How Does School Lesson Design Contribute to Girls' Perception of Their Future-Readiness for STEM Majors? – An Empirical Study Using Critical Incidents Technique

Abstract

Women remain underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) majors and STEM professions until today. Various studies have shown that the perception of STEM subjects among young girls, and female middle and high school students is strongly influenced by the way STEM subjects are taught in school. When designing a teaching concept, there are various perspectives involved – requirements expressed by teachers, school boards, teachers’ associations, the ministry of education, parents etc. In contrast, this paper takes a less common perspective stemming from the competencies required for a successful STEM study progress and how they can be developed by an adequate school lesson design. Based on the data from a study with 777 female high school students in Germany, it is discussed which methodological approaches to teaching STEM subjects motivate them and how these approaches match the later-required competencies to start and pursue a career path in STEM.