Research-Informed Practices for Inclusive Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Classrooms: Strategies for Educators to Close the Gender Gap (original) (raw)

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings

The underrepresentation and attrition of women students in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields is a widely acknowledged, complex problem for which solutions will be multi-faceted. However, while a large body of research examines factors that influence girls' and women's experiences in these fields, many STEM educators at the K-12 level may be unfamiliar with the most recent research on gender's relation to STEM classes. This paper aims to bridge research to practice by identifying strategies for educators as they work to capture students' interest in STEM and retain students who are already interested. Seven "key practices" for creating gender-inclusive STEM classrooms were identified through a comprehensive literature review of social science research in gender and education. This research indicates, moreover, that the benefits of most practices can be broadened to all STEM students. The paper begins with an overview of the conceptual and methodological approach to the literature review process, and then presents and discusses the seven practices and supporting research. We then turn to recommending implementation strategies for educators to make courses more inclusive. The strategies are followed by a brief outline of suggested directions for future research. Introduction and Background According to the United States Department of Commerce, "Although women fill close to half of all jobs in the U.S. economy, they hold less than 25 percent of STEM jobs. This has been the case throughout the past decade, even as college-educated women have increased their share of the overall workforce" 1. The gender gap in STEM employment is not an anomaly; it reflects the disparity in the relative numbers of men and women pursuing STEM education, of which the K-12 years, particularly high school, are this paper's focus. Female high-school students are more likely to aspire to attend college than are their male counterparts, and young women enroll in college, persist, and graduate from it at higher rates as well 2. So why does this STEM-specific gap exist? This paper employs the tools of "gender analysis" to address this question. Gender analysis provides a framework for thorough analysis of the differences between women's and men's "gender roles, activities, needs, and opportunities in a given context" 3 to eliminate the role of false assumptions and stereotypes. Gender analysis seeks to achieve equity rather than equality in that gender equity accounts for the differences in women's and men's "life experiences, needs, issues, and priorities" 4. Gender analysis in STEM education allows us to more deeply understand the effects of existing STEM programs and new STEM initiatives: whom they are most affecting and in precisely what