ERIC Number: EJ1284625
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2692-241X
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Gender Differences in Student Attitudes towards Science in Secondary School Classrooms with and without NSF GK-12 Resident Scientists
Hanson, Lisa M.; Westerlund, Julie F.; Vaughan, Phillip W.
Electronic Journal for Research in Science & Mathematics Education, v24 n4 p50-68 2020
The purpose of this three-year study was to examine middle school female and male students' attitudes about science in four different categories before and after being with PhD science graduate students, "resident scientists," in their classrooms every week. The study was based upon a National Science Foundation (NSF) program called "Project Flowing Waters," a five-year NSF Graduate STEM Fellows in K-12 Education (GK-12) program. This study covers the final two years of the program, Year 4, Year 5, and also includes a control year, Year 6, that occurred after the program and thus, lacked resident scientists. In Year 4 and 5, the program funded 17 doctoral students, known as NSF GK-12 fellows, who served as bi-weekly resident scientists in science classrooms in local schools. A newly developed science attitude survey, "My Attitude Toward Science Scale" (MATS) (Hillman, Zeeman, Tilburg & List 2016) was used to survey student attitudes in four categories. Matched pre- and post- student attitude surveys were obtained. Seventeen resident scientist/teacher partnerships were analyzed, involving [n=1075 students] in the 2011/12 (Year 4) and 2012/13 (Year 5) school years and 366 students in 2015/16 (Year 6-Control) school years using the survey. Results indicated significant gender differences in attitudes only in Year 5, with male students being more positive than female students about their attitudes towards science, desire to be a scientist, value of science to society and holding less stereotypical perceptions of scientists.
Descriptors: Gender Differences, Student Attitudes, Secondary School Science, Science Instruction, Middle School Students, Scientists, Program Effectiveness, Doctoral Students, College School Cooperation, Partnerships in Education, Value Judgment, Stereotypes
Southwestern University and Texas Christian University. TCU Box 297900, Fort Worth, TX 76129. Tel: 817-257-6115; e-mail: ICRSME.Consultation@gmail.com; Web site: http://ejrsme.icrsme.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Secondary Education; Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Texas
Grant or Contract Numbers: 0742306
Author Affiliations: N/A