http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/03/03/study_suggests_role_of_role_models_in_encouraging_female_undergraduates_in_math_and_science
The researchers found that having a female instructor in an introductory calculus course had a positive effect on students (female more than male). The female students were aware of the negative stereotypes of their gender in STEM. From the article, I especially liked this sentence:
"But these data suggest that the meaning of choices, of what it means to choose math or science, is more complicated. Even talented people may not choose math or science not because they don't like it or are not good at it, but because they feel that they don't belong."Connecting this back to the importance of high schools, which we talked about on Tuesday, I wonder if there is an effect in those classrooms or if this stereotype is something that becomes more recognized by students when they enter the STEM fields in college. From my personal experience, I will say that I did not truly recognize this "divide" or perhaps even choose to recognize it until my senior year of college. When do students start feeling like "they don't belong"?
No comments:
Post a Comment