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STEM Mindset sees the potential of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to be valuable and relevant to their lives and communities and in the world

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Brief

STEM Mindset
Supporting Girls' Ongoing Engagement and Success in STEM

STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) mindset is critical to youths' ongoing participation in STEM, as well as their functioning in today's technology-rich world (e.g., Murphy 2019). This is true for all students, but it is especially important to support the development of STEM mindset among those who are underrepresented in STEM fields, including women (NSF 2017).

Self-efficacy and STEM mindset

Self-efficacy refers to one's beliefs about personal capability and is closely linked to what they believe will likely result from their actions (Bandura 1997). People are more likely to take action if they expect a positive outcome. For example, lower self-assessments of competence are linked to lower rates of participation and lower achievement in mathematics and science (Correll 2001). A strong sense of self-efficacy can be fostered by emphasizing growth mindset within learning contexts (Silver and Stafford 2017) and helping students recognize that skills and intelligence grow in response to effort (Dweck 2000). Self-efficacy is a critical component of STEM mindset because of its links to perseverance in STEM.

Research findings related to girls' STEM self-efficacy

A number of studies have demonstrated gender gaps related to STEM self-efficacy. Even as early as first grade, boys have more positive competence beliefs in mathematics than girls (Eccles et al. 1993). This trend continues as students age; despite equal mathematics ability, high school boys are more likely than girls to view themselves as good at mathematics (Correll 2001). Similar findings are present in both science and engineering (e.g., Heyman, Martyna, and Bhatia 2002; Hong and Lin 2013).

My research has explored STEM self-efficacy of upper elementary and middle school students within in-school and out-of-school contexts. One study investigated fourth- and fifth-grade girls' perceptions of themselves and STEM following a weeklong out-of-school STEM experience (Wieselmann, Roehrig, and Kim 2017). Participants described girls in general as working hard and focusing on learning more than boys, yet still described boys as inherently possessing both skill and interest in STEM subjects at school. For example, one girl shared, "Usually boys are really good at engineering and all that stuff." Girls in this study interpreted boys' academic struggles as a result of personal choice, not lack of ability. They did not equate diligence and success in school with STEM ability.

Another study explored students' participation in small-group engineering activities that had multiple solutions and pathways to success (Wieselmann, Roehrig, and Kim 2017). Middle school girls struggled to navigate these open-ended activities in their formal science classroom. With no worksheet to guide their participation, girls expressed uncertainty about their ability and knowledge of whether they had successfully completed the design activity. In contrast, boys were more comfortable jumping into engineering activities and dealing with the iterative nature of engineering.

The notion of productive failure underlies both of these studies. Recognizing failure as a temporary state, as well as an opportunity for learning and improvement, is key in girls' ongoing participation in STEM. For example, girls are more likely than boys to drop college-level engineering classes when faced with difficulties (Heyman, Martyna, and Bhatia 2002). Out-of-school learning experiences are uniquely situated to support students' development of failure tolerance because they are not connected to scores or grades. One student I interviewed explained, "Some of the girls, they want to get a good grade, but they're afraid that if they do it [the hands-on activity] they'll fail, so they kind of leave it up to other people... Here at STARBASE [St. Paul, Minnesota], it's okay if you fail, but back at school if you fail, it's kind of like, you fail and you got it wrong, so you're done." This participant identified the out-of-school setting as a safer place to try new things and learn from failure for herself and her female peers.

Tips for supporting the development of girls' STEM mindset

Out-of-school contexts present unique opportunities for fostering the development of STEM mindset, but the tips outlined below can be used in both in-school and out-of-school settings. The tips were developed with girls' needs in mind but are beneficial for all students.

1. Provide students with opportunities to engage in open-ended, complex tasks with more than one possible solution. These activities develop critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills while helping students become more comfortable working with ambiguous tasks that are commonplace in STEM fields.

2. Ensure that students have opportunities to see ongoing efforts result in success despite initial struggles and failures. Normalize failure and help students recognize failure as an important step in learning, such as in the engineering design process.

3. Provide students with opportunities to self-assess both the learning process and the end product. Self-assessment of the learning process should happen throughout the learning experience (not just at the end) and can include reflections about teamwork, self-management, personal contributions, and ways to improve participation.

4. Expose students to female coping models (Schunk 1987), not just role models, in STEM. These coping models are people who can demonstrate through stories of their own struggles that STEM is not always easy but that girls can succeed with effort and perseverance.

Jeanna R. Wieselmann ( jeanna@umn.edu) is a research assistant professor in the Lyle School of Engineering at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.

References

Bandura, A. 1997. Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: Freeman.

Correll, S.J. 2001. Gender and the career choice process: The role of biased self-assessments. American Journal of Sociology 106 (6): 1691-730.

Dweck, C.S. 2000. Self-theories: Their role in motivation, personality, and development. Philadelphia, PA: Psychology Press.

Eccles, J., A. Wigfield, R.D. Harold, and P. Blumenfeld. 1993. Age and gender differences in children's self- and task-perceptions during elementary school. Child Development 64 (3): 830-47.

Heyman, G.D., B. Martyna, and S. Bhatia. 2002. Gender and achievement-related beliefs among engineering students. Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering 8 (1): 41-52.

Hong, Z., and H. Lin. 2013. Boys' and girls' involvement in science learning and their self-efficacy in Taiwan. International Journal of Psychology 48 (3): 272-84.

Murphy, B. 2019. What STEM mindset is ... and why everyone should have one. Connected Science Learning 12. http://csl.nsta.org/2019/10/what-stem-mindset-is-and-why-everyone-should-have-one.

National Science Foundation (NSF). 2017. Women, minorities, and persons with disabilities in science and engineering: 2017. Arlington, VA: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics.

Schunk, D.H. 1987. Peer models and children's behavioral change. Review of Educational Research 57 (2): 149-74.

Silver, D., and D. Stafford. 2017. Teaching kids to thrive: Essential skills for success. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Wieselmann, J.R., E.A. Dare, G.H. Roehrig, and E.A. Ring-Whalen. 2019. Participation in small group engineering design activities at the elementary and middle school level: An investigation of gender differences. In Proceedings from the 126th ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition. Tampa, FL: American Society for Engineering Education.

Wieselmann, J.R., G.H. Roehrig, and J.N. Kim. 2017. Elementary girls' perceptions of self and STEM. In Active learning to train scientific thinking qualities and abilities: Proceedings of the 41st Annual Meeting of the Japan Society for Science Education, 335-36). Takamatsu, Japan: Japan Society for Science Education.

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Brief Supporting Girls' Ongoing Engagement and Success in STEM STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) mindset is critical to youths' ongoing participation in STEM, as well as their functioning in today's technology-rich world (e.g., Murphy 2019).

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Equitable computing is the idea that everyone should have equal access to technology and information, regardless of their background. This includes access to the internet, which is important for education, work, and society.

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Sustainable computing involves designing, developing, using, and disposing of computing systems in an environmentally friendly manner.

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The ISTE Standards are a framework that guides educators, leaders and coaches in using technology to create high-impact, sustainable, scalable and equitable learning experiences. They have been adopted by all U.S. states and many countries worldwide.

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Culturally relevant means the acknowledgment and apprecia- tion of experiences, traditions, and diverse preferences of a group of people.

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A responsive person is quick to react to people or events and to show emotions such as pleasure and affection.

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Digital equity is the concept that every person should have equal access to digital technologies, including internet access. The concept aims to address the divide in access to digital infrastructure that gives some people advantages over others in education, work, and society.

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Culturally relevant teaching is a teaching approach that takes into account the different cultural backgrounds of students. It's based on the idea that students' own cultures can be an asset to their learning

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The Principles of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy | Download ...

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Sustainable Computing. Sustainable computing involves designing, developing, using, and disposing of computing systems in an environmentally friendly manner.

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Sustainable computing is the design, development, use, and disposal of computing systems in an environmentally sustainable manner. It involves the use of energy-efficient hardware and software, the reduction of electronic waste, and the implementation of sustainable practices in data center operations.

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The ISTE Standards are a framework that guides educators, leaders and coaches in using technology to create high-impact, sustainable, scalable and equitable learning experiences. They have been adopted by all U.S. states and many countries worldwide.

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What Are ISTE Standards? (And Why Do They Matter?)

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Do you teach technology? Learn what’s expected of tech teachers like you who want to adhere to the ultra-high ISTE standards.

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A responsive person is quick to react to people or events and to show emotions such as pleasure and affection.

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'The design process can vary depending on the project and team, but it often includes the following steps:

Identify the problem: Define the problem or need that the design is intended to address

Research: Research the problem or need in depth

Ideate: Brainstorm possible solutions to the problem

Evaluate and select: Choose a promising solution

Create a prototype: Build a model of the solution

Test and troubleshoot: Test the prototype and identify any issues

Improve and release: Make any necessary improvements and release the final product

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the action or a process of iterating or repeating. The iterative process is the practice of building, refining, and improving a project, product, or initiative.

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Prototyping is the process of creating a model or draft of a product or design to test and explore it before the final product is made. Prototypes can be physical or digital, and can be used in a variety of fields, including design, electronics, software programming, and semantics

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Remixing is the process of altering or changing an existing piece of media by adding, removing, or changing parts of it. Remixing can be applied to many different types of media, including music, artwork, books, poems, and photographs.

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Tinkering is the act of making some small changes to something, in an attempt to improve it or repair it.

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A simulation is an imitative representation of a process or system that could exist in the real world. Weather forecasting, flight simulators used for training pilots, and car crash modeling are examples.

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A system's ability to complete tasks within a given time.

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A digital representation of a person's identity, such as their name, age, address, or biometric information.

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Please click here if you are not redirected within a few seconds.

What is a Digital Identity? Link copied. A digital identity is a one-to-one relationship between a human and their digital presence. A digital presence can consist of multiple accounts, credentials, and entitlements associated with an individual.

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Please click here if you are not redirected within a few seconds. What is a Digital Identity? Link copied. A digital identity is a one-to-one relationship between a human and their digital presence. A digital presence can consist of multiple accounts, credentials, and entitlements associated with an individual.

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,INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. It can include inventions, brands, artistic creations, domain names, website content, proprietary information, and software. Some types of IP include: Patents Copyrights Trademarks Trade secrets IP laws allow inventors and creators to profit from their investments and recoup their research and development costs.

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Top comment · It is not intellectual property itself that causes pathological monopolies, but the misuse of intellectual property powers that does so. The US Constitution authorizes the federal government to grant IP: To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries; The capitalist subversion of our republic flips this on its head. Rather than securing exclusive rights to authors and inventors—to augment the public cultural commons of “science and useful arts”—the capitalist ruling class demand the purpose should be to make them as many piles of cash as they can imagine (and they can imagine very many piles of cash). We therefore get copyright durations far too long and far too sweeping authority over what should otherwise be fair use of their works. Most revenues for IP accrue in the first few years of a copyright work. Yet we restrict access over as much as a century or more (copyright originally was just over a decade). For writers (stage play writers, screenwriter, and so forth) it might take a while to ink a production deal but library availability will aid the chance of a production deal, where copyright can protect the production rights for the writers. The copyright should protect commercial intermediation without license: not infringe upon end-user consumption of the works. With the invention of the internet, we should expect the longstanding institution of the public library to go fully digital. After a few years of licensing for fee of the authors and inventors, or at most a decade, every copyrighted work should simply be available online through a digital Internet lending library of all works (that universal digital library fully indexed for search and AI). All metadata for these works should be a public service: delivered through web API web services (even the sort of scene by scene metadata should be searchable, producing results of a specific scene in a video). A government provided digital rights management (DRM) should be provided that facilitates the fullest of fair use. Clip any Copyrighted work for fair use and the IP owner merely receives a notice of the clip as a potential infringement (where such clip itself is re-DRMd automatically for the clippers derivative work). What we call “basic cable” should simply be a public streaming service on the Internet (self-supported by advertising revenues, just like the over-the-air broadcasters they resemble). No more wangling between monopoly cable and steaming providers and monopoly content providers. Independent competitive enterprises can offer cloud DVR services, steaming consumption user agents, and metadata consuming user agent apps. The avenues for market hegemony are then eliminated. Whenever, algorithmic copyrights create market hegemony in the software industry, administrative remedies should simply make older versions of the software into open source or public domain software (this will drive innovation for the creator of the software who will still have an advantage, but a die and fair advantage, with regard to the subsequent version of the software they created). These benefits arise not from ending intellectual property, but in directing the institution for its expressed constitutional purpose. IP is the exception that proves the rule. The “royalties” the IP provision of the Constitution allows is in stark contrast to the “Royal rents” from land and other natural resources that the Constitution’s prohibitions on titles of nobility expressly forbid. Therefore IP serves as an incentive and reward for creative pursuits. Whereas no amount of perverse incentives for rent-seeking in land can ever create more land. Rewarding privately, what belongs to a common treasury for all, is counter-constitutional and entirely unethical. The powers of nobility (really ignobility)—in other words, private wielding of governmental powers—is where genuine monopoly dominance arises. The capitalist rentiers claim allodial title to land, in direct conflict with our Constitution, and then they use the land rents they take from us to further treasonously subvert our republic.