Girls and STEM:It might be values….

Helen HasteHarvard Graduate School of Education

hastehe@gse.harvard.edu

In what ways are science and ethics interwoven – in the minds

of young people – or not?

Why is this interesting?

• Are there possible tensions between science and ethics; do young people see science as ideally ‘value-free’?

• Do girls have more ethical concerns about science than boys?

• How can understanding the relationship between science and ethics contribute to civic and moral education?

Is there really a ‘problem’ about girls and science?

Conventional stereotypes - ask any ‘person in the street’ - assume that: a) girls do less well in science b) are under-represented in upper level science coursesc) have a different orientation to science and technology than boys - which ‘explains’ (a) and (b)

(a) is a fallacy:

For several years now in the United Kingdom, girls have equalled or outperformed boys in national public examinations.

This pattern is found in several countries in the OECD PISA study. In Australia, girls equalled boys.

(b) Is only partly true:

In the United Kingdom:

• At post-16, when students can choose their subject options, roughly equal numbers of each sex took chemistry

• The ratio of girls to boys in biology was 60:40

• The ratio of girls to boys in mathematics was 40:60

• In physics, 22% of students were female

• In computing 9% of students were female

• Three-quarters of psychology students were female

As for c), we report data that show different patterns of values around science and technology for boys and girls:

Girls are not much less interested in science and technology, but are interested - and concerned about - different aspects and issues

The data: 1. A study of c.600 14-15 year old students in English schools (327 boys and 256 girls) 2. A study of 704 11-21 year olds in a nationally representative UK sample3. A six-nation EU-funded study of 9000+ 10-14 year olds: UK, Netherlands, Lebanon, Turkey, Malaysia, India

The questionnaires covered:

• how they perceive the nature and benefits (or otherwise) of science and technology

• how these perceptions relate to personal, social and ethical values

• how these all relate to their interest in, and motivation to pursue science and technology through school and beyond

British study #1

Orientation to STEM was defined by responses to:

• I would be interested in a job related to science and engineering

• I like learning about new developments in technology

Orientation to STEM was defined by responses to:

• I would be interested in a job related to science and engineering

• I like learning about new developments in technology

Four patterns or clusters of values

emerged from Exploratory Factor analysis

• Trust in the benefits of science• Science in my life • Ethical scepticism • Facts and Hi-Tech Fixes

Orientation to STEM challenges some gender stereotypes:

• 81% of boys compared to 54% of girls ‘like learning about new developments in technology’

• 67% of boys compared to 49% of girls ‘would be interested in a job related to science or engineering’.

• There were no sex differences among the over 70% who wanted ‘to know more about those areas of science and engineering that will affect me personally’

• Only 9% of boys and 15% of girls felt anxious about how new technology changes the way we live.

There were numerous overall sex differences BUT when interest in STEM was controlled, only FIVE items remained robustly gender-specific:

- Girls are more likely to buy cruelty-free products- Girls want more to combine thinking and feeling when making important decisions, whereas boys, more than girls, tend to want to separate thinking and feeling- Girls are more upset by events in the news- Boys are more likely to support animal experiments in pursuit of environmentally friendly developments- Boys are more likely than girls to believe that by 2037 technological developments will solve contemporary problems; girls are more likely than boys to believe that the future will be worse.

BOTH SEXES who were ‘STEM-positive’, compared to those who were ‘STEM-negative’:

• Believed that science should understand the world not try to change it

• Believed more in natural remedies for diseases• Were more likely to talk to their friends about

science, and read magazines or watch TV programmes about science

• Saw themselves as similar to scientists portrayed in media.

STEM-positive BOYS, MOST:

• Were optimistic that in future we could work together to solve the world’s problems

• Were likely to endorse science’s benefits such as making life easier

• Trusted the government to control scientific developments.

• Thought a scientific way of thinking was suitable for addressing many problems

• Believed that to be logical one must understand maths.

• Were interested in space programmes on television. • Saw themselves as similar to media portrayals of

engineers.

STEM-positive GIRLS, MOST:

• Talked their parents about science and health • Read health magazines or watch health tv

programmes• Wanted to know more about how science related

to their lives• Liked medical television programmes• Were interested in learning more about bodily

organs• Were most opposed to animal experimentation• Said that being good at science was important to

them.

The four patterns of values:

TRUST IN THE BENEFITS OF SCIENCE

• Science makes life easier• The government and scientists can be

trusted with controlling scientific developments

• Scientists should understand the world rather than try to change it

• Life will remain the same despite scientific developments.

SCIENCE IN MY LIFE

• Seeing science as relevant to one’s own life• Wanting to know more about areas of science

and engineering that affect them personally including

• Wanting to know more about how body organs work

• Belief that animal experimentation is wrong• Rejects a view that in the future things will be

pretty much the same as now but with a little more advanced technology around

ETHICAL SCEPTICISM

• Often upset by events in the news• Buying cruelty-free products• Believing that the future will be worse, not

better• Science cannot solve basic human

problems like poverty and unhappiness

FACTS AND HI-TECH FIXES

• In the future (2037) most current problems will have been solved by technological developments

• Nations will work together successfully for peace and managing the environment

• A scientific way of thinking can solve most human problems

• Science progresses through logical steps and is not messy

• It is linked also with enjoying new technology.

Study #3:EU-funded 6 nation study on

Science Education and Diversity

Boys and girls at age 10 were equally enthusiastic about science

At 14, boys were somewhat less interested in science but girls were considerably less interested.

There were however national differences: The gender gap was greatest in Western Europe and least in Asia

Relationships between:- liking science and science-related activities, - ethical concerns and - gender

Ethical items

• I like thinking about ways that I and my family can help the environment

• I am worried about global warming• I am careful not to buy products that have been

tested on animals• I try to do everything I can to save the environment• I am worried that scientists may discover or invent

something that will cause a big disaster.• I believe that using animals in experiments is

always wrong/I believe that it is OK for scientists to experiment on animals in order to save human lives

• I would like a job where I can help people.

Liking science etc. items

• I like going to science museums• I like finding out about new inventions and

discoveries• I like talking to my parents about science• I would like a job where I can discover or

invent new things• I would like a job related to science or

technology

Overwhelmingly, liking science-related activities more, was

associated with higher ethical concerns, with the exception of animal experimentation which

was not statistically significant.

The strongest effects were for items relating to the

environment, global warming, and wanting a job where one

can help people

Items most strongly associated with variation in ethical concerns were:Liking going to science museumsLiking to talk with parents about scienceLiking finding out about new discoveries and inventions

Gender effects were moderate and varied by nation.

Where there were effects, universally girls expressed more

ethical concern than boys.

The strongest effects were:

• In the Netherlands, for not buying products tested on animals, animal experimentation, and wanting a job helping people

• In the UK, for not buying products tested on animals, and for animal experimentation

• In Malaysia, for wanting a job helping people• In Turkey, for global warming

Putative conclusions:

• Liking science is strongly associated with ethical concern around science, for both sexes but in certain topics and locations, more so for girls than boys.

• Gender matters in some nations more than others, in relation to science; the ‘gender problem’ in science may be largely a Western issue

• The data do suggest that girls locate science somewhat differently from boys in their life, values and interest space, rather than that they find science less interesting.

Educational implications??

Thanks to colleagues:Rupert Wegerif

Michiel van EijckSaouma Boujaoude

Ng Swee ChinHuseyin Bag

Sugra ChunawalaRalf van Griethuijsen

Ciara MuldoonAmy Hogan