Effects of Participation in a STEM Camp on STEM Attitudes and Anticipated Career Choices of ...

457 Pages·2015·4.18 MB·English

Effects of Participation in a STEM Camp on STEM Attitudes and Anticipated Career
Choices of Middle School Girls: A Mixed Methods Study

A dissertation presented to
the faculty of
The Patton College of Education of Ohio University

In partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree
Doctor of Philosophy

Elisabeth Kager
May 2015
© 2015 Elisabeth Kager. All Rights Reserved.
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This dissertation titled
Effects of Participation in a STEM Camp on STEM Attitudes and Anticipated Career
Choices of Middle School Girls: A Mixed Methods Study

by
ELISABETH KAGER

has been approved for
the Department of Teacher Education
and The Patton College of Education by

Gregory D. Foley
Robert L. Morton Professor of Mathematics Education

Renée A. Middleton
Dean, The Patton College of Education
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Abstract
KAGER, ELISABETH, Ph.D., May 2015, Curriculum and Instruction
Effects of Participation in a STEM Camp on STEM Attitudes and Anticipated Career
Choices of Middle School Girls: A Mixed Methods Study
Director of Dissertation: Gregory D. Foley

Middle school is a critical time for the development of girls’ attitudes toward
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Existing research has
indicated declining positive attitudes toward these fields among girls throughout
adolescence. This study investigated how, to what extent, and for whom participation in a
summer STEM Camp at a Midwestern college in the United States affected the STEM
attitudes and career aspirations of 23 female participants, ages 10–14 years.
Using a concurrent triangulation design, the researcher collected pre- and post-
questionnaire data (N = 20), interviewed participants (N = 9), read journal entries (N =
22), and wrote field notes. The researcher adapted the Fennema-Sherman Attitude Scales
(FSAS) to measure five of the original nine attitude scales concerning STEM: Male
Domain, Confidence, Usefulness, Success, and Motivation. In addition to these
standardized, Likert-type scale questions, the questionnaire included demographic items
to gauge participants’ anticipated career choices and the level of STEM motivation (e.g.,
extracurricular activities and guardians’ STEM involvement). The interview questions
elicited information about the participants’ Camp experiences and the Camp’s influence
on participants’ attitudes and career aspirations. The journal prompts provoked
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participants to think about their perceptions of, and relationship with, science and
mathematics as well as how supportive their parents and peers had been regarding these
two fields.
Participants’ incoming STEM attitudes were positive. Accordingly, there was no
statistically significant difference between pre- and post-scores of attitudes toward
STEM. Nevertheless, qualitative results showed that the Camp did strengthen
participants’ positive attitudes through enthusiastic instructors, STEM-motivated peers,
and hands-on activities that allowed for creative freedom. Participating in the STEM
Camp challenged participants’ prior career aspirations by introducing them to new STEM
fields and careers to be considered. Meta-inference showed that participating in the Camp
had a positive effect on the participants’ attitude toward, motivation in, and awareness of
STEM.
The results suggest that camp instructors should collaboratively plan inquiry-
based activities to maximize interrelatedness of STEM fields and to ensure cognitively
challenging tasks for participants and that classroom teachers should adopt interactive,
hands-on, and collaborative teaching strategies to boost the positive STEM attitudes of
girls.
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Dedication

To all of the women in my family that came before me who were not able to follow the
path they would have desired and to all of the women following that they will be able to
follow their dreams.
To my children yet to be born because they are the real reasons for me undertaking this
degree.
But especially to my beloved grandmother, Oma, who kept asking me when I’ll finally be
done studying but who sadly passed away before I could proudly tell her “Oma, I am
finally done!”
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Acknowledgments
I first would like to show my gratitude to Dr. Gregory Foley, my academic
advisor, dissertation committee chair, and the one person who has been there with and for
me from the very beginning of this journey. He has been, as we call it in Austria, my
doctor-father who has taught me not just about content and how to be a better writer but
also about being professional; he watched me grow from someone who did not know
much about education into a mathematics and science educator; and who at the end
believed in me and my abilities to solve any problem that came my way.
I also want to thank the rest of my dissertation committee: Dr. Eugene Geist, and
Dr. Mark Lucas, and Dr. Krisanna Machtmes. Their trust in me and my abilities has made
me trust myself more and thus has prepared me to be the independent scholar I need to
be. I would also like to thank all the faculty that have accompanied me on this journey.
I wish to give my thanks to The Patton College of Education for its generous
contribution to my dissertation research through the Graduate Study and Educational
Research Fund.
I am very grateful to everyone at the Curriculum and Technology Center for
supporting me throughout this journey. I couldn’t have asked for any more
accommodating, supportive, and patient bosses than Beth, Lisa, and Don. Great thanks
also to my co-workers for being there for me, was it to train me, cover my shift, lend an
ear to vent, or be my friend.
I would like to thank the STEM Camp director who was instrumental in making
this study possible. Although she was not required to help me on this voyage, she has
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been there throughout the whole process and has been nothing but supportive of me and
my work. Thanks likewise to the STEM Camp staff who has been supporting throughout
my fieldwork.
Moreover, I owe big thanks to my awesome participants who entrusted me with
their valuable thoughts on STEM education and have given me an amazing research
experience that I will never forget.
I owe a lot of thanks to my friends and family from near and far. But a special
thanks goes out to my peer and friend, Derek Sturgill, also known as the other Derek. He
has been the best friend one could ask for. He has been there every step of the way
working on projects with me, proofreading my work, giving me advice, buying me coffee
and cookies, but most importantly, being a good listener. Thank you for being
extraordinary.
Last but most importantly, I want to give the most sincere thanks to my amazing
family. It has been a long and challenging journey, but I have had the best support
imaginable because I was always surrounded by their love. I owe them everything.
I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my parents, Manfred and Margarete,
without whose unconditional love, support, and care I would have never made it this far.
I am indebted to my sister and her family for supporting me from afar. My sister,
Michaela, has probably always been my biggest fan who has, despite the many miles
between us, always found a way to be there for me and cheer me up. And if she for some
reason couldn’t be there, then my brother-in-law, Christoph, made sure that either he or
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their daughter, Jordis, was. No matter how stressful the times, my niece, Jordis, always
knew how to put a smile on my face; thank you for that.
Many thanks to my brother, Christian, and my sister-in-law, Lauren, who gave me
a place to come home to during my years of commuting. They have taken a huge burden
off of my shoulders by taking me in and letting me stay with them on a weekly basis.
My love of my life, my Derek, deserves my ultimate gratitude. He has been there
through all my ups and downs and his presence and love through it all was my greatest
comfort.
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Table of Contents
Page
: Introduction .................................................................................................... 20
Background ................................................................................................................... 20
Purpose of the Study ..................................................................................................... 22
Statement of the Problem .............................................................................................. 23
Significance of the Study .............................................................................................. 25
Research Questions ....................................................................................................... 27
Qualitative research questions. ................................................................................ 27
Quantitative research objectives. ............................................................................. 28
Delimitations of the Study ............................................................................................ 29
Limitations of the Study................................................................................................ 30
Definition of Terms ....................................................................................................... 31
: Review of the Literature................................................................................. 33
Historical Perspectives .................................................................................................. 33
The Nature of Gender ................................................................................................... 41
Gender in Education ..................................................................................................... 43
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Gender in STEM Education .......................................................................................... 43
Equity and access. .................................................................................................... 44
Social support system. ............................................................................................. 45
Stereotype threat. ..................................................................................................... 49
A person’s STEM identity. ....................................................................................... 51
Curriculum and pedagogy. ....................................................................................... 53
Learning. ................................................................................................................. 58
Gender and STEM Careers ........................................................................................... 59
STEM Interventions ...................................................................................................... 60
Interventions for boys and girls. .............................................................................. 61
Interventions for girls only. ...................................................................................... 64
The STEM Camp .......................................................................................................... 68
Theoretical Framework ................................................................................................. 69
Program theory. ........................................................................................................ 69
Attitude. ................................................................................................................... 83
: Methodology .................................................................................................. 88
Purpose .......................................................................................................................... 88
Research Questions ....................................................................................................... 89
Qualitative aspects of the study. .............................................................................. 89
Quantitative aspects of the study. ............................................................................. 90
Mixed Methods Approach............................................................................................. 91
Mixed Methods Design ................................................................................................. 93