http://repository.hyogo-u.ac.jp/dspace/bitstream/10132/3239/1/AN100700980160017.pdf

“Science for All Americans”が語る科学とは何か

Women obtain more than half of U.S. undergraduate degrees in biology, chemistry, and mathematics, yet they earn less than 20% of computer science, engineering, and physics undergraduate degrees (National Science Foundation, 2014a). Gender differences in interest in computer science, engineering, and physics appear even before college. Why are women represented in some science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields more than others? We conduct a critical review of the most commonly cited factors explaining gender disparities in STEM participation and investigate whether these factors explain differential gender participation across STEM fields. Math performance and discrimination influence who enters STEM, but there is little evidence to date that these factors explain why women's underrepresentation is relatively worse in some STEM fields. We introduce a model with three overarching factors to explain the larger gender gaps in participation in computer science, engineering, and physics than in biology, chemistry, and mathematics: (a) masculine cultures that signal a lower sense of belonging to women than men, (b) a lack of sufficient early experience with computer science, engineering, and physics, and (c) gender gaps in self-efficacy. Efforts to increase women's participation in computer science, engineering, and physics may benefit from changing masculine cultures and providing students with early experiences that signal equally to both girls and boys that they belong and can succeed in these fields. (PsycINFO Database Record

https://psycnet.apa.org/journals/bul/143/1/1.pdf

Why are some STEM fields more gender balanced than others

CONCLUSIONS This paper’s theoretical contribution is an emergent educational theory of informed design that identifies key performance dimensions relevant to K–16 engineering and STEM educational contexts. Practical contributions include the Informed Design Teaching and Learning Matrix, which is fashioned to help teachers do informed teaching with design tasks while developing their own design pedagogical content knowledge.

The Informed Design Teaching and Learning Matrix

A sample of 1448 students in grades 7 and 9 was drawn from public schools in Atlantic Canada to explore students’ knowledge of science and mathematics requirements for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers. Also explored were their mathematics self-efficacy (MSE), their future career interests, their preferences for particular career activities, and their likelihood to pursue a STEM career. Analysis revealed that while older students had more knowledge about mathematics/science requirements for STEM careers, this knowledge was lacking overall. Also, students with higher MSE were more knowledgeable about STEM career requirements. Furthermore, students with higher MSE and STEM career knowledge were more likely to choose a STEM career. Students with greater interest in technical and scientific skills were also more likely to consider a STEM career than those who preferred career activities that involved practical, productive, and concrete activities. The results of this study show that students in middle school have a limited STEM career knowledge with respect to subject requirements and with respect to what sort of activities these careers involve. Furthermore, students with low MSE have a declining interest in STEM careers. Our data thus support the need to improve access to knowledge to facilitate students’ understanding of STEM careers and the nature of STEM work. Exposure of students to STEM careers can enhance their interest in pursuing careers involving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

/pdf/a-study-of-the-correlation-between-stem-career-knowledge-559rr064ed.pdf

A study of the correlation between STEM career knowledge, mathematics self-efficacy, career interests, and career activities on the likelihood of pursuing a STEM career among middle school students

Background Prior studies have shown that visual signaling improves learning from text or narration in conjunction with one depictive visual representation; however, engineering instruction typically employs multiple descriptive and depictive visual representations. Animated pedagogical agents (APAs) positively influence student attitudes about engineering. Whether APA signaling improves engineering learning and which APA characteristics are most conducive to learning is largely unknown. Purpose We examined the effects of visual signaling in engineering learning materials with multiple descriptive and depictive visual representations. We compared visual signaling by a young female APA with arrow signaling. Design/Method In the APA signaling condition, at appropriate points within a narration about electric circuits, the relevant areas in a circuit diagram, a sequence of equation calculations, and a Cartesian graph were signaled using APA gestures. In the arrow signaling condition, the same relevant areas were signaled using a dynamic arrow; the nosignaling (control) condition had no visual signaling. Student learning and perceptions were measured with a problem-solving posttest and a survey. Results Results indicated an aptitude-treatment interaction. Low prior knowledge learners had higher learning gains in the APA signaling condition, compared with the no signaling condition; high prior knowledge learners did not benefit from visual signaling. Conclusions Precollege students with low prior knowledge benefit from the signaling by a young female APA in instruction with multiple visual representations; high prior knowledge learners do not benefit from such support.

Pedagogical Agent Signaling of Multiple Visual Engineering Representations: The Case of the Young Female Agent

This study investigated the views of the nature of engineering held by 6th-grade students to provide a baseline upon which activities or curriculum materials might be developed to introduce middle-school students to the work of engineers and the process of engineering design. A phenomenographic framework was used to guide the analysis of data collected from: (1) a series of 20 semi-structured interviews with 6th-grade students, (2) drawings created by these students of “an engineer or engineers at work” that were discussed during the interviews, and (3) field notes collected by the researchers during the interviews. The 6th-grade students tended to believe that engineers were individuals who make or build products, although some students understood the role of engineers in the design or planning of products, and, to a lesser extent in testing products to ensure that they “work” and/or are safe to use. The combination of drawings of “engineers or engineering at work” and individual interviews provided more insight into the students’ views of the nature of engineering than either source of data would have offered on its own. Analysis of the data suggested that the students’ concepts of engineers and engineering were fragile, or unstable, and likely to change within the time frame of the interview.

http://chemed.chem.purdue.edu/chemed/bodnergroup/PDF_2008/103%20Karatas%20and%20Micklos.pdf

Sixth-Grade Students’ Views of the Nature of Engineering and Images of Engineers

There has been a growing interest in teaching engineering in the K-12 context. It is therefore somewhat surprising to find that there have been few investigations on students’ views of engineering and the nature of engineering (VNOE) at this level. This project is based on the assumption that understanding students’ VNOE has as much potential for impact on engineering education as the views of the nature of science investigations have had on the field of science education. The overall goal of this study was to investigate 6 th -grade students’ perceptions of the nature of engineering (NOE), and to understand the experiences that have shaped students’ perceptions of the field of engineering. The results of twenty 6 th grade students’ drawings of an engineer or engineers at work with associated interviews related students’ own drawings from two mid-west middle schools are presented. Results indicated many students held common misand naïve conceptions about engineering, engineers, and what engineers do; specifically that engineers drive trains, fix cars, build houses, and work alone.

Amy Micklos

Papers

Sixth-Grade Students’ Views of the Nature of Engineering and Images of Engineers

Sixth Grade Students’ Images Of Engineering: What Do Engineers Do?