skip to main content

Explore Research Products in the NSF-PAR

  • NSF Public Access
  • Search Results
  • Understanding Racially Minoritized Girls’ Perceptions of Their STEM Identities, Abilities, and Sense of Belonging in a Summer Camp

This content will become publicly available on December 1, 2024

Title: Understanding Racially Minoritized Girls’ Perceptions of Their STEM Identities, Abilities, and Sense of Belonging in a Summer Camp
Informal science education researchers have become increasingly interested in how out-of-school spaces that offer STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) programs inform learners’ STEM achievement, interests, and affective outcomes. Studies have found that these spaces can offer critical learning and developmental opportunities for underrepresented racially minoritized (URM) students (Black, Latinx, low socioeconomic status) in STEM subjects. Shifting away from the leaky STEM pipeline analogy, researchers have posited contemporary understandings to explain why the minoritization of URM girls persists. Informal learning environments such as STEM summer camps are being studied to assess how URM girls experience and interact with STEM in novel ways. These environments can inform the research field about how URM girls’ perceptions of their STEM identities, abilities, efficacy, and belonging in STEM develop as they engage in those spaces. This mixed-method study used a multiple-case-study approach to examine how aspects of URM middle school girls’ STEM identities positively changed after participating in a one-week, sleep-away, single-gender STEM summer camp held at a university in the Southwestern U.S. Drawing on intersectionality and STEM identity, we used ecological systems theory to design our research study, examining how URM middle school girls narrate their STEM identities in this informal learning environment. Using quantitative analyses and deductive coding methods, we explored how elements of girls’ STEM identities were shaped during and after their participation in the STEM summer camp. Findings from our study highlight (1) quantitative changes in girl participants’ STEM identities, sense of belonging in STEM, and perceived STEM ability belief, (2) qualitative results supporting our quantitative findings, and (3) how the intersectionality of participants’ race and gender played a role in their STEM identities. This study points to the potential of STEM informal learning camps as a way of developing and fostering URM girls’ STEM identities.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2115393
NSF-PAR ID:
10521002
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ;
Publisher / Repository:
Education Sciences
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Education Sciences
Volume:
13
Issue:
12
ISSN:
2227-7102
Page Range / eLocation ID:
1183
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. ; ; ( , Proceedings of the 18th International Conference of the Learning Sciences - ICLS 2024)
    Lindgren, R ; Asino, T I ; Kyza, E A ; Looi, C K ; Keifert, D T ; Suárez, E (Ed.)
    This study explores STEM identity among Underrepresented and Underserved Racially and Ethnically Minoritized (UUREM) middle school girls within informal learning settings. Focusing on micro-level interactions, we explored a single-gendered STEM summer camp where UUREM middle school girls comprised 81% of the participants (N=59). Guided by ecological systems theory as a methodological approach to developing well-designed informal STEM activities, we sought to positively shape UUREM middle school girls’ STEM identity. STEM identity is complex, multi-layered, and inseparable from the intersectionality of their racial and gender identities. This approach is particularly salient in affective factors such as self-efficacy, ability-belief, and a sense of belonging during their pivotal middle school years. Critical implications include (a) single-gender spaces, like STEM camps, provide affirming, safe environments for authentic discussion and belonging in STEM, and (b) role models of similar racial and gender backgrounds support positive STEM identity formation for UUREM middle school girls. 
    more » « less
  2. ; ; ; ( , Journal of Education and Training Studies)

    This is a quantitative study that examines how constructivist learning in a summer camp impacted middle school and high school girls’ STEM knowledge, self-efficacy, and ultimately, their interests in future STEM learning and growth. An online survey was used to collect information from thirty-one girls at the end of a five-week summer camp. The results are mostly confirmative of past studies that used student-centered project-based authentic STEM learning with significant gains in students’ understanding of STEM, self-efficacy, and interests in STEM for future development. The unique contribution of the study, though, is the finding that, when given the opportunity to engage in active learning and problem-solving, girls’ interest in STEM subjects could be substantially boosted; the constructivist learning environment along with their gains in STEM knowledge can compensate any insufficiency in self-efficacy in this regard. This study provides insight about the importance of instructional approach in STEM education.

     
    more » « less
  3. ; ; ; ; ( , The American Biology Teacher)
    Women and racially and ethnically minoritized populations are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Out-of-school time programs like summer camps can provide positive science experiences that may increase self-efficacy and awareness of STEM opportunities. Such programs often use the same high-impact practices used in K–12 classrooms including relating concepts to real-world examples, engaging students as active participants in inquiry-driven projects, and facilitating learning in a cooperative context. They additionally provide opportunities for engaging in STEM without fear of failure, offer a community of mentors, and allow families to become more involved. We designed a summer camp for middle schoolers who identified as girls, low-income, and as a minoritized race or ethnicity. We describe the design of the camp as well as the results from a simple pre- and post-camp questionnaire that examined each camper’s relationship to science, scientific self-efficacy, and interest in having a job in STEM. We found an increase in self-efficacy in camp participants, which is important because high scientific self-efficacy predicts student performance and persistence in STEM, especially for girls. We did not detect an increase in interest in pursuing a STEM job, likely because of already high values for this question on the pre-camp survey. We add to the growing body of work recognizing the potential of out-of-school time STEM programs to increase scientific self-efficacy for girls and racially minoritized students.

    Tweet: Summer camp for minoritized middle-school girls increases scientific self-efficacy, a characteristic that may be important for removing barriers to participation in STEM.

     
    more » « less
  4. ; ; ( , ASEE Annual Conference proceedings)
    Although women make up a significant portion of the college educated population, there remains a sizable gap between the number of men and women pursuing degrees and careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. This gender gap begins at middle school and widens considerably in the later high school years. One major factor for this gap is the lack of belonging women can feel towards engineering. As one approach to developing and improving this sense of belonging, we focused on improving students’ comprehension of engineering topics during a weeklong materials science and engineering summer camp for high school girls. We took a two-prong approach: a unifying paradigm and a design project. The purpose of this was to allow for transfer of learning throughout the week, allowing the students to build and showcase their own comprehension. The paradigm, the materials science tetrahedron, provided cohesion throughout an otherwise broad and seemingly disconnected field, while the design project allowed for the students to implement what they learned during the week in a group setting. This approach concomitantly enhances confidence and their sense of belonging within engineering. In this paper we highlight lessons learned from incorporating this approach into our program, including our perception of its effectiveness and feedback from the girls. The preliminary results from this work show that this summer camp is a unique and well-suited opportunity to study how comprehension can engender a sense of belonging amongst female students with the ultimate goal of closing the gender gap in engineering fields. 
    more » « less
  5. ; ; ; ; ( , Proceedings of the 17th International Conference of the Learning Sciences)
    Summer camps have become popular for introducing K-12 learners to computer science (CS) and artificial intelligence (AI) in informal learning environments. Facilitators play crucial roles in guiding and engaging learners in these contexts, but there is limited research on their roles in informal AI learning. This paper examines facilitators’ dialogues with campers in a middle school AI summer camp, identifying eight major facilitator roles. The roles differed depending on group dynamics and project phase. The paper provides empirical grounding to define facilitators’ roles in AI learning and guide the design of professional development for camp facilitators. 
    more » « less
  • Citation Formats
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago
  • BibTeX
  • Save / Share this Record
  • Send to Email