Females in Technology Classes

Females in Technology ClassesDarla J. HartungWhy is female enrollment in Computer Aided Design classes so low?Inourschoolsystemweoffertechnologyclasses,suchascomputer-aideddesign(CAD).Wetrytoencouragefemalestoparticipateinprograms,suchasWIT(WomeninTechnology).Females in Technology ClassesMy Problem:Need to increase female enrollment in technology classes.First year, 111 students enrolled –89 males/22 females.Second year, 132 students enrolled –109 males/23 females.Third year,137 students enrolled –108 males/29 females.Last year,154 students enrolled –112 males/42 females.This year,160 students enrolled –125 males/35 females.Percentages of Males & Females2000-2001EnrollmentMalesFemales9679/82%17/18%2001-2002 (Began Teaching)EnrollmentMalesFemales11189/80%22/20%2002-2003EnrollmentMalesFemales132109/83%23/17%2003-2004EnrollmentMalesFemales137108/78%29/22%2004-2005EnrollmentMalesFemales154112/73%42/27%2005-2006EnrollmentMalesFemalesMaximum # we can accommodate160125/78%35/22%Enrollment has increased 60 % overall.StudySoughttoseewhetherornotexposuretopossiblecareersintechnologywouldincreaseinterestinenrollinginhighschooltechnologyclasses.38femalestudentsfrom7thand8thgradeweresurveyedtogainknowledgeregardingtheirexposure&personalfeelingstowardsscience,math&technologyrelatedclasses.Similarvariablesasthesametechnologyteachers,thesametechnologycurriculumandcontentexist.Researchprojectdesignconsistsoffourstages:thepre-test,thetreatment,thepost-testandtheinterviews.Literature ReviewMiddle school girls appear to enjoy tech. ed. & have confidence in their abilities, but emerging sexismamong peers begins to differentially affect participation on the basis of gender.–Boys monopolized the tools.–Boys rush off to get supplies.–Boys made fun of girls trying to use the equipment.–Teachers sometimes let them get away with it.–Boys sometimes criticized girls, resorting to stereotypes about girls’ lack of technological skills.Middle school girls are discouraged from taking more tech. ed. in high school because of two factors which tend to reinforce each other:–Technology until recently has been a field dominated by men.–Evidence confirmed that traditional stereotypes about male/female occupations are still operating & are strong enough to outweigh girls’ positive feelings about experiences in tech. ed. classes.Literature ReviewLack of information regarding technology is a key factor in the low female enrollment in technology classes.Girls were uniformed about economic realities & the world of work.Females lacked basic information about careers, including salaries or the amount of education & training needed to pursue different occupations.Literature ReviewLiterature ReviewEighth grade females don’t’ make the connection between what they are doing in the classroom & the world of work.Unaware of the kind of technology classes they can take in high school. (Silverman & Pritchard, 1994)Gear technology classes towards females & their interests. (More Gender Neutral)Keep classes up to date & interesting.Young Women Need Role ModelsThe power of role models cannot be underestimated.Young women need to see images of competent, confident & respected women in non-traditional roles in order to know that they are capable of achieving the same success.Role models are needed to promote a more holistic approach to appreciating a diverse engineering & technological community.(Young women need to be aware that many women have careers involving computers including : IT, Graphic Design, Desktop Publishing, Engineering, Architecture & Interior Design)My hypothesis…… If we…..imaginethatgirlsknowmoreabouttechnologythatisrelatedtodifferenttypesofcareers,theywillbemorelikelytoenrollintechnologyclassesinhighschool.Ihypothesizethatifweexposefemalestowardstechnologyrelatedcareerpathways,improveawarenessoftechnologyeducationatthemiddleschoollevels,enrollmentmightincrease.Pre-test for baseline data to establish interest towards science, math &technology classes. Treatment consists of: technology awareness presentation by female engineers in the community, WIT presentation, visit to the high school CAD Lab, industrial design video & interior design/architecture portfolio presentation.Post-test administered to see if interest has increased as a result of the treatment.Two participants who showed the most increase & two that showed a decrease were interviewed.Results of the pre-and post-tests, and interviews were analyzed to help me form my conclusion.Research DesignData AnalysisData was collected from two sources:First source:Questions pertaining to interest in & exposure to technology related classes & careers using a Likert scale ranging from “love it” to “dislike it a lot”.General questions were used to gain a better sense of how students feel about careers and technology.Data AnalysisSecond source:–To add triangulation a second source of data was collected through interviews.–Survey data was analyzed & compared to determine differences after the treatment.Limitations of the StudyLow number of participants from one school in the district. Second, the small population size and lack of a random sample. Finally, the length of the study. Ideally it would take place over a longer period involving a larger grouping from several different schools.Results (Interest & Exposure to Technology)Survey data showed that there was an increase in interest in technology related fields as a result of the treatment.Students’ exposure to various technology fields generated interest especially when they learned that the career involves things that they enjoy.Using the data collected, it becomes evident that exposure to technology related fields could in fact influence & motivate students towards this career pathway.Figure 17th Grade Pre/Post ResultsInterest & Exposure to Technology1101201301401501607th GradePre/PostResults8th Grade Pre/Post ResultsInterest & Exposure to Technology1101201301401501608th GradePre/PostResultsAre you interested in becoming an engineer?Pretest: Yes 1 Unsure 23 No 14Posttest: Yes 7Unsure 24No 7(19 students answered that they are interested in learning more about engineering)37 said they would try CAD as a result of their exposureMean Pre/Post TestMean143148Standard Deviation19.8778561914.7341723Median139150Mode139150Mean135150Standard Deviation16.181933723.34296338Median136.5139Mode1541637th Grade Pre/Post ResultsInterest & Exposure to Technology8th Grade Pre/Post ResultsInterest & Exposure to TechnologyDiscussions and ConclusionsIn an ideal situation, every student, both male & female, would have more exposure to possible career pathways.Though my research addresses a small pilot study, the results were encouraging.Data indicates that there was an increase in interest in technology related fields as a result of the treatment.AAUW (American Association of University Women, 1992)“There is a need to change girl’s perceptions and involvement with technology & this can be accomplished by guidance, inspiration, & leadership.. ..The bottom line is that while more girls are on the train, they aren’t the ones driving. To get girls under the hood of technology, they need to see that it gets them where they want to go & for a large part of the population, that process must start in the clossroom.”Boudria,Theodore,J.JournalofResearchandPractice.ImplementingAProject-BasedTechnologyProgramForHighSchoolWomen.Vol.26,2002,709-722.Brown, Bettina Lankard. Women and Minorities in High-Tech Careers.ERIC Digest No. 226. (Electronic Version). Retrieved July 20, 2003, from http://www.ericfacility.net/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed452367.htmlButler, Deborah. Clearing House. Gender, Girls, And Computer Technology: What’s the Status Now?Vol. 73, Issue 4, Edsco Publishing, 2003.Burghardt, David M. Developing the Field of Children’s Engineering.1999. New York: Mc-Graw Hill.Flowers, Jim Ph.D. The Technology Teacher. Improving Female Enrollment in Tech Ed..October, 1998, 21-23.Gavin, Katherine, M., Reis, Sally M. Gifted Child Today. Helping Teachers to Encourage Talented Girls in Mathematics. Vol. 26, No 1, 2003, 32-44.Gender Issues. An Educator’s Guide to Gender Bias Issues.(Electronic Version)Retrieved July 20, 2003 from http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/wp/access/gender.html1-5.ReferencesReferencessGilbride, Kim A., Gudz, Nadine A. Outreach Programs for Young Women in High School,Women in Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, 2000.Green, Michelle. National Education Association. Inside Scoop: Why Aren’t Girls More Tech. Savvy?(Electronic Version). Retrieved July 31, 2003, from http://www.nea.org/neattoday/0011/scoop.htmlLevin, Barbara, B.,Barry, Sean M.. Journal of Computing in Childhood Education.Children’s Views of Technology: the role of age, gender, and school setting.1997, v.8 n.4 p. 267-90.Mark, June. Digest. Beyond Equal Access: Gender Equity in Learning with Computers. June, 1992 (Electronic Version). Retrieved July 27, 2003, from http://www.edc.org/WomensEquity/pubs/digests/digest-beyond.htm., 2-5.Mau, Wei-Cheng. The Career Development Quarterly. Factors That Influence Persistence in ScienceandEngineeringCareerAspirations,March2003,Volume51.ReferencessRounds, Lori Treyvaud, Robyn. Tech. Learning. Integrating Technology into the Lives of Girls.June, 2003, (Electronic Version). Retrieved July 26, 2003 from http://www.techlearning.com/db_area/archives/WCE/archives/geekchic.htm,1.Silverman, Suzanne, Pritchard, M. Alice. Journal of Technology Education.. Building Their Future: Girls and Technology Education in Connecticut,Spring, 1996, Volume 7, Number 2, 41-53.Swain, Sandra L Harvey, Douglas, M. Tech Tends. Single Sex Computer Classes:An Effective Alternative. 46 no. 6 2002, 17-20. Retrieved July 20, 2003 from http://www.aauw.org/2000techsavvy.htmlSwanson, Janese, Miller, Emily. Professional Development Collection. Technology: Are We Helping Our Daughters? April, 1998, 1-3.The American Association of University Women. (1992). How schools shortchange girlsExecutive Summary (1992).The American Association of University Women. (2000). Tech-Savvy: Educating girls in the new computer age. (ElectronicVersion). Thom, Mary. Education Digest. Girls in Science and Technology: What’s New, What’s Next?.January, 2002, Vol. 67 Issue 5, 5-7.Darla Hartung, Taunton High School(508) 821-1161dhartung@tauntonschools.orgQuestionss