ERIC Number: EJ1268318
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Sep
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2077-2327
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Engaging High School Girls in Interdisciplinary STEAM
Ng, Wan; Fergusson, Jennifer
Science Education International, v31 n3 p283-294 Sep 2020
Research into Australian students' science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) engagement has highlighted that there are comparably fewer women enrolling in STEM programs and working in STEM industries. In Australia, males make up 84% of the total population with STEM qualifications, for example, a report in 2015 found only 13% of all engineers in Australia were women. Science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM), an approach to STEM education that encourages interdisciplinarity, creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship, is a strategy that has the potential to increase girls' engagement with STEM. This research investigated the impact of the STEAMpunk Girls Program, funded by the Australian Government, on high school girls' learning and their teachers' teaching experiences. The program uses project-learning and design thinking strategies to enable the girls to gain confidence in themselves as change-makers with the capacity to generate solutions to real-world problems. Using a mixed method approach, the findings indicated that teachers and students were positive about the STEAMpunk Girls' experience, with significant increases in confidence and motivation in the girls at the end of the program.
Descriptors: Learner Engagement, High School Students, STEM Education, Interdisciplinary Approach, Foreign Countries, Females, Program Effectiveness, Active Learning, Student Projects, Self Efficacy, Career Choice, Student Attitudes, High School Teachers, Teacher Attitudes
International Council of Associations for Science Education. Dokuz Eylul University Faculty of Education, Buca, Izmir 35150, Turkey. Tel: +90-532-4267927; Fax: +90-232-4204895; Web site: http://www.icaseonline.net/seiweb/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A