Girls and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) in Catholic Schools: A Mixed Methods Exploration of Interest, Confidence, and Perceptions of STEM

Over the past decade, there has been a considerable push in emphasizing STEM—an acronym standing for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math—as an integral aspect of educational curriculums. Even though research suggests that females tend to outperform males in standardized testing in STEM areas, they remain underrepresented in STEM careers and in the achievement of STEM degrees. In preparing this dissertation, therefore, the researcher investigated this issue by looking specifically at 4th- through 8th-grade girls in Catholic schools in the Diocese of San Jose, CA, which covers the Greater Silicon Valley region, one of the world\u27s epicenters for technological innovations. In particular, this researcher examined girls’ attitudes and confidence in STEM areas, while looking at strategies that encourage their long-term interest in these areas, especially in the unique context of Catholic schools. By using a mixed methods approach, the researcher surveyed hundreds of female students within the Diocese of San Jose, while conducting interviews with each of the girls\u27 science teachers. Among other findings, the main discovery of this research is that a direct connection exists between the teacher’s own interests and excitement that makes STEM curriculum more meaningful for girls. The culture of the Catholic school environment supports achievement and helps the girls feel more involved within the school environment, especially in the formation of 21st century learning skills. The girls rated themselves high in areas of collaboration and leadership, which corresponded with the teachers’ view that the girls were highly effective in the STEM areas. This direct influence is related to the theoretical framework of this study, Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model. In conclusion, then, girls are influenced most directly by STEM teachers, their families, and the Catholic school environment

Knowledge Sharing Practices, ICT, Information Literacy, and STEM Career Path Choices Among Girls at the Secondary School Level: Girls and STEM Education

This chapter explored literature and discussed the importance of knowledge sharing practices, ICT, and information literacy, and their influence on STEM career path choices among girls at the secondary school level. This was properly situated by examining the concept of knowledge sharing, concept of career path choices, knowledge sharing on career path choices of girls, considered ICT and career path choices of girls, effect of ICT on career path choices of girls, information literacy and career path choices of girls, effect of information literacy on career path choices of girls. It concludes that a culture of knowledge sharing practices among the girls will get the less knowledgeable girls informed for informed STEM career path decisions. The use of ICTs for networking and sharing knowledge among the girls will improve information literacy skills needed by the girls to help identify information needs, access, retrieve, evaluate, and use same career choices

Elementary School Female Students' Attitude towards STEM

STEM has unraveled itself as an integrated teaching learning approach that fosters ingenuity and creativity, instill innovation, inculcate critical thinking, teach problem solving and encourages experimentation. Despite of modern advances, female representation in STEM workforce is low as compared to males. Studies show that girls lose their interest and intent to major in STEM fields during their middle school. The purpose of this study was to develop female student’s attitude towards STEM at elementary level. True experimental design of quantitative approach was employed to conduct the study. The population was consisted of all the girls students of govt. school at elementary level. The sample was comprised of 8th grade female students of a public sector school in Lahore. To collect data a questionnaire developed by Friday Institute for Educational Innovation (2012) was adapted. The study was concluded on the basis of the findings that there was a significant effect of STEM integrated teaching on the female student’s attitude of experimental group as compared to the results of control group. It is recommended by the researcher that similar kind of study should be conduct using mixed method approach to validate the results of the study

STEM and Adolescent Girls

The projected growth of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers is unprecedented (Lufkin, 2009). With the growth of women in the workforce and/or obtaining post-secondary degrees, the projected number of females in STEM fields should increase; however, that is not the case. Recently, the estimated percent of women in STEM careers is less than 30% in the United States (“Has employment”, n.d.). The reasons behind this underrepresentation of women in STEM careers includes multiple facets such as: sexist practices in education and workplace, psychological factors that influence the self and career choice and social factors including, but not limited to friends/peers, parents/guardians, teachers and other educators and the media representation of STEM. In accordance to American School Counselor Association’s standards for school counselors, school counselors serve as a pivotal role to encourage adolescent girls in STEM. These interventions include institutional and individual changes within the school. Through analysis of interventions and a thorough understanding of the research, a small-group intervention was developed to increase academic self-perceptions in mathematics and science among adolescent girls. Increasing self-efficacy has shown to increase persistence in STEM courses which will increase STEM fields

Gender Norms, Femininity & STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math)

Science, technology, engineering and math: for many students, especially young women, achievement in the "STEM" subjects will be the key to high growth rates, higher paying jobs and career advancement in the knowledge economy.Yet for years girls have under-performed at these subjects: dropping out early, expressing low interest, opting out of STEM degrees in college and out of STEM careers as college grads. There's even a name for this: the "leaky pipeline."It's not that girls can't achieve. In fact, girls not only score as well as boys in elementary school, but in societies abroad where math and science achievement is valued equally in both sexes, they continue to do well throughout their educational careers.Nor is it just the result of patriarchal school systems. Millions have been invested in improving a host of external education variables of this nature that may be holding girls back: hostility in the computer room, lack of female role models, masculine pedagogical models, etc. In some cases, high schools have even refused to let girls drop STEM classes, which has only succeeded in delaying the problem until they matriculate.What could be causing elementary school girls who excel at math and who love science, to suddenly lose all interest or develop low grades in these subjects in late adolescence and early teens? One important and under-explored answers is feminine gender norms. As girls age, they internalize gender norms that force them to make a choice between excelling at STEM or being feminine. And STEM loses.This report documents the existing literature and surveys the problem in depth, including new results of new focus group studies with young women of color

STEM Heroes: A Narrative-based Intervention to Increase Self-Efficacy and Interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics in Elementary School-aged Children

Over time, researchers have struggled to identify effective interventions to support girls’ self-efficacy and interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The primary purpose of this study was to examine whether a theoretically-grounded narrative-based intervention would be able to increase elementary school-aged girls’ self-efficacy in respect to future careers and interest in STEM subjects in school. The study sought to do this by using the stories of the “Heroes of STEM”, a series of four graphic novels developed by the principal researcher, as an intervention tool linking girls’ typically preferred subject (i.e., reading, language arts) to math and science. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design was used for the current study. The participants included 4th and 5th grade girls who attended after-care programs in Central New Jersey. The results of the study indicated: (a) that the narrative-based intervention (i.e., the graphic novels) did not affect self-efficacy in STEM careers in the present sample of elementary school-aged girls, (b) that the narrative-based intervention did not affect interest in STEM subjects in school in elementary school-aged girls, and (c) there was not a significant change in girls’ perceptions of who can and cannot be considered members of the scientific community as explored through a pre- and post-intervention drawing task. The non-significant findings of this study impress upon the need to continue to explore effective intervention tools for young girls. They also anecdotally suggest a need for materials similar to the graphic novels that were used in the study as that several of the participants indicated a desire to personally own the stories they were presented with

Orientamento scolastico e uguaglianza di genere: un binomio virtuoso

In the recent guidelines coming from European Union Resolutions and Reports of international organisations (OCSE, OECD), school guidance is interpreted as a strategic lever for the development of economic, educational, cultural and social policies marked by ideals of mobility and equity. Likewise, it is seen as a pivot for changes affecting not only society in general, but specifically equal opportunities in the world of work and education. After a survey in the European and international context, the contribution investigates whether, in our country, national directives on school guidance take the principle of gender equality into account. Finding that they do not, the paper proposes theoretical and educational paths to activate "gender-sensitive" guidance paths, highlighting the positive repercussions both in strictly educational terms and for sustainable social development.    Nelle recenti indicazioni che provengono da Risoluzioni dell’Unione europea e da Rapporti di organismi internazionali (OCSE, OECD), l’orientamento scolastico viene interpretato come leva strategica per lo sviluppo di politiche economiche, formative, culturali e sociali improntate ad ideali di mobilità e di equità sociale. Parimenti, viene inteso come perno per i cambiamenti che riguardano non solo la società in generale, ma nello specifico le pari opportunità nel mondo lavorativo e formativo. Dopo una ricognizione in ambito europeo e internazionale, il contributo indaga se, nel nostro paese, le direttive nazionali in tema di orientamento scolastico tengano conto del principio della parità di genere. Riscontrandone l’assenza, il paper prospetta piste teoriche ed educative per attivare percorsi di orientamento “gender sensitive” evidenziandone le ricadute positive sia in termini strettamente formativi che per uno sviluppo sociale sostenibile. &nbsp