for educators.
Access focuses on early and repeated exposure and reducing reliance on self-selection. Belonging promotes low-risk pathways into participation, including opportunities to observe before actively engaging, and learning environments where mistakes are normalised. Recognition addresses equitable participation through strategies such as role rotation, specific feedback, and opportunities for girls to demonstrate technical competence. Progression focuses on making further learning opportunities visible through increased responsibility, peer teaching, mentoring, and sustained engagement.
Rather than prescribing a single intervention, the framework provides a transferable approach that educators and organisations can adapt to diverse educational settings.”
OUTCOME
“The main outcome is an evidence-informed, practice-oriented framework that brings together previously fragmented insights on girls’ engagement in ICT into a clear structure for educational practice. The framework is based on research conducted across seven European countries, including 45 qualitative interviews with education stakeholders and eleven documented case studies of practices supporting girls’ participation in ICT.
The analysis identified four interconnected conditions for meaningful engagement and translated them into concrete strategies that educators can apply. Practical approaches include reducing reliance on voluntary self-selection, providing low-risk entry points into unfamiliar technologies, rotating technical roles during collaborative activities, making girls’ competence visible through specific feedback, and creating pathways towards continued learning and greater responsibility.
The framework provides educators and organisations with a practical tool for reflecting on existing activities and identifying where participation may be unintentionally limited, even when opportunities appear formally open to everyone.”
KEY TAKEAWAYS
“A key lesson is that equal access does not automatically lead to equal participation. Effective engagement requires attention to what happens after girls enter a learning environment: whether they feel that they belong, whether they have genuine opportunities to develop and demonstrate technical competence, and whether they can see a meaningful next step.
The research also showed that hesitation or observation should not automatically be interpreted as a lack of interest. Providing low-risk opportunities to observe and then gradually participate can support students with different levels of prior experience and confidence. Similarly, collaborative activities are not automatically equitable; educators need to consider who actually uses the technology and ensure that technical roles do not repeatedly go to the most confident participants.
These lessons are highly replicable because they do not necessarily require additional technology or major changes to the curriculum. Small adjustments to activity design, role distribution, feedback, and progression opportunities can contribute to more inclusive and gender-sensitive learning environments.”
