Gender in STEM Education in the Arab Gulf Countries PDF
Preview Gender in STEM Education in the Arab Gulf Countries
Martina Dickson Melissa McMinn Dean Cairns Editors Gender in STEM Education in the Arab Gulf Countries Gender in STEM Education in the Arab Gulf Countries · · Martina Dickson Melissa McMinn Dean Cairns Editors Gender in STEM Education in the Arab Gulf Countries Editors Martina Dickson Melissa McMinn Emirates College for Advanced Education Open Polytechnic Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Lower Hutt, New Zealand Dean Cairns Emirates College for Advanced Education Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates ISBN 978-981-19-9134-9 ISBN 978-981-19-9135-6 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-9135-6 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2023 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. The registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #21-01/04 Gateway East, Singapore 189721, Singapore Foreword The long-standing, persistent and widespread gender disparity in relation to STEM study is an important issue for STEM Educators. Despite numerous campaigns and initiatives, and changes to policy and practice, gender imbalances still stubbornly persist in most STEM fields of study, across age ranges and across most countries and regions. If we look at Higher Education, the sector with which I am most familiar, we can see that globally approximately a third of students enrolled in STEM study are women (UNESCO, 2017). Gender seems to impact a subject choice even within the STEM umbrella—for example, the global enrolment in ICT study by women is 3%, and in the natural sciences, mathematics and statistics it is 5% (ibid.). Unsurprisingly, and as the chapters in this book expertly discuss, there has been much research and scholarship attempting to investigate the reasons behind such stub- bornly persistent gendered patterns. As many feminists have argued, there seems to be a widespread social and cultural association of STEM fields with the mascu- line—an association that influences students’ own choices as to gender ‘appro- priate’ pathways; students’ perceptions of their own abilities and expertise in STEM; and crucially influences the ways in which teachers, parents and mentors perceive students’ ability and potential ‘fit’ into STEM fields, and thus the encouragement and support given to students in pursuing such lines of study. Nevertheless, there are also intriguing regional and national differences within this overall picture. For example, women comprise 16% of natural sciences, mathematics and statistics students in Côte D’Ivoire HE institutions—whereas in Bahrain the figure is 86% (UNESCO, 2017). These wide differences speak to the importance of understanding the social and cultural contexts of STEM Education in relation to gender—as well as emphasising that gendered variations cannot be understood as the result of ‘natural’ biological differences between two neatly categorised sexes—the picture is a lot more complex. As researchers we also need to do delve beyond the sometimes over-simplistic numerical statistics regarding gender and STEM study, to explore in-depth the many facets of influence and experience that contextualise students’ journeys into, within and beyond STEM study (or the reasons why this journey is not undertaken). The chapters in this volume are an excellent example of such scholarship, exploring the v vi Foreword gendered dynamics of STEM education across different national contexts within the Gulf region. The chapters employ a wide range of methodological tools to tease out some of the intricate ways in which students’ and teachers’ perceptions are complexly gendered, and the implications of this for finding ways to push through and beyond persistent gender disparities in STEM in Gulf countries and beyond. A number of chapter authors note that their research has been undertaken against a backdrop of government investment and prioritisation of a knowledge-based economy, and the role that STEM plays within this. This echoes the importance given by national governments across the globe in investing in STEM—for reasons of economic gain, but also at least partly in response to the role STEM and other disci- plinary fields can play in combating key global difficulties such as the current and potential future pandemics, and the potentially devastating impact of climate change. To combat these challenges we need to know we are drawing on the best possible pool of students and professionals educated in STEM, those who have embarked in STEM because they—and others—have seen it as an appropriate choice regardless of gender (and/or other aspects of identity such as ‘race’/ethnicity, socio-economic background, age, or disability). It is a national and international concern if potential students are discouraged from paths they would otherwise have taken. Indeed, it is a matter of human rights for all individuals to be able to choose access to whatever fields of education and employment they feel they can flourish in, speaking directly to UN Sustainable Development Goals 4 and 5 on Quality Education and Gender Equality, as well as contributing to SDG 8 on Decent Work and Economic Growth. The scholarship in this book contributes to meeting these goals, covering a wide range of sectors and foci, from elementary middle and high school students to academic staff and STEM leaders—and across a range of contexts in this fasci- nating region. The research in this book has much to offer academics, policymakers and practitioners not only within the Gulf and MENA regions but also further afield. At the time of writing the world continues to struggle with the Covid-19 pandemic, highlighting the continued importance of ensuring equality and the greatest possible diversity in our STEM fields across the globe. With its focus on implications for education policy and practice, the chapters in this book are an important and welcome contribution to our international knowledge in this area and a tool with which to implement sustainable change. March 2022 Dr. Barbara Read Reader in Gender and Social Inequalities School of Education University of Glasgow Glasgow, Scotland Preface STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects are at the top of most countries’ national agendas in terms of planning for future economies, invest- ment in knowledge and development, industries, commerce, and innovative growth. As each country grapples with the logistics around increasing the key performance indicators (KPIs) related to STEM growth, each has at its foundation the critical need for a future projection of a cadre of highly qualified, skilled human capital to work in these industries in a sustainable way. Being able to offer this pool relies on having a steady stream of motivated and competent graduates from STEM degrees in tertiary institutions, and this in turn relies upon a steady flow of students from secondary schools who make the decision to follow those pathways. Attitudes towards STEM subjects are often formed early on, and for that reason, how students think and feel about learning these subjects at both the primary and secondary educational level is important. Not to say that these attitudes and efficacies are totally unmalleable, but they are often powerful indicators of future behaviours, and so STEM attitudes and learning experiences are important at each stage of the educational journey. We also know that gender imbalance and inequities in representation persist at each stage of this educational journey, from attitudes and efficacies, to equitable representation later in the STEM workplace. The motivation for compiling and writing this book, came about as a result of many hours of discussion among the editorial team about a variety of aspects of STEM, and through collaborative research based both on empirical and secondary data projects. The commonality though was that as researchers in our current geographical loca- tion (the United Arab Emirates, positioned in the middle of the Arabian Gulf) we often experienced a lack of research specifically looking at gender issues in STEM education in this region. While many of the patterns and challenges faced in the Gulf region are not dissimilar to those faced by countries in other parts of the world, the particular nuances of culture, geographical context, history, and traditions also has an important role to play in the way in which STEM is taught, received, and perpet- uated. So, the idea of creating our own book to fill this literature chasm, developed from there. vii viii Preface Our book begins with three chapters that focus upon STEM beliefs and identity, given what is already well known and understood in the research literature about the critical effect of these on a number of factors, including student achievement and science career aspiration. Chapter 1 discusses ways in which STEM subjects have historically been perceived as being ‘boys’ subjects in many contexts, and presents data which indicates that in the GCC region, these attitudes (such as confidence in and value of, science) may be changing. Stereotypical beliefs that science and other STEM-related subjects are for boys, based on an out-dated, but persistent, notion that boys are innately better than girls at these subjects, are discussed. This leads into Chap. 2, which examines scientific epistemological beliefs—the nature and acquisition of science knowledge; how these beliefs impact males and females, their associated beliefs about learning, and their science achievement. Chapter 2 ends with a section on what the implications of these findings might be to classroom practice and methodologies. As the final chapter in this first section of the book, Chapter 3 showcases empirical data of drawings of scientists using the methodology of the famous ‘DAST’—Draw a Scientist Test—but specifically analyses drawings of female scientists which girls in the United Arab Emirates have drawn. The chapter presents data on the differences between the genders of the scientists which boys and girls tend to draw, and then focuses in on the specific characteristics of scientists which girls draw. Implicit in this analysis is at last a part-assumption that the drawings may indicate perceptions of not only what scientists look like, the kinds of work they do, the characteristics they appear to have, but also who scientists tend to be. So, the first section of our book delves into science beliefs and identity, and possible implications of such beliefs and identity to the ways in which students interact with science as a school subject, and consequently consider science as a career possibility. This then flows into the second section of the book, where atti- tudes towards, and understanding of, two other components of STEM, mathematics and technology, are explored. This section considers a variety of students’ outcomes that can impact, and be impacted by, STEM learning. Chapters 4 and 5 examine attitudes and anxiety, respectively, towards mathematics, and considers the relation- ship of these to the learning environment. Chapter 4 explores the possibly altering perceptions that middle school girls in the UAE may have towards learning mathe- matics, and Chap. 5 follows on from this with an in-depth exploration of mathematics anxiety in females—the causes and extent of this, and what practices, strategies and policies could potentially be put into place to break this cycle of anxiety leading to non-engagement. Chapter 6 investigates the motivational and behavioural char- acteristics important for ICT literacy. The final chapter in this section (Chapter 7) explores a critical issue of our day—whether the future adult citizens of the Gulf coun- tries are well-informed of environmental issues, and whether a gender difference in understanding of environmental issues in the Gulf exists. In the third section of the book, the two final chapters look at the experiences and representation of women in STEM educational phases, both as receivers/participants and as providers of STEM education. Chapter 8 charts the narrative journeys of female leaders in STEM fields, looking specifically at their educational journeys through school and university, their experiences, influences and factors leading to Preface ix their positions of success. Finally, Chapter 9 culminates the book’s narrative on all of the factors which could potentially lead to gendered imbalance within STEM fields in the Gulf region. It presents analysis of staffing data in STEM departments in higher education institutions in the UAE, which also serves as a microcosmic reflection of the status in the Gulf region, and uses this to draw out possible explanations for the relatively low representation of women in these fields, and outlines the possible consequences of this to other women in the field. It is hoped that the reader will benefit from the holistic nature of this book, which encompasses gendered differences and experiences across a wide variety of educational sectors, STEM components, and contexts. Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Martina Dickson Lower Hutt, New Zealand Melissa McMinn Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Dean Cairns Contents Part I STEM Beliefs and Identity 1 ‘Science is a Boys’ Subject’—Changing Perceptions in the Arabian Gulf ............................................. 3 Melissa McMinn 2 Epistemological Beliefs About Science and Their Relations to Gender, Attitudes to Science and Science Achievement in UAE Schools ................................................ 31 Dean Cairns 3 The Drawing a Scientist Test (DAST): How Do Girls in the UAE Present Visual Characteristics of Female Scientists, and What Does This Mean for Gender Equity of Science Careers? ............ 61 Martina Dickson and Melissa McMinn Part II Attitudes and Understanding in STEM 4 Changing Perceptions of the Learning Environment and Attitudes Towards Mathematics Through Inquiry-Based Learning: Girls in Middle School Classrooms in the UAE .......... 85 Jennifer Robinson and Jill Aldridge 5 Mathematics Anxiety in Females—Breaking the Cycle ............. 119 Melissa McMinn 6 Gender Differences in ICT Literacy: ICT-Related Individual Characteristics and Enabling Factors ............................ 153 Ieda M. Santos and Shaljan Areepattamannil 7 Understanding of Environmental Issues Across Two Gulf Countries: Do Girls Know More Than Boys in UAE Schools? ....... 173 Dean Cairns xi
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