A recent report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) took a comprehensive look at gender differences in student performance based on an exam taken by 15-year-olds.
The report found that, although girls often perform better than their male peers — staying in school longer and out-performing them in reading — the top-performing girls continue to lag behind top-performing boys in math and science. The survey report explores possible reasons behind this gap: Importantly, girls report having lower levels of confidence in their math abilities and experience higher levels of anxiety when performing math-related tasks than boys.
A higher percentage of girls agreed with statements such as “I get very nervous doing mathematics problems,” and “I worry that I will get poor marks in mathematics.” This suggests that girls’ low level of confidence in their math and science abilities could impact their performance in school and, ultimately, result in their underrepresentation in STEM jobs.
When does this anxiety set in for girls? A recent Verizon ad video highlights the subtle but powerful statements that girls hear throughout their childhood that discourage them from pursuing studies in STEM. Some studies have shown that, beginning at age 12, girls begin to like math and science less, expect not to do as well in these subjects and attribute their failures to lack of ability.
Results from tests conducted by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) show that the gaps between girls and boys in science and math grow larger over time, with the largest shift in girls’ versus boys’ scores occurring between the ages of 9 and 10 years old.
Similarly, other standardized achievement tests conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement found that, while there were no differences between boys and girls in fourth grade on mathematics and science tests, the girls continued to lose ground after fourth grade and throughout high school on exams testing mathematical and science ability.
These findings among 9- to 12-year-old girls have longer-term effects and, by high school, girls self-select out of higher-level math and science courses, such as chemistry, physics and calculus, thus reducing their chances to pursue STEM majors in college and pursue STEM-related careers. I can attest to this first-hand, as I was one of the few women in my high school to take advanced science and math courses, including AP Calculus, AP Physics and AP Chemistry.
The question is, to prevent this deterioration in scores and perceived ability, how do we empower elementary school girls to embrace an interest in STEM and develop leadership skills that will help them navigate their way through school to be prepared to choose any career, including STEM? How can educators address the main factors at this critical 9- to 12-year-old window that are standing in the way of more girls going into STEM fields?
We need to address the three main causes that prevent girls from entering into STEM fields:
Make the connection. Neuropsychiatry studies show that girls are inclined toward subjects and activities that involve communication and connection-making, and therefore often reject STEM-related careers that they view as individual contributor roles, with little interaction and teamwork.
However, STEM employers are, in fact looking for employees who also have the “soft skills” where women typically excel — including the ability to network, effectively communicate and work in teams. Girls need positive women engineer role models who can articulate that STEM-related careers allow for communication and connection-making; for example, explain the importance of mentorship, how their work helps the community and the environment and how they apply leadership.
By highlighting that women have been excelling in the soft skills also needed for STEM jobs, we can help prevent girls from being discouraged from pursuing the technical skills also needed to succeed.
by MindMake via MindMake Blog
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