scholarly journals A multi-year science research or engineering experience in high school gives women confidence to continue in the STEM pipeline or seek advancement in other fields: A 20-year longitudinal study

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. e0258717
Author(s):  
Patricia K. Hunt ◽  
Michelle Dong ◽  
Crystal M. Miller
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Census Data ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Women In Science ◽  
Stem Fields ◽  
School Students ◽  
Science And Engineering ◽  
Stem Pipeline

There remains a large gender imbalance in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce deriving from a leaky pipeline where women start losing interest and confidence in science and engineering as early as primary school. To address this disparity, the Science Research & Engineering Program (SREP) at Hathaway Brown School was established in 1998 to engage and expose their all-female high school students to STEM fields through an internship-like multi-year research experience at partnering institutions. We compare data from existing Hathaway Brown School SREP alumnae records from 1998–2018 (n = 495) to Non-SREP students and national datasets (National Center for Educational Statistics, National Science Foundation, and US Census data) to assess how SREP participation may influence persistence in the STEM pipeline and whether SREP alumnae attribute differences in these outcomes to the confidence and skill sets they learned from the SREP experience. The results reveal that women who participate in the SREP are more likely to pursue a major in a STEM field and continue on to a STEM occupation compared to non-SREP students, national female averages, and national subsets. Participants attribute their outcomes to an increase in confidence, establishment of technical and professional skills, and other traits strengthened through the SREP experience. These data suggest that implementing similar experiential programs for women in science and engineering at the high school stage could be a promising way to combat the remaining gender gap in STEM fields.

Factors and Influences on High School Students' Career Choices

1991 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 281-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas P. Dick ◽  
Sharon F. Rallis
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Career Choice ◽  
Rhode Island ◽  
Science Teachers ◽  
Career Choices ◽  
Women In Science ◽  
School Students ◽  
Science And Engineering ◽  
Mathematics And Science

Women continue to be disproportionately underrepresented in science and engineering fields. A model for career choice is proposed that includes both the direct and indirect effects that socializers can play in determining career choices. A sample of 2213 high school seniors from nine schools in Rhode Island were surveyed about their academic and career choices and the perceived influences on those choices. Parents and teachers were perceived to be influences on career choice more often for students (both men and women) choosing careers in engineering and science than for those not choosing such careers. Pay was a more important factor in career choice for men in general, and genuine interest was a more important factor for women not choosing careers in engineering or science. However, these gender differences do not appear among students with extremely strong mathematics and science coursework backgrounds, even though there remains a marked disparity in the proportion of men to women planning careers in engineering or science. Teachers may play a particularly important role in influencing the career choice of some of these women. Equity of access and encouragement in mathematics and science is certainly a necessary, but insufficient, condition for improving the representation of women in science and engineering.

Telling Cases That Inform an Understanding of Factors Impacting the Development of Inventors From Diverse Backgrounds

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-142
Author(s):  
Stephanie Couch ◽  
Audra Skukauskaite ◽  
Leigh B. Estabrooks
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Young Women ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Young Men ◽  
The United States ◽  
Foreign Born ◽  
School Students ◽  
School Year ◽  
Diverse Backgrounds

The lack of diversity among patent holders in the United States (1-3) is a topic that is being discussed by federal policymakers. Available data suggests that prolific patent holders and leading technology innovators are 88.3% male and nearly 94.3% Asian, Pacific Islander, or White, and half of the diversity that does exist is among those who are foreign born (3). The data shows that there is a need for greater diversity among patent holders. Few studies, however, are available to guide the work of educators creating learning opportunities to help young people from diverse backgrounds learn to invent. Educators must navigate issues that have complex sociocultural and historical dimensions (4), which shape the ideas of those surrounding them regarding who can invent, with whom, under what conditions, and for what purposes. In this paper, we report the results of an ongoing multimethod study of an invention education pro- gram that has worked with teachers and students in Grades 6 through 12 for the past 16 years. Findings stem from an analysis of end-of-year experience surveys and interview transcripts of six students (three young men and three young women) who participated in high school InvenTeams®. The data were used to investigate three topics: 1) ways high school students who have participated on an InvenTeam conceptualize the term "failure" and what it means to "learn from failure," 2) what supported and constrained the work of the three young women during their InvenTeams experience and the implications for policy makers concerned about the gender gap in patenting, and 3) ways the young men and young women took up (or didn't take up) the identity of "inventor" after working on a team that developed a working prototype of an invention during the previous school year.

scholarly journals 0245 Relationship of Chronotype with Sleep Duration, Daytime Sleepiness, and Sustained Attention in High School Students: A Pilot Study

SLEEP ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. A94-A94
Author(s):  
S W Morrison ◽  
F A Scheer ◽  
I C Mason
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Sleep Duration ◽  
Extracurricular Activities ◽  
Sustained Attention ◽  
Daytime Sleepiness ◽  
Science Research ◽  
School Students ◽  
School Schedule ◽  
Relationship Of

Abstract Introduction People with a later chronotype typically sleep later and perform better later in the day. In an early high school schedule, students with later chronotypes earn lower average grades than those with earlier chronotypes. However, other effects of late chronotype on high school students are poorly understood. This study examined the relationship of chronotype with sleep duration, daytime sleepiness and sustained attention in high school students. Methods This study was conducted at Byram Hills High School in Armonk, NY, where classes begin at 7:45am. During three class periods, 36 participants (female n=24, n=12, 14–17 years old) completed the Morning-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ), Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS), and Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT) during their class. Subjects recorded time spent on homework/extracurricular activities and bedtime/waketime from the night prior to the assessment. Results Later chronotype (lower MEQ score) was significantly associated with later bedtime, shorter sleep duration, and increased sleepiness (r=-0.82, p<0.001; r=0.72, p<0.001; and r=-0.40, p=0.016; respectively). Shorter sleep duration was significantly correlated with increased sleepiness (r=-0.34, p=0.045). Increased workload (time on homework/extracurriculars) was significantly associated with later bedtime (r=0.42, p=0.011). Chronotype, sleep duration, and sleepiness showed no significant association with PVT scores (r=-0.16, p=0.360; r=-0.10, p=0.933; r=0.09, p=0.619, respectively); however, increased workload was significantly associated with increased PVT scores (r=-0.35, p=0.041). Conclusion These results are important for the wellbeing of high school students, as they show relationships between late chronotype, short sleep, and increased sleepiness during class in an early school schedule. Further research is needed to determine the best school schedule for high school students based on individual differences in chronotype. Support We thank the Authentic Science Research program at Byram Hills High School, specifically teachers Mrs. Stephanie Greenwald, Dr. Caroline Matthew, and Mrs. Megan Salomone.

Gender, Parental Characteristics, and Financial Knowledge of High School Students: Evidence From Multicountry Data

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca G. Chambers ◽  
Carlos J. Asarta ◽  
Elizabeth N. Farley-Ripple
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Financial Literacy ◽  
International Student ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Financial Knowledge ◽  
Literacy Assessment ◽  
School Students ◽  
International Student Assessment

This study examines the gender gap in financial literacy by using the Financial Literacy Assessment from the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The analysis focuses on the influence of parents on their children's understanding of financial concepts, utilizing multilevel modeling procedures to examine variance among students, within schools, and within countries. Based on data from 18 countries, results suggest that a gender gap in financial knowledge favoring male high school students is present and that parents may influence their children's financial knowledge.

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