Intending to stay : images of scientists, attitudes toward women, and gender as influences on persistence among science and engineering majors
Autor/in:
Wyer, Mary
Quelle: Journal of women and minorities in science and engineering, Vol. 9 (2003) No. 1, S. 1-16
Inhalt: "Contemporary research on gender and persistence in undergraduate education in science and engineering has routinely focused on why students leave their majors rather than asking why students stay. This study compared three common ways of measuring persistence-commitment to major, degree aspirations, and commitment to a science or engineering career-and emphasized factors that would encourage students to persist, including positive images of scientists and engineers, positive attitudes toward gender equity in science and engineering, and positive classroom experiences. A survey was administered in classrooms to a total of 285 female and male students enrolled in two required courses for majors. The results indicate that the different measures of persistence were sensitive to different influences but that students' gender did not interact with their images, attitudes, and experiences in predicted ways. The study concludes that an individual student's gender may be a more important factor in explaining why some female students leave their science and engineering majors than in explaining why others stay." (author's abstract)
CEWS Kategorie:Studium und Studierende, Naturwissenschaft und Technik
Dokumenttyp:Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Perceived gender interaction and course confidence among undergraduate science, mathematics,
and technology majors
Autor/in:
Hughes, W. Jay
Quelle: Journal of women and minorities in science and engineering, Vol. 6 (2000) No. 2, S. 155-167
Inhalt: "Questionnaire data (n=496) were used to examine the relationship between perceived
gender interaction in the classroom and course confidence for undergraduate science,
mathematics, and technology majors. Compared with male majors, female majors reported
significantly lower course confidence, recognition by and respect from instructors,
respect for female students from male peers, and confidence that course curricula
were gender-inclusive. Recognition by and respect from instructors explained 32% of
the variation in course confidence for female majors with female instructors; respect
from instructors explained 11% and 23% of the variation in course confidence for female
majors with male instructors and male majors with female instructors, respectively,
and instructor respect and academic achievement explained 26% of the variation in
course confidence for male majors with male instructors. Pedagogical implications
are discussed." (author's abstract)|
CEWS Kategorie:Naturwissenschaft und Technik, Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung
Dokumenttyp:Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Closing the gender gap in technical disciplines : an investigative study
Autor/in:
Gokhale, Anu A.; Stier, Ken
Quelle: Journal of women and minorities in science and engineering, Vol. 10 (2004) No. 2, S. 30-39
Inhalt: "The goal of this study was to investigate the efficacy of curriculum and instructional techniques in a technical core course to create a more conducive learning environment for women. The technical core course introduced technology majors to mechanical systems, electronics, and fluid power principles through lectures and laboratory work. Female students already enrolled in the department and female alumnae of the program were surveyed. The students' responses to the survey showed that although the female participants in the study were pleased with the instructors, the curriculum, and the instruction they received, they had recommendations for modifying the instruction." (author's abstract)
CEWS Kategorie:Geschlechterverhältnis, Naturwissenschaft und Technik
Dokumenttyp:Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Using mentors and interdisciplinary teams to "genderize" teacher education
Autor/in:
Sanders, Jo; Campbell, Patricia B.
Quelle: Journal of women and minorities in science and engineering, Vol. 7 (2001) No. 4, S. 34-46
Inhalt: "This article describes a national project concerning gender equity in teacher education in mathematics, science, and technology. Using a model of external mentors and on-site teams, the Teacher Education Mentor Project worked with seven universities to facilitate the inclusion of gender equity in individual college courses and in college of education programs, policies, and practices. In the study, professors' course syllabi from 1996 were compared to their end-of-project 1999 syllabi. Their 1996 and 1999 written statements on gender equity in their classes were also compared. Ongoing professor and mentor interviews were conducted, as were site visits. The results indicated greater degrees of institutional change and self-reported individual change than changes in syllabi. Reasons for the mixed results and lessons learned are discussed." (author's abstract)
Gender attributions of science and academic attributes : an examination of undergraduate science, mathematics and technology majors
Autor/in:
Hughes, W. Jay
Quelle: Journal of women and minorities in science and engineering, Vol. 8 (2002) No. 1, S. 53-65
Inhalt: "Questionnaire data (n=297) examined the relationship between gender attributions of science and academic attributes for undergraduate science, mathematics, and technology majors from the perspective of gender schema theory. Female and male respondents perceived that (a) the role of scientist was sex typed as masculine, (b) their majors were more valuable for members of their gender than for those of the opposite gender, (c) their majors were more valuable for themselves than for members of their gender in general. Androgynous attributions of scientists and the value of one's major for women predicted value for oneself, major confidence, and career confidence, and masculine attributions of scientists predicted class participation for female respondents. Feminine attributions of scientists predicted graduate school intent; value for women predicted major confidence and subjective achievement, and value for men predicted value for oneself, course confidence, and career confidence for male respondents." (author's abstract)
CEWS Kategorie:Naturwissenschaft und Technik, Geschlechterverhältnis
Dokumenttyp:Zeitschriftenaufsatz
A course in spatial visualization and its impact on the retention of female engineering students
Autor/in:
Sorby, Sheryl A.
Quelle: Journal of women and minorities in science and engineering, Vol. 7 (2001) No. 2, S. 153-172
Inhalt: "Spatial visualization skills have been shown to be important to success in engineering and other technical fields. Unfortunately, the 3-D spatial skills of women often lag behind those of men. At Michigan Technological University, a special course designed to enhance 3-D spatial skills has been offered for several years. Development and improvements to this course have been supported by the National Science Foundation through a series of grants. This article outlines the efforts at improving spatial skills undertaken at Michigan Tech since 1993 and presents results from this project as they relate to the retention and overall success of female engineering students." (author's abstract)
CEWS Kategorie:Naturwissenschaft und Technik, Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung
Dokumenttyp:Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Pedagogical reform and college women's persistence in mathematics
Autor/in:
Strand, Kerry J.; Mayfield, M. Elizabeth
Quelle: Journal of women and minorities in science and engineering, Vol. 8 (2002) No. 1
Inhalt: "Significant gender differences persist in the election of mathematics courses and
math-related majors in college. Recent research suggests that part of the blame lies
with conventional pedagogical approaches and that alternative approaches emphasizing
practical applications, collaborative problem solving, and group work make mathematics
more understandable and appealing to all students, particularly women. Using questionnaires
administered to 355 traditional-age female college students, the authors examined
the relationship between alternative teaching strategies in high school mathematics
classes and two categories of outcome variables: mathematics-related attitudes and
mathematics persistence in college. Multivariate analysis showed that experience with
this so-called female-friendly pedagogy is positively related to students' math-related
attitudes and that these attitudes predict math persistence in college. However, the
authors' data also indicate that alternative teaching strategies have no discernible
direct effect on students' choices of mathematics courses or mathrelated." (author's
abstract)|
Quelle: Journal of women and minorities in science and engineering, Vol. 7 (2001) No. 1
Inhalt: "What are some of the barriers to women's achievement in postsecondary settings, particularly
in math and science? How can educators support the development of females to ensure
that they reach their potential? Nonintellectual factors may improve the prediction
of academic success beyond intellectual dispositions, and yet the typical coed university
is still a chilly climate for women. What other issues are occurring in the social
context for female students? This article explores the "cycle" of women's experience
of learning, focusing on students in an introductory math course and on preservice
teachers. Implications for graduate women students are also considered." (author's
abstract)|
CEWS Kategorie:Studium und Studierende, Naturwissenschaft und Technik, Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung
Dokumenttyp:Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Development, implementation, and evaluation of a science learning community for underrepresented students
Autor/in:
Garrett-Ruffin, Sherona; Martsolf, Donna S.
Quelle: Journal of women and minorities in science and engineering, Vol. 11 (2005) No. 2, S. 197-208
Inhalt: "Recruiting women, minorities, and first-generation students into the sciences, and retaining these students, is a challenge at many universities. Learning communities have been used in many university settings to promote the retention of students from the 1st to the 2nd year. The Science Learning Community (SLC) at Kent State University was developed to help minority and first-generation college students succeed in biology, chemistry, and nursing majors. Inaugurated in 2002, the SLC had 22 members in the first cohort and 22 members in the second. Each cohort lived in one residence hall, shared cocurricular activities - including mandatory study sessions and supplemental instruction, and attended the same sections of English and science classes during the 1st year. At the conclusion of year 1, retention rates for SLC students were compared to three control groups matched for gender, minority status, ACT score, and course registration. Students in the SLC were retained at a higher rate than control group members (82.6% compared with 73.7% for the first cohort; 81.8% compared with 79.3% for the second cohort) and expressed high satisfaction with the SLC experience during exit interviews." (author's abstract)
Science experiences among female athletes : race makes a difference
Autor/in:
Hanson, Sandra L.; Kraus, Rebecca S.
Quelle: Journal of women and minorities in science and engineering, Vol. 9 (2003) No. 3-4, S. 287-323
Inhalt: "Sport participation is increasingly seen as a resource with considerable physical, social, and academic benefits. As a new millennium begins with girls more visible in sport, an important question is whether all girls reap these benefits. Although general academic benefits of sport have been shown, the authors' earlier work showed that experience in the male sport domain benefits young women in the elite (often male) science curriculum. Competition, self-esteem, and other individual resources gained through sport are potential sources of success in the similarly competitive male realm of science. In this research, the authors used critical feminist theory to guide their examination of racial and ethnic variations in the relation between sport participation and science experiences for young women. Data from the nationally representative National Education Longitudinal Study were used to explore the impact of sport participation in the 8th and 10th grades on 10th grade science achievement (measured by science grades and standardized test scores) and course taking for African American, Hispanic, and White women. The findings revealed that sport participation has some positive consequences for the science experiences of each of the groups of women. It also has some negative consequences, although the positive consequences outnumber the negative consequences for Hispanic and White, but not African American, women. Sport in 10th grade, especially competitive varsity sport, is most likely to have positive consequences. The findings revealed that each of the groups experiences different routes to success in science, and sport participation is present at some level in each of these routes. A consideration of multiple areas of science experience is important for understanding the connections between race and ethnicity, sport, and science for young women. Unique sociocultural contexts are used to attempt to understand these findings, and implications are discussed." (author's abstract)