New research on girls and STEM to celebrate Women's History Month

We know that boys are over three times more likely than girls to be interested in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers, and four times more likely to pursue computer science or engineering careers, according to the National Girls’ Collaborative Project. Research can help us better understand girls’ experiences in various settings, both positive and negative, and help us find ways to keep girls engaged in STEM. As Women’s History Month wraps up this March, we would like to highlight new gender equity resources from the Relating Research to Practice (RR2P) project:  three new research briefs and a professional development resource you can use with your colleagues to dig into the importance of developing a positive identity in the context of STEM. The briefs identify changing beliefs about gender and STEM, and address methods for supporting girls to pursue STEM-related interests and careers.

For more research on out-of-school time STEM, follow the RR2P project on Twitter and Facebook! 

Connected Collection: Gender identities in STEM education

As educators, we want to create learning environments that allow girls to development a positive identity in relation to STEM. Connected Collections are a set of curated research briefs that address a key aspect of scientific practice, and are intended to support professional learning through deep and reflective engagement of a topic in STEM education. This collection can help you better understand the importance of identity, learn how to create learning opportunities for girls to create positive identities in the world of STEM, and explore examples of how educators can help students make connections across their STEM experiences at home, in school, and during out-of-school time.

Challenging beliefs about gender and STEM engagement through crafting and circuitry

In the United States, sewing has historically been associated with crafting or fashion, and is usually seen as a feminine practice. The combination of sewing and circuitry, also known as “e-textiles,” disrupts this stereotype by integrating sewing with a creative technological application. This study explores what happens to cultural and gendered expectations within e-textile activities—for example, is it “feminine” or “masculine” to use conductive thread to sew LEDs into a T-shirt?

How urban girls negotiate school science

Girls’ achievement in science is equal to boys’ achievement, and yet girls tend not to identify with science or to pursue science education or careers. The authors of this paper examine ways in which a group of urban middle school girls engage with science while they develop and maintain identities and practices that support who they are and who they want to be. They suggest that when planning efforts to support girls in STEM, informal educators need to consider students’ varying cultural experiences and how they may apply these skills to support who they want to be.

Remove stereotype threats in science, and women do just as well as men!

“Stereotype threat” is a situation in which people confirm (or feel they are at risk of confirming) negative stereotypes about their social group. This study examines the influence of stereotype threat on girls’ performance in physics assessments. Girls who were told that boys and girls perform equally well on physics exams performed similarly to their male peers. However, girls who were told nothing, as well as those who were explicitly told that boys outperform girls in physics underperformed on their physics test. These findings suggest that stereotype threat can have an important influence on girls’ confidence and success in STEM areas.