Understanding Girls: Quantitative and Qualitative Research

✍ Scribed by Dale Rose Baker

• Year: 2016
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 249
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Understanding Girls: Quantitative and Qualitative Research is a retrospective of the author's research that led to receiving the 2013 Distinguished Contributions Award to Science Education through Research. This book includes selected articles that document changes in her research approaches and theoretical frameworks. The articles represent the evolution of her thinking about the issue of girls in science as well as her impact on science education. The author's work is placed in the context of science education research at the time of publication, research in education and psychology, and the culture of the times. She pulls back the curtain that often makes the messy work of research seem straightforward and linear to reveal why she did the research and the methodological decisions she faced. She describes the serendipitous nature of some of the work as well as her frustrations in trying to understand data, and struggles to insure that she accurately and respectfully presented the voices of girls and their teachers. The book also includes some of the earliest research in engineering education preceding the focus on engineering practices found in the Next Generation Science and Engineering Standards. Understanding Girls provides insights into why girls may or may not decide to participate in science and engineering and what can be done to increase their participation. It provides evidence that we have increased girls' participation and the challenges that remain to insure that every girl who wants to become a scientist or engineer has the opportunity to do so.

✦ Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1: CAN THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MALE AND FEMALE SCIENCE MAJORS ACCOUNT FOR THE LOW NUMBER OF WOMEN AT THE DOCTORAL LEVEL IN SCIENCE?
WHY I CONDUCTED THE STUDY
METHODOLOGICAL DECISIONS
SCIENCE EDUCATION AT THE TIME OF THE STUDY
RESEARCH INTO GENDER IN THE WIDER FIELD OF EDUCATION
THE CULTURE AND THE TIMES
IMPACT OF MY WORK
RESEARCH IN COLLEGE SCIENCE TEACHING: Can the Difference between Male and Female Science Majors Account
for the Low Number of Women at the Doctoral Level in Science?
ABSTRACT
SEX DIFFERENCES
DIFFERENCES ACROSS MAJORS
SEX DIFFERENCES WITHIN MAJORS
DIFFERENCES AMONG THE FOUR GROUPS
IMPLICATIONS
REFERENCES
NOTES
CHAPTER 2: THE INFLUENCE OF ROLE-SPECIFIC SELF-CONCEPT AND SEX-ROLE CONFLICT ON CAREER CHOICES IN SCIENCE
WHY I CONDUCTED THE STUDY
METHODOLOGICAL DECISIONS
SCIENCE EDUCATION AT THE TIME OF THE STUDY
RESEARCH IN THE WIDER FIELD OF EDUCATION
THE CULTURE OF THE TIMES
IMPACT OF MY WORK
THE INFLUENCE OF ROLE-SPECIFIC SELF-CONCEPT AND SEX-ROLE IDENTITY ON CAREER CHOICES IN SCIENCE
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
HYPOTHESES
PROCEDURE
Sample
Instruments
Analysis
RESULTS
Analysis of Variance
Discriminant Analysis
DISCUSSION
NOTE
REFERENCES
CHAPTER 3: SEX DIFFERENCES IN CLASSROOM
INTERACTIONS IN SECONDARY SCIENCE
WHY I CONDUCTED THE STUDY
METHODOLOGICAL DECISIONS
SCIENCE EDUCATION AT THE TIME OF THE STUDY
RESEARCH IN THE WIDER FIELD OF EDUCATION
THE CULTURE OF THE TIMES
IMPACT OF MY WORK
SEX DIFFERENCES IN CLASSROOM INTERACTIONS IN SECONDARY SCIENCE
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES
PROCEDURE
Sample
Data Collection
Instrument
Classroom Formats
RESULTS
CONCLUSIONS
NOTE
REFERENCES
CHAPTER 4: SEX DIFFERENCES IN FORMAL REASONING ABILITY:
Task and Interviewer Effects
WHY I CONDUCTED THE STUDY
METHODOLOGICAL DECISIONS
SCIENCE EDUCATION AT THE TIME OF THE STUDY
RESEARCH IN THE WIDER FIELD OF EDUCATION
THE CULTURE OF THE TIMES
THE CULTURE OF THE TIMES
IMPACT OF MY WORK
SEX DIFFERENCES IN FORMAL REASONING ABILITY: TASK AND INTERVIEWER EFFECTS
INTRODUCTION
Logical Reasoning and Success in Science
Effect of Task Content, Task Format, and Sex of Interviewer
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
METHOD
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
NOTE
REFERENCES
CHAPTER 5:
LETTING GIRLS SPEAK OUT ABOUT SCIENCE
WHY I CONDUCTED THIS STUDY
METHODOLOGICAL DECISIONS
SCIENCE EDUCATION AT THE TIME OF THE STUDY
RESEARCH INTO GENDER IN THE WIDER FIELD OF EDUCATION
THE CULTURE AND THE TIMES
IMPACT OF MY WORK
LETTING GIRLS SPEAK OUT ABOUT SCIENCE
ABSTRACT
METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES
WOMEN’S DECISION MAKING
SCHOOL INFLUENCES
SOCIAL INFLUENCES
METHOD
RESULTS
SCHOOL SCIENCE
SOCIETAL FACTORS
Summary
EQUITY
Summary
CONCLUSIONS
NOTE
REFERENCES
CHAPTER 6:
EQUITY ISSUES IN SCIENCE EDUCATION
WHY I CONDUCTED THE STUDY
METHODOLOGICAL DECISIONS
SCIENCE EDUCATION AT THE TIME OF THE STUDY
RESEARCH INTO GENDER IN THE WIDER FIELD OF EDUCATION
THE CULTURE OF THE TIMES
IMPACT OF MY WORK
EQUITY ISSUES IN SCIENCE EDUCATION
HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THE PROBLEM
Women
Minorities
NUMBER OF WOMEN AND MINORITIES IN SCIENCE
School Opportunities and Participation Rates
University and Career Participation Rates
Achievement by Gender
Achievement by Country and Ethnicity
Summary and Implications: Women and Minorities
INFLUENCE OF SCHOOLS
Achievement and the Influence of Schools
Gender
Ethnicity
International Data
Curriculum
Opportunities to Learn
Summary and Implications: Influence of Schools
INFLUENCE OF THE HOME
Socioeconomic Factors
Parental Attitudes
Summary and Implications: Influence of the Home
SOCIOCULTURAL BARRIERS
Gender Roles
Cultural Dissonance
Culture and Interaction Patterns
Summary and Implications: Sociocultural Barriers
NATURE OF SCIENCE
Science as a Male Domain
Science as a White European Domain
How Women do Science
Attitudes Towards Science
Summary and Implications: Nature of Science
INTERVENTIONS
Strategies for Gender Equity
Strategies for Cultural Equity
Materials
Policy and Program Guidelines
Strategies for the University Level
Summary and Implications: Intervention
CONCLUSION
NOTE
REFERENCES
CHAPTER 7:
AN INTERVENTION TO ADDRESS GENDER ISSUES IN A COURSE ON DESIGN, ENGINEERING, AND TECHNOLOGY FOR SCIENCE EDUCATORS
WHY I CONDUCTED THE STUDY
METHODOLOGICAL DECISIONS
SCIENCE EDUCATION AT THE TIME OF THE STUDY
RESEARCH IN THE WIDER FIELD OF EDUCATION
THE CULTURE OF THE TIMES
IMPACT OF MY WORK
AN INTERVENTION TO ADDRESS GENDER ISSUES IN A COURSE ON DESIGN, ENGINEERING, AND TECHNOLOGY FOR SCIENCE EDUCATORS
ABSTRACT
I. INTRODUCTION
II. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
A. Gender-Based Interests and Attitudes in K-12 Science Classrooms
B. Psychosocial Factors in Gender Issues in Science and Engineering Classrooms
C. Teachers and Design, Engineering and Technology
III. RESEARCH QUESTIONS
A. The Bridging Engineering and Education Course
B. Participants
C. Data Sources and Analysis
V. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
A. Tinkering Self-efficacy
B. Technical Self-efficacy
C. Societal Relevance of Engineering
D. Team-member Interactions
VI. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
A. Conclusions
B. Implications for Practice and Research
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
NOTE
REFERENCES
CHAPTER 8: WHAT WORKS: Using Curriculum and Pedagogy to Increase Girls’ Interest
and Participation in Science and Engineering
WHY I CONDUCTED THE STUDY
METHODOLOGICAL DECISIONS
SCIENCE EDUCATION AT THE TIME OF THE STUDY
RESEARCH IN THE WIDER FIELD OF EDUCATION
THE CULTURE OF THE TIMES
IMPACT OF MY WORK
WHAT WORKS: USING CURRICULUM AND PEDAGOGY TO INCREASE GIRLS’ INTEREST AND PARTICIPATION IN SCIENCE
STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE ACHIEVEMENT
STRATEGIES TO ENHANCE CONFIDENCE, COMPETENCE,
AND SELF-EFFICACY
STRATEGIES TO INCREASE PARTICIPATION
STRATEGIES FOR EFFECTIVE USE OF COMPUTERS
SPECIAL CONSIDERATION FOR YOUNG SCIENCE LEARNERS
A SUMMARY OF CURRICULUM AND PEDAGOGY THAT WORKS FOR GIRLS
IMPLICATIONS FOR EDUCATIONAL POLICIES
NOTE
REFERENCES
CHAPTER 9: GIRLS’ SUMMER LAB:
An Intervention
SYNOPSIS
WHY I CONDUCTED THE STUDY
METHODOLOGICAL DECISIONS
SCIENCE EDUCATION AT THE TIME OF THE STUDY
RESEARCH IN THE WIDER FIELD OF EDUCATION
THE CULTURE OF THE TIMES
IMPACT OF MY WORK
CHAPTER 10: GOOD INTENTIONS: An Experiment in Middle School Single-Sex Science and Mathematics Classrooms with High Minority Enrollment
STUDY SYNOPSIS
WHY I CONDUCTED THE STUDY
METHODOLOGICAL DECISIONS
SCIENCE EDUCATION AT THE TIME OF THE STUDY
RESEARCH IN THE WIDER FIELD OF EDUCATION
THE CULTURE OF THE TIMES
IMPACT OF MY WORK
CHAPTER 11: SUMMARY:
What Does It All Mean?
REFERENCES