Creating and Staying with the Trouble – Potenziale von weiblichen* ‚Non-Traditional Students‘ für eine transformierte und transformative Wissenschaft

Abstract

Creating and staying with the trouble – The potential of female* “non-traditional students” for transformed and transformative science
This article explores how study programmes with an ecological sustainability focus (Green-STEM) in engineering and the sciences can contribute to the gender-equitable and sustainable transformation of higher education and science. The focus is on so-called female non-traditional students (NTS) as potential co-creators of this change. Methodologically, the study is based on a mixed-methods case study at a single university, combining quantitative surveys with qualitative interviews. Findings indicate that NTS often link their study choices to ecological and societal aspirations. At the same time, existing disciplinary cultures and structural expectations represent barriers. Drawing on Donna Haraway’s concept of sympoiesis, this article conceptualizes educational choices as relational, situated and affective processes. The discussion highlights how universities can be reimagined as spaces of sympoietic becoming – not merely to attract new student groups but as sites of collective engagement in shaping transformative futures.

Keywords: sympoiesis, transformed science, transformative science, gender equality, sustainability, STEM studies

Bibliography: Dahmen-Adkins, Jennifer/Wolffram, Andrea: Creating and Staying with the Trouble – Potenziale von weiblichen* ‚Non-Traditional Students‘ für eine transformierte und transformative Wissenschaft, GENDER – Zeitschrift für Geschlecht, Kultur und Gesellschaft, Nr. 1-2026, pp. 40-54.