Science, Technology, Engineering And Math Careers Research Articles

The effects of social media on STEM identity in adolescent girls

Social media is widely used and easily accessible for adolescents, it has the potential to increase STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) identity in girls. We aimed to investigate the effects of exposure to counter-stereotypical portrayals of women in STEM on social media on the STEM identity of adolescent girls. The study involved 20 high school girls, randomly divided into an experimental group and a control group. The participants completed pretest and posttest surveys to measure their STEM identity, including STEM interest and self-efficacy. The results did not support the hypothesis that exposure to counter-stereotypical portrayals of women in STEM on social media would increase STEM identity in adolescent girls. There was no statistically significant difference in STEM identity scores between the experimental and control groups. Similarly, there was no significant change in STEM interest or self-efficacy for both groups. Additional data analysis revealed that the participants who had aspirations for a career outside of STEM experienced a significantly higher increase in STEM identity than those who aspired to have a STEM career. The study concluded that social media alone may not be an effective tool to increase STEM identity in girls. It is worth exploring other, potentially more impactful solutions to bridge the gender gap in STEM. Social media can still be used as a complementary tool to support and encourage women in STEM, but it should not be relied upon solely to address the gender disparity in STEM fields.

Sciencing Out, an informal STEM education program in Madagascar: A case-study

Sciencing Out (SciOut) facilitated by Explorer Home Madagascar Science Center, a Malagasy NGO, is an innovative STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education program because it incorporates out-of-school education, student and scientist collaborations, local and international partnerships, and arts education. This case-study describes the program’s unique educational components alongside evaluation data to understand: How does a field program like SciOut help students engage with STEM topics? The results demonstrate that out-of-school, field-based experiences that connect students to local experts and biodiversity topics are important for increasing access to STEM knowledge and careers.

An Exploration of Impostor Syndrome in STEM and STEM Self-Efficacy in Adolescent Learners from a Teacher’s Perspective

Over the years, there has been a surge in the demand for a proficient STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) workforce to occupy the proliferating STEM job vacancies worldwide. The STEM workforce must be expanded in order to fill this gap. However, the reputation of STEM learning as being arduous has proven to be a deterrent to students’ interest in the pursuit of STEM careers. In an expounding qualitative study, three STEM teachers were interviewed for the purpose of examining STEM Impostor Syndrome (IS) and STEM Self-Efficacy (S-SE) from a teacher’s perspective. Findings suggest that teachers are sentient of the manifestation of STEM IS among students. Teachers noted that STEM IS poses a significant challenge for their interactions with students in the classroom, and also suggested that STEM IS is inversely proportional to S-SE.

Student Attitudes and Interests in STEM in Qatar through the Lens of the Social Cognitive Theory

STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) has taken center stage as a priority policy agenda for Qatar’s leadership. At present, STEM stands as a fundamental catalyst for Qatar’s sustainable economic, environmental, human, and social development goals, as is outlined in the Qatar National Vision 2030. The aim of this exploratory study was to investigate the determinants of students’ interest in pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) studies and eventual careers in Qatar. This study used a survey involving a representative sample of a total of 425 students from public (government-funded) middle schools in the country. Data for this research were gathered using a survey distributed to students in grades 7, 8, and 9. Guided by the Social Cognitive Theory, a survey was implemented with a view to investigating the intrinsic and extrinsic factors likely to contribute to student STEM educational and career interest. Two main statistical tests were carried out: independent sample t-tests and one way ANOVA. Results derived from the study reveal that gender, nationality, and parental education and occupation served as predictors of student interest in a STEM degree or profession. The results derived from this study have important implications for STEM-related fields of study and career.

Schoolchildren’s Perceptions of STEM Professions and Careers in Russia: Results of a Pilot Study

Introduction. The world of work is undergoing a global shift fuelled by technological innovation, demographic changes and environmental problems. This heightens the demand for STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) competencies which are seen as a catalyst for social and economic development. The purpose of this study was to investigate learner views on STEM professions, the learners’ overall attitudes regarding STEM, as well as their aspirations and willingness to choose a career in STEM and identify factors which are crucial in forming young people’s interests in studying STEM and pursuing STEM careers. Materials and Methods. This pilot study was conducted in May 2019 across three schools in the Moscow region. The authors used a slightly modified version of the learner questionnaire used by the European study “ECB-inGenious” to investigate perceptions of STEM careers among Russian learners in grades 8–9 and 10–11. Results. Overall, it was determined that a combination of intrinsic (cognitive and attitudinal) and extrinsic (social, cultural and economic) factors were responsible for learner engagement in STEM. Learners showed a strong awareness of STEM’s significance to society and displayed positive perceptions of STEM careers, although jobs in industry appeared less popular than those in other areas of STEM. Some factors, such as a learner’s personal experiences of STEM in and out of the classroom can even play a decisive role in shaping aspirations towards STEM careers. Younger learners expressed more enthusiasm for STEM careers than their older counterparts. Learners enrolled in classes specialising in STEM and learners whose parent(s) worked in STEM-related professions showed stronger positive attitudes to STEM careers. Discussion and Conclusion. To make an informed decision, learners require practical information and advice regarding STEM careers; schools can play an important role in this process. This guidance must begin early, ideally from primary school when learners are more enthused and interested in learning about STEM careers. It is also advisable for learners to be given more opportunities to join extracurricular STEM activities; consequently, a learner’s understanding of STEM subjects is expanded outside the academic curriculum which can spark a longlasting interest in the subject. Additionally, STEM subjects’ curriculums require enriching with real-life examples and should be contextualised in terms of relevant careers. Finally, schools should be encouraged to organise regular engagements with STEM professionals.

Utilizing Parent and Educator Self Efficacy and Grit Training to Encourage the Pursuit of STEM Careers for Elementary Students from Traditionally Underrepresented Groups

In the United States, there is an increased demand for professionals in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Research indicates that individuals with higher levels of self-efficacy and grit have higher levels of academic achievement. Traditional research has focused on the self-efficacy and grit of students. Realizing the impact that parents and educators have in the lives of students, the purpose of this model is to determine the effect that parent and educator self-efficacy and grit training has on the pursuit of STEM careers for elementary students from traditionally underrepresented groups. The data gathered, will examine the impact that professional development has on student career choice. This model has implications for curriculum development, professional development, instruction and policy articulation.

Brief Stories of Successful Female Role Models in Science Help Counter Gender Stereotypes Regarding Intellectual Ability among Young Girls: A Pilot Study

ABSTRACT Negative stereotypes about female intellectual abilities occur in children as young as 6-years-old and can shape a child’s educational path and career choice, particularly in relation to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). The current study (N = 40) explored preexisting gender stereotypes in a purposeful sample of 6 to 8-year-old white British girls at a dance and performing arts center and tested the impact of a brief story-based intervention that exposed young girls to intellectually brilliant female role models in STEM. Rch Findings: Findings indicated that exposure to stories about women in science can help counter negative stereotypes concerning female intellectual ability. Another stereotype, “females are nicer than males”, was prevalent in most participants and was not affected by the current intervention. Pre or Policy: A key implication of this study is that young girls who learn about members of their own gender group who accomplished success in STEM fields may be more inclined to think of STEM careers as a possibility for females in future.

Training matters! Narrative from a Black scientist.

As STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) professionals, we are tasked with increasing our understanding of the universe and generating discoveries that advance our society. An essential aspect is the training of the next generation of scientists, including concerted efforts to increase diversity within the scientific field. Despite these efforts, there remains disproportional underrepresentation of Black scientists in STEM. Further, efforts to recruit and hire Black faculty and researchers have been largely unsuccessful, in part due to a lack of minority candidates. Several factors contribute to this including access to opportunities, negative training experiences, lack of effective mentoring, and other more lucrative career options. This is a narrative of a Black male scientist to illustrate some of the issues in retaining Black students in STEM and to highlight the impact of toxic training environments that exists at many institutions. To increase Black participation in STEM careers, we must first acknowledge, then address, the problems that exist within our STEM training environments in hopes to inspire and retain Black students at every level of training.

Can the Growth Mindset Encourage Girls to Pursue “Male” Careers?

Despite major advances in gender equality, men still far outnumber women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) professions. The purpose of this project was to determine whether mindset could affect a student’s future career choices and whether this effect differed based on gender. In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work, while a fixed mindset assumes that our character, intelligence, and creative ability are static givens. We hypothesized that girls with a growth mindset would be more likely to consider pursuing careers typically chosen by males, in the future, compared to girls with a fixed mindset. Using the Dweck mindset quiz, each subject was assigned either a growth or fixed mindset. Subjects were then shown gendered, workplace pictures and asked to identify careers they would like to pursue Males picked more potential careers, in general, compared to females (7 vs. 5, out of 10 options). When looking within the gender groups, 86% of females who had a growth mindset were likely to consider a “male” career, whereas only 16% of females with fixed mindset would likely to consider a “male” career. Especially for girls, cultivating a growth mindset may be a great strategy to address the problem of fewer girls picking STEM careers. The more we believe we can, the more we can accomplish!

Join us: Dynamic norms encourage women to pursue STEM

The underrepresentation of women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields is a key challenge in many countries. Extant studies have explored why women opt out of STEM fields and how to encourage women to enter these fields. The current research examined the use of dynamic information about the collective change in a behavior over time to increase women’s willingness and intention to embark on STEM fields. Across two experimental studies and a mini meta-analysis, we found that when exposed to a message about an increasing number of women choosing to pursue STEM careers over time, female students in high school (Study 1) and college (Study 2) were more likely to declare an intention to enter STEM fields and have more interest in STEM careers. Furthermore, we tested the mediating effects of self-efficacy and perceived identity compatibility (Study 2). The results showed that dynamic norms can increase women’s self-efficacy for pursuing a career in STEM fields and perceived identity compatibility, thereby leading to greater interest in STEM fields and more willingness to choose a STEM career.

Math Self-efficacy and the Likelihood of Pursuing a STEM-Based Career: a Gender-Based Analysis

The attitudes teenagers have towards Math, as well as their knowledge of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)–based careers will affect their likelihood of pursing these careers in the future. The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes that youth (girls and boys) aged 12–14 hold towards Math, their knowledge of Math, and Science requirements for future careers as well as their likelihood of choosing a STEM-based career. This research also examined the responses of girls who attended a week-long intensive Science summer camp compared with those who did not attend this camp. To do this, students’ attitudes and knowledge were explored using a gender-based analysis (GBA) in four sample groups: (1) public school boys, (2) public school girls, (3) public school girls who do well in math, and (4) a specialized sample of girls who had attended a female-only Science summer camp. Our results show that more grade 7 girls in Nova Scotian public schools feel tense doing Math problems compared with similarly aged boys, yet the average self-rating of getting good marks, learning Math quickly, and looking forward to Math were similar for girls and boys. Furthermore, girls had a better knowledge of careers that required Math and/or Science than boys. In relation to the Science camp, significantly more girls attending the Science camp indicated that they would be very likely to pursue a STEM career in the future, compared with girls, with equally good Math grades, in the non-camps group. These findings show that enabling girls to interact with female STEM professionals and to attend an all-girls Science dedicated camp significantly impacts their interest in STEM professions and is a concrete way in to break down stereotypes in male-dominated fields.

EXPLORATORY FACTOR ANALYSIS OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS CAREER INTEREST FOR PRE-SERVICE MATH AND SCIENCE TEACHERS: A CASE OF LAMPUNG UNIVERSITY, INDONESIA

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) learning approach integrates four disciplines, namely science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, in solving everyday life problems and giving many learning experiences to students. This study aimed to analyze career interest in the field of STEM for prospective Indonesian Mathematics and Natural Sciences (MIPA) teachers, studying the patterns of relationships between factors, preference levels, and what factors influence it. The research sample was 300 prospective MIPA teachers at the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Lampung University. This work involved several stages as (1) adapting and transliterating STEM career interests instruments based on literature sources, (2) analyzing content validity based on expert judgment, (3) spreading tools to research samples and (4) evaluating research data results, assessing bivariate correlations, and the level of interest preference. The data obtained were analyzed statistically using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis techniques, reliability and variance analysis, and Pearson product-moment correlation. The research results showed information regarding the items in the questionnaire were grouped into four factors, namely engineering career attitude, mathematics career attitude, science career attitude, technology career attitude with loading factors ranging from 0.575 to 0.848. All these factors were able to explain the career attitude of STEM to the sum of 62.43%. The science and mathematics career attitude is the dominant preference for prospective students of Mathematics and Natural Sciences teachers to have a career in the future. Furthermore, the instruments used are valid and reliable to be used to analyze STEM career attitudes for Mathematics and Natural Sciences teacher candidates.

Does More Mean Less?: Interest Surplus and the Gender Gap in STEM Careers

The persistent gender gap in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) career choice represents a perplexing problem for researchers and policy makers alike. We contribute to the body of research on the gender gap in STEM careers by testing a “surplus model” of vocational interests as a predictor of STEM career choice. The model suggests that, controlling for ability, female adolescents with strong STEM-related interest should be less likely to pursue STEM careers when they also have strong interests in other areas, due to wider career options. We tested the surplus model in a large national longitudinal data set and translated the results into differences in annual wages. Our findings illuminate the predictive validity of a surplus model of interests on STEM career choice across gender, provide insight into the gender gap in STEM, and suggest opportunities for future research.

A Persistent Academic Ethical Dilemma: Too Few Female Students in STEM Five Decades after Title IX

Research over the past three decades on the gender gap in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) has consistently found an underrepresentation of females pursuing STEM degrees and careers. This is, at its foundation, an educational ethics issue. Schools at all levels, ranging all the way from middle school to graduate school, have a responsibility to prepare more females for careers in STEM. Experts have proposed a variety of fixes to encourage female students to study STEM, including increased funding, some of which have helped, and yet the gap remains. This paper examines one such effort to address this education and ethics issue - voluntary (elective) programs outside of normal school hours that provide young female students’ opportunities for active participation and engagement in STEM. Are these enrichment programs actually increasing subsequent female participation rates? The authors use a correlational study in an attempt to determine whether there is a positive correlation between participation in a voluntary before school STEM program (in grades 6–8), and their subsequent enrollment in STEM courses in high school, and/or in college and career. The authors surveyed intermediate school students, and the results showed that although voluntary before-school programs may not increase female interest in STEM, they do help to maintain long-term interest by those who have already demonstrated an inclination toward STEM. This is a pilot study with a limited number of subjects from one geographical area. Future research should be conducted that focuses on a larger nationwide sample to determine if school enrichment programs indeed act as career influencers for female students.

Using Physiology to Enhance Understanding of The Scientific Method

Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) curriculum aims to provide students with problem‐solving skills and knowledge to promote interest in STEM careers. Yet, study of the scientific method, the basis for research and many other STEM careers, is often overlooked. The current high demands for an increased STEM workforce, highlight the importance in developing students’ interest and skills that would encourage career pursuit. The objective of this study was to evaluate and develop seventh grade students’ understanding of the scientific method. We hypothesized that improving students’ understanding of the scientific method would increase interest in pursuing a STEM career. We evaluated this hypothesis by using a physiology‐based outreach activity focused on hands‐on learning and collecting survey data post event. The event was performed at a middle school located in the metropolitan Omaha, Nebraska. One‐hundred and four students participated in one hour of physiology‐based activities led by volunteer faculty, postdoctoral research associates, graduate students, and medical students. Sessions commenced with the volunteers introducing themselves, their career level, and research focus. Volunteers then gave a brief explanation of how science affects everything in the world followed by an introduction to the physiological systems: the eye, or the heart and lungs. Students were lead through a set of activities designed to explain the scientific method scientific method by conducting experiments at two stations centered on the eye or the heart and lungs for 20–25 minutes. The session concluded with 15 minutes of question and answer to allow students to confer with the volunteers about what they just learned, science as a career, and what a scientist’s typical day resembles. A post‐survey was administered to evaluate the effectiveness of the day of activities. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data and factor analysis was conducted to create a “Science Interest” scale. Overall, this project received positive feedback from the students related to learning and understanding science. Sixty‐five percent of students reported that the event increased their appreciation of science. Seventy‐one percent of students reported that the outreach event helped them understand what a career in science is like. Twenty‐one percent of students reported the event increased their interest in science, 68% reported this event didn’t change their interest, and 11% reported that this event decreased their interest in science. Using the “Science Interest” scale (Alpha = .773), 54 (58%) students fit into the “high” science interest category and 39 (42%) fit into the “low” interest category. Students who scored high in science interest were significantly (p< 0.01) more likely to answer “agree” or “strongly agree” on the questions, “This event increased my appreciation of science” and “This outreach event helped me to understand what a career in science is like.” Relatedly, students who scored low on the science interest scale were significantly more likely to respond that the event made them less interested in a science career. Our data suggest that a physiology‐based educational outreach event is effective in enhancing understanding of the scientific method and generation of interest to pursue a STEM career.

Biomechanists can revolutionize the STEM pipeline by engaging youth athletes in sports-science based STEM outreach

Increasing diversity in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields has become imperative to ensure equitable access to economic opportunity and to provide the technologically adept workforce of the future. The present STEM pipeline preferentially engages youth who are, not only aware of and interested in STEM, but also, can see themselves on a path to a STEM career. The present pipeline fails to capture youth for whom STEM remains remote and outside their current experience. Interest in sports casts a wider net and includes populations currently underrepresented in the STEM pipeline and in STEM careers. To engage these young people in STEM, it is necessary to incorporate STEM into activities they enjoy and already participate in, such as sports. Sports engage millions of youth who are intrinsically motivated to grow and improve as athletes. Biomechanical experiments and activities can build a bridge between young people’s interest in sport activities to awareness and interest in STEM. This connection between science and sports is reinforced by the growing use of sports-science as a tool for elite athletic performance at the highest levels. The potential of sports-science to provide diverse youth with access to the STEM Pipeline is extraordinarily promising. Biomechanics researchers are uniquely positioned to deliver on the promise of sport-science based STEM outreach due to the applicability of biomechanical analysis to sports-science analysis. Historically, and not without resistance and great effort, participation in sports has broken barriers of cultural and racial discrimination within broader society. Through sports-science infused STEM outreach, biomechanists have potential to jumpstart the same process within the STEM career fields.

Undergraduate Disabled Students as Knowledge Producers including Researchers: A Missed Topic in Academic Literature

Research experience is beneficial for undergraduate students for many reasons. For example, it is argued in academic literature and in reports produced by various organizations that engage with science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education and science education that undergraduate research experience increases the graduation rate in STEM disciplines as well as the amount of students thinking about STEM careers. As such, being researchers should also be of benefit to undergraduate disabled students in all disciplines including STEM education. However, given that undergraduate disabled students encounter many problems within post-secondary education, including STEM education, undergraduate disabled students might encounter problems in becoming researchers. Policies are to be guided by knowledge and evidence. However, knowledge and evidence deficits exist in relation to the lived experience of disabled people. Undergraduate disabled students could decrease the knowledge deficit as researchers and knowledge producers. The numbers of disabled academic faculty are judged as being too low and efforts are under way to increase the number of disabled academics. Increasing the number of undergraduate disabled researchers might increase the available pool of disabled students that pursue an academic career. Given the important role research performed by undergraduate disabled students can play and given that many studies highlight problems for disabled students in post-secondary education in general, we used a scoping review approach to investigate the coverage of undergraduate disabled students as knowledge producers, including as researchers, in the academic literature. Using various search strategies, we obtained 1299 initial hits. However, only 15 had relevant content. No study investigated how undergraduate disabled students select their research topics or how they are enticed to pursue research projects outside of a course-based framework. No study looked at the linkage between being an undergraduate disabled researcher and career choices or using the obtained research skills on the undergraduate level in one’s role as a community member after graduation. Our findings suggest an opportunity for many fields, ranging from disability studies to STEM education, to generate more empirical data and conceptual work on the role of undergraduate disabled students as knowledge producers including as researchers. Such studies could help to increase the numbers of undergraduate disabled students as knowledge producers, including researchers, which in turn could help to increase (a) the number of disabled academics, (b) the number of disabled students who perform research in the community after graduation, (c) the degree success of disabled students and (d) the knowledge available on the social situation of disabled people.

Co-Measure: developing an assessment for student collaboration in STEAM activities

BackgroundThe shortage of skilled workers choosing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) careers in the USA and worldwide has fueled a movement towards STEAM, in which the “A” addresses the arts and humanities. STEAM education has been proposed as a way to offer relevant problems to solve while drawing on creative and collaborative skills to increase interest and engagement in these fields. Despite the interest in increasing STEAM globally, research on the efficacy of instructional approaches, including ways to assess collaborative problem solving (CPS), is lacking.ResultsThis paper reports the development of a rubric, named Co-Measure, for researchers and educators to use to assess student collaboration, at the individual level, when students are working in K-12 STEAM activities. Our project team provides the rationale, process, validation, initial iterations to the rubric, and next steps to inform STEM researchers and move STEAM instruction and learning forward. A final rubric is provided and made freely available to researchers and educators.ConclusionsAs STEAM education gains popularity in K-12 schools, assessment of student collaboration is needed to identify the dimensions of the skill in order to provide appropriate problem solving opportunities within instruction. The assessment is also needed to adjust instruction when students are not offered opportunities to work collaboratively during STEAM activities. Utilizing existing generalized frameworks of CPS provided the initial guide to direct research specific to CPS in STEAM activities. Using an iterative process to identify and evaluate attributes of student behavior associated with CPS in STEAM classrooms by a project team comprised of learning scientists, educational researchers and psychometricians allowed for rigorous research while drawing on appropriate expertise. Co-Measure has the potential to be modified and broadly extended to assess CPS in elementary and post-secondary classrooms using STEAM instructional practices.

Latino parents’ educational values and STEM beliefs

Purpose This paper aims to provide a snapshot of K-12 Latino families’ beliefs about education, their awareness and interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers and their perceived educational challenges. It builds on the existent body of literature by dispelling pervasive notions that Latino parents do not value education. It contributes to the field by providing evidence of Latino parents’ beliefs, awareness and interest in STEM careers for their children. Design/methodology/approach This study reports the results of a focus group needs assessment conducted with Latino parents, surveys and interviews collected for three years during Latino family-focused events. Findings Surveyed parents thought children should attend college to prepare for a better future and career decisions should be dependent on their preference and vocation. They believed STEM careers were important for the Latino community and reported talking to their children about having a job in STEM. Parents perceived several challenges for their children’s education, such as cost, immigration status, lack of information and language barriers. Practical implications Stereotypes regarding Latino family’s beliefs about education have implications for how school systems, educational gatekeepers and stakeholders perceive these students’ opportunities. This paper discredits the perception that Latino parents are not interested in their children attending college or pursuing STEM careers. Originality/value There is a dearth of information about Latino families’ perceptions of their children’s educational goals, knowledge of STEM careers and their interest in such fields. This paper provides a fundamental step toward filling that gap.

Engaging voices

Engaging voices