![]() MISSOULA – Over 100 students will soon move onto the University of Montana campus and spend part of their summer vacation building their own computers, learning about color wavelengths and studying river ecology while floating the Clark Fork. (UM photos by Tommy Martino)īy Abigail Lauten-Scrivner, UM News Service Students with at least C-average grades receive a $20 stipend and can return to MT AIMS summer camp. “We need people in STEM careers,” she said.Ronan High School student Aaliyah Steward high-fives Stephan Chase, Montana American Indians in Math and Science associate director, during a grade check. More scientists are now conducting research on how the STEM gap forms and why it exists.Īnnika Duitscher, Iowa State freshman in biology, said women should continue to pursue STEM-related careers despite the STEM gap. This leads scientists to believe the STEM gap is not because of an aptitude problem, but a systematic problem. “In almost all countries, girls would have been capable of college-level science and math classes if they had enrolled in them,” Olga Khazan wrote. “ in fact seem more focused and creative on the tasks than the fifth grade boys.”Īccording to The Atlantic, girls score just as well as boys in science-related tests across the world. “I think there have been more opportunities for girls to participate in STEM activities,” she said. Kristin Merkle, a teacher at Horizon Elementary School, said she has noticed positive changes within her classroom because of STEM in the past five years, and fifth grade girls are confident in their discussions. ![]() “From early adolescence, girls express less interest in the math and science careers compared to boys, with gender differences in STEM self-confidence beginning to emerge in middle school,” they wrote. This concurs with Trott and Weinberg’s research, supporting the hypothesis that the STEM gap begins in middle school. “Girls are absolutely as good at science as boys. Hughes said he recognizes how important it is to continue to encourage girls to pursue science and STEM. “The girls are just as fired up about science as the boys are.” “Girls get into just as much as the boys do and vice versa,” Hughes said. They cover a variety of topics from robots to germs. “Upper elementary and early middle school is a critical stage for girls’ science interest and confidence,” they wrote.īryan Hughes, a STEM teacher for fourth and fifth graders at Lakewood Elementary School, said girls and boys in his classroom are equally interested in learning about science. Trott and Weinberg published their research titled Science Education for Sustainability: Strengthening Children’s Science Engagement through Climate Change Learning and Action in August 2020. ![]() ![]() Since the STEM gap is already apparent at the collegiate level, scientists are now examining the possibility that elementary schools could impact the STEM gap.Ĭarlie Trott, psychology professor at Cincinnati University, and Andrea Weinberg, philosophy professor at Arizona State University, mention that upper elementary into middle school is very important for girls’ STEM confidence. However, men increased their STEM involvement faster than women, maintaining the STEM gap. This is known as the STEM gap.Īccording to USA Facts, women make up 32.1 percent of all STEM degree recipients, an increase since 2009. The STEM gap persists at the collegiate level, but psychology and philosophy researchers found the STEM gap starts in upper elementary and middle schools.Įven with an emphasis on gender equality in STEM fields - science, technology, engineering and math - the gap between men and women in STEM has persisted. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |