The Experiences of Female High School Students and Interest in STEM: Factors Leading to the Selection of an Engineering or Computer Science Major Sharon Genoways March 3, 2017

My Background 23+ years of experience teaching STEM to high school women Bright and Talented students either shy away from or totally disregard the idea of a career in CS or Engineering But, many are successful and I want to know why

Why Should We Care? While only 4 percent of the nation’s work force is composed of scientists and engineers, this group disproportionately creates jobs for the other 96 percent. (United States Commission on National Security for the 21st Century, 2001) STEM jobs in the United States have grown more than three times faster than non-STEM jobs, and this pace is not projected to slow through the next decade (Langdon, McKittrick, Beede, Khan, & Doms,2011). The Department of Commerce noted that women make up 48% of the workforce, but only 24% of the STEM jobs (Milgram, 2011).

Purpose The purpose of this study is to discover what high school experiences have a positive impact in propelling a young woman to pursue a STEM major, specifically a major in the areas of engineering or computer

Theoretical Framework

Theoretical Framework Expectancy Value Theory Expectancy for Success: how confident Value: How important, useful or enjoyable Student Achievement + = Wigfield & Eccles, 2000

Why Women Abandon a STEM Career Review of Literature Much Research on Why Women Leave Lack of Encouragement Lack of Role Models Not a Helping Career Feeling Underprepared Why Women Abandon a STEM Career Feelings of Isolation Peer Interest Unaccustomed to Receiving Low Grades Stereotypical Threat

Why Women Persist in a STEM Career Review of Literature Less research on why women persist High School Preparation Middle School Experiences Peer Support Why Women Persist in a STEM Career Qualified Teachers AP/Dual Enrollment Mentors Workshops Connections with Colleges

Research Question What experiences positively influence a female high school student to pursue a major in engineering or computer science areas?

Research Design philosophical stance of phenomenology Data Collection: Semi Structured Interviews phenomenon: Individual Analytic approach: Thematic Analysis method: phenomenology https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHch6TIul10

Population & Sampling Purposeful Sample: population of interviewees were all from the same Midwest, all-girls, private school

Instrumentation 2 3 4 5 6 1 Semi-structured interview method 6 predetermined questions will be used as the research protocol Some leeway built in to allow for additional thoughts or comments. Courses 2 Activities 3 Teachers 4 Traits 5 Advice 6 Parents 1

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Themes

Further Research Study women in other high school that offer more diverse populations in terms of ability, ethinicity and financial background Interview women who have elected to abandon a STEM career or major regarding their high school experiences Interview STEM educators who have a positive history of motivating students in STEM to determine best practices

Recommendations Examine scope and sequence to ensure physics is available Push for high level math Allow for failure Allow students to problem solve and think critically Tasks need to be relevant and meaningful Network with former students and local universities Realize that your words are valuable

Thank You