Pursuing gender equality in Astronomy in basic education: the case of the project “Girls in the Museum of Astronomy and Related Sciences”

It is well known that the number of women in scientific careers is significantly lower than the number of men, especially in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) areas. Considering that science should be used for the benefit of all, by excluding women from the production process of scientific knowledge, we are giving up of 50% of the intellectual capacity to different science fields. Thus, the Museum of Astronomy and Related Sciences, whose mission is to expand society's access to scientific knowledge, promotes the project "Girls in the Museum", aimed at the continuous education of seven high-school female students in topics of astronomy with the goal of stimulating them into liking science. Concurrently with the project, interviews were conducted to evaluate the initiative according to the participants' perspectives, as well as to understand their perceptions about science prior and after six months of the project. We found that the participants were satisfied with the format and content of the project, comprised of theoretical talks and practical workshops. The resulting discourses show that they now view science as something closer to their lives and are more confident to promote scientific discussions. These results show the importance of providing young females with role models they can look up, especially at the age when they are about to make decisions concerning their future career.

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Discovering, Developing, Teaching

Japan's Far More Female Future ◽

10.1093/oso/9780198865551.003.0009 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 143-158

Author(s):

Bill Emmott

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

Gender Gap ◽

Role Models ◽

Female Students ◽

Consumer Electronics ◽

Admission Rates ◽

Science Technology ◽

And Mathematics ◽

The University ◽

National Universities

A common gender stereotype holds that women are less suitable to be scientists than men even though there is no evidence for this proposition. In Japan, a big gender gap in STEM subjects in high school translates into low numbers of female students studying science at university and low admission rates of females to national universities for which all applicants for all degrees are required to sit an exam in science. But role models do exist to encourage the younger generation, and some national universities are trying hard to encourage more female students to study science, technology, and mathematics. Interviews with three role models who took science degrees and went on to successful careers in academia, finance, and consumer electronics, show that barriers are considerable but that they can be overcome. An interview with the president of Nagoya University, Matsuo Seiichi, examines what the university is doing to try to close the gender gap.

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High school learners views on benefits derived from attending career talks: Need for sound career guidance

The Journal for Transdisciplinary Research in Southern Africa ◽

10.4102/td.v17i1.1082 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Zamandlovu S. Makola ◽

Pumeza Saliwe ◽

Itumeleng Dube ◽

Ramodungoane Tabane ◽

Awelani V. Mudau

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

Role Models ◽

Career Guidance ◽

Basic Education ◽

School Context ◽

Drop Out ◽

School Level ◽

Work Experiences ◽

High School Level ◽

And Mathematics

Tertiary institutions in South Africa are experiencing alarming undergraduate drop-out rates. This has partly been attributed to students’ inadequate preparation, and failure to gather information on, and planning for, their careers. The need for sound career guidance at the high school level is key, making the role of Life Orientation (LO) increasingly prominent. The aim of this study was to determine what benefits high school learners derive from attending career talks. To this end, a qualitative study was conducted with Grade 10 learners studying STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) at a township high school in Mamelodi, Tshwane. Data were collected using a qualitative questionnaire and analysed thematically. The findings demonstrated the importance of role models sharing information on their careers and work experiences. Another finding pertained to the importance of information on diverse careers, for the development of learners’ career self-efficacy as students of STEM in a township high school context. The findings highlight the importance of LO teachers organising career workshops. The study will benefit the Department of Basic Education, businesses, and employers as key stakeholders, by helping to enhance the career development of future employees and entrepreneurs.

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Factors that Influence High School Female Students’ Intentions to Pursue Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education in Malaysia

Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities ◽

10.47836/pjssh.29.2.06 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 29 (2) ◽

Author(s):

M Sultana Alam ◽

Sadia Sajid ◽

Jin Kuan Kok ◽

Mobashar Rahman ◽

Aamir Amin

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

Stem Education ◽

Gender Gap ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Female Students ◽

Outcome Expectancy ◽

Independent Variables ◽

Science Technology ◽

And Mathematics ◽

The Impact

Despite the increase in the number of female students in education indicating a reversal in the gender gap, their participation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education in Malaysia is still a matter of concern. This study extends empirical explanations for this gender gap and identifies factors influencing high school students’ intentions to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education in Malaysia. The present study aims to develop a framework of female intention to pursue STEM education by examining the impact of five independent variables on STEM self-efficacy and in turn the impact of self-efficacy on intention. The independent variables include attitude towards STEM, self-concept, gender stereotype, motivation, and teacher stereotypes. The study also examines the independent and moderating impact of career outcome expectancy on the relationship between self-efficacy and intention. Data was collected from 211 secondary school female students in Forms 4 and 5, studying at eight secondary schools in two states in Malaysia. The data was analyzed using SmartPLS. The results of the study show that attitude, motivation, and career outcome expectancy are positive and are significant predictors of STEM self-efficacy, whereas gender and teacher stereotypes are the negative predictors. The results of the study also highlight that self-efficacy is a strong predictor of intention to pursue STEM education. These findings of the study would assist policymakers to develop suitable strategies to improve female participation in STEM education in Malaysia.

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Students graduate of the degree course in Natural Sciences and Mathematics and the exercise of teaching profession: findings and implications for basic education

Scientific Electronic Archives ◽

10.36560/1312020923 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 51

Author(s):

A. C. R. Trevisan ◽

E. P. Trevisan

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

Decision Making ◽

Basic Education ◽

Natural Sciences ◽

Teaching Profession ◽

Decision Making Process ◽

Teaching Career ◽

Professional Performance ◽

Current Scenario ◽

And Mathematics

In the article we seek to address questions regarding the interest of graduates of a degree course in Natural Sciences and Mathematics in relation to the teaching career in basic education. The course enables its graduates to work in the subjects Science and Mathematics in the final years of elementary school and Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry in high school. Our intention is to identify and reflect on the perceptions of these graduates about teaching, highlighting with this inherent aspects to the exercise of this profession in basic education. From the application of questionnaires to graduates of this course, we produced data regarding their performance in basic education, which enabled us to reflect on the national scenario in relation to the exercise of this profession. We could observe that the majority of the students participating in the research are not working in basic education and that the current scenario of devaluation of the teaching career exerts a significant influence in the decision making process of choosing or not the teacher profession for professional performance after graduation.

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Optimistic Fiction as a Tool for Ethical Reflection in STEM

Journal of Academic Ethics ◽

10.1007/s10805-021-09405-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Kathryn Strong Hansen

Keyword(s):

Science Fiction ◽

Stem Education ◽

Role Models ◽

Professional Ethics ◽

Ethical Issues ◽

Ethical Reflection ◽

Field Of Study ◽

Science Technology ◽

And Mathematics ◽

Ethics Guidelines

AbstractGreater emphasis on ethical issues is needed in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. The fiction for specific purposes (FSP) approach, using optimistic science fiction texts, offers a way to focus on ethical reflection that capitalizes on role models rather than negative examples. This article discusses the benefits of using FSP in STEM education more broadly, and then explains how using optimistic fictions in particular encourages students to think in ethically constructive ways. Using examples of science fiction texts with hopeful perspectives, example discussion questions are given to model how to help keep students focused on the ethical issues in a text. Sample writing prompts to elicit ethical reflection are also provided as models of how to guide students to contemplate and analyze ethical issues that are important in their field of study. The article concludes that the use of optimistic fictions, framed through the lens of professional ethics guidelines and reinforced through ethical reflection, can help students to have beneficial ethical models.

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