Gender Awareness in STEM Education: Perspectives from Adolescents, Teachers and Mentors in a Summer Pre-college Engineering Program (Work in Progress)
- Conference
- Location
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Minneapolis, MN
- Publication Date
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August 23, 2022
- Start Date
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June 26, 2022
- End Date
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June 29, 2022
- Conference Session
- Page Count
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7
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--40499
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/40499
- Download Count
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191
Paper Authors
Becky Huang The University of Texas at San Antonio
Dr. Becky Huang is an Associate Professor in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Texas at San Antonio. She received her Ph.D. in education psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Dr. Huang’s primary research interests include language development and assessment for language minority children and adolescents and content-language integrated instruction.
Mingxia Zhi
Joel Mejia The University of Texas at San Antonio
Dr. Joel Alejandro (Alex) Mejia is an Associate Professor with joint appointment in the Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering and the Department of Bicultural-Bilingual Studies at The University of Texas at San Antonio. His current work seeks to analyze and describe the assets, tensions, contradictions, and cultural collisions many Latino/a/x students experience in engineering through testimonios. He is particularly interested in approaches that contribute to a more expansive understanding of engineering in sociocultural contexts, the impact of critical consciousness in engineering practice, and the development and implementation of culturally responsive pedagogies in engineering education. He received the NSF CAREER Award for his work on conocimiento in engineering spaces.
Abstract
Abstract: Dr. Becky H. Huang, University of Texas at San Antonio
Dr. Mingxia Zhi, Northside Independent School District, San Antonio, Texas
Dr. Joel Alejandro Mejia, University of Texas at San Antonio
This multi-methods study explored gender awareness in a summer pre-college engineering program (PREP) in Southwestern U.S. Survey data were collected from 238 middle and high school-age adolescents, 11 teachers, and 17 mentors. Statistical analyses of the selected response data revealed a significant difference between female and male students and mentors in their responses. Analysis of the open-ended responses also indicated that all stakeholders would like to see more presentations, discussion, and speakers that integrate gender awareness and a higher representation of females and diverse genders (e.g., LGBTQ+) in the program. Nonetheless, some participants expressed concerns with discussions on gender-related topics, believing that the discussions would make the “objective” STEM too political. These results highlighted the need to improve pre-college programs by making conversations about gender explicit and normative in order to challenge dominant discourses of engineering and help females see themselves reflected in engineering careers.
Huang, B., & Zhi, M., & Mejia, J. (2022, August), Gender Awareness in STEM Education: Perspectives from Adolescents, Teachers and Mentors in a Summer Pre-college Engineering Program (Work in Progress) Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--40499
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