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- All Subjects: science education
- Creators: Appleton, Nicholas
- Member of: Theses and Dissertations
Description
An underrepresentation of females exists in the STEM fields. In order to tackle this issue, work begins early in the education of young women to ensure they are interested and have the confidence to gain a career in the STEM fields. It is important to engage girls in STEM opportunities in and out of school to ignite their interest and build their confidence. Brigid Barron's learning ecology perspective shows that girls pursuing STEM outside of the classroom is critical to their achievement in the STEM pipeline. This study investigated the impact after-school STEM learning opportunities have on middle school girls by investigating (a) how the length of engagement in after-school programs can affect the confidence of female students in their science and math abilities; (b) how length of engagement in after-school programs can affect the interest of female students in attaining a career in STEM; (c) how length of engagement in after-school programs can affect interest in science and math classes; and (d) how length of engagement can affect how female students' view gender parity in the STEM workforce. The major findings revealed no statistical significance when comparing confidence in math or science abilities or the perception that gender plays a role in attaining a career in STEM. The findings revealed statistical significance in the areas when comparing length of engagement in the girls' interest in their math class and attaining a career in three of the four STEM fields: science, technology, and engineering. The findings showed that multiple terms of engagement in the after-school STEM programs appear to be an effective catalyst to maintain the interest of girls pursuing STEM-related careers, in addition to allowing their interest in a topic to provide a new lens for the way they see their math work during the school day. The implications of this study show that schools must engage middle school girls who are interested in STEM in a multitude of settings, including outside of the classroom in order to maintain engagement in the STEM pipeline.
ContributorsCupp, Garth Meichel (Author) / Spencer, Dee Ann (Thesis advisor) / Appleton, Nicholas (Committee member) / Schauer, David K (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
Description
ABSTRACT For more than thirty years the gender gap in science and related careers has been a key concern of researchers, teachers, professional organizations, and policy makers. Despite indicators of progress for women and girls on some measures of achievement, course enrollment patterns, and employment, fewer women than men pursue college degrees and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. According to the results of national assessments, the gender gap in science achievement begins to be evident in the middle school years. Gender and school science achievement involve a complex set of factors associated with schools and child/family systems that may include school leadership, institutional practices, curriculum content, teacher training programs, teacher expectations, student interests, parental involvement, and cultural values. This ethnographic case study was designed to explore the context for science education reform and the participation of middle school girls. The study analyzed and compared teaching strategies and female student engagement in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade science classrooms. The setting was a middle school situated in a district that was well-known for its achievement in reading, math, and technology. Findings from the study indicated that while classroom instruction was predominantly organized around traditional school science, the girls were more disciplined and outperformed the boys. The size of the classrooms, time to prepare for hands-on activities, and obtaining resources were identified as barriers to teaching science in ways that aligned with recent national science reform initiatives. Parents who participated in the study were very supportive of their daughters' academic progress and career goals. A few of the parents suggested that the school's science program include more hands-on activities; instruction designed for the advanced learner; and information related to future careers. Overall the teachers and students perceived their science program to be gender fair. Eighth grade participants who had career goals related to science and engineering, indicated that their science instruction did not provide the rigor they needed to improve their critical skills for advanced placement in high school. Recommendations include the need for professional development on inquiry-based science, equitable student achievement, and diverse perspectives in science education.
ContributorsSmiley, Bettie (Author) / Powers, Jeanne M. (Thesis advisor) / Appleton, Nicholas (Committee member) / Macey, Donna (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
Abstract
Healthy eating promotes the optimal growth and development of children and can help reduce the risk of developing many health-related problems such as obesity and diabetes in both children and adults. Low-income, minority children disproportionately suffer from several chronic diseases when compared to middle to upper class non-Hispanic whites. The school is an environment in which children can learn about the importance of healthy eating by observing foods served, observing role models and interacting with a curriculum that emphasizes health and good nutrition. Parent involvement has been shown to play a role in improving health habits of children. Therefore, promoting nutrition education in the school by effectively improving parent involvement among minority parents is a promising approach.
The purpose of this action research was to examine the process of developing and evaluating a culturally sensitive, family-based nutrition newsletter for Latino parents of preschool children. The study aimed to: 1) identify challenges and explore education outreach and food-related issues facing preschool Latino families and 2) develop and evaluate a culturally sensitive, family-based nutrition education newsletter that promotes family engagement and healthy eating. The four phases of this research included: 1) a formative stage; 2) a development stage;3) an evaluation stage and 4) a sustainability stage. Descriptive statistics and thematic coding was used to analyze the data. Findings from parent and staff surveys indicated that newsletters and healthy recipes were the preferred methods of receiving food and nutrition-related information and the priority health issues for participants were diabetes and obesity. Based on the preferences of parents and staff, a family based nutrition newsletter was developed that was designed to encourage parents and children to work together while engaging with newsletter material. The newsletter was evaluated by parents and staff for content, format and effectiveness.
Overall, the newsletters were well received by parents and staff. The newsletter increased interest in nutrition, but participants wanted more information and wanted more fun activities for the children. The findings of this study indicated that the tailored approach to designing newsletters is not only feasible, but acceptable regarding the audience’s specific needs and preferences in this specific context and is a viable delivery method for nutrition education and sustainable nutrition education outreach for this Center. The development of culturally sensitive nutrition education materials that meet the needs of the specific intended audiences is discussed.
Healthy eating promotes the optimal growth and development of children and can help reduce the risk of developing many health-related problems such as obesity and diabetes in both children and adults. Low-income, minority children disproportionately suffer from several chronic diseases when compared to middle to upper class non-Hispanic whites. The school is an environment in which children can learn about the importance of healthy eating by observing foods served, observing role models and interacting with a curriculum that emphasizes health and good nutrition. Parent involvement has been shown to play a role in improving health habits of children. Therefore, promoting nutrition education in the school by effectively improving parent involvement among minority parents is a promising approach.
The purpose of this action research was to examine the process of developing and evaluating a culturally sensitive, family-based nutrition newsletter for Latino parents of preschool children. The study aimed to: 1) identify challenges and explore education outreach and food-related issues facing preschool Latino families and 2) develop and evaluate a culturally sensitive, family-based nutrition education newsletter that promotes family engagement and healthy eating. The four phases of this research included: 1) a formative stage; 2) a development stage;3) an evaluation stage and 4) a sustainability stage. Descriptive statistics and thematic coding was used to analyze the data. Findings from parent and staff surveys indicated that newsletters and healthy recipes were the preferred methods of receiving food and nutrition-related information and the priority health issues for participants were diabetes and obesity. Based on the preferences of parents and staff, a family based nutrition newsletter was developed that was designed to encourage parents and children to work together while engaging with newsletter material. The newsletter was evaluated by parents and staff for content, format and effectiveness.
Overall, the newsletters were well received by parents and staff. The newsletter increased interest in nutrition, but participants wanted more information and wanted more fun activities for the children. The findings of this study indicated that the tailored approach to designing newsletters is not only feasible, but acceptable regarding the audience’s specific needs and preferences in this specific context and is a viable delivery method for nutrition education and sustainable nutrition education outreach for this Center. The development of culturally sensitive nutrition education materials that meet the needs of the specific intended audiences is discussed.
ContributorsPazzaglia, Gina (Author) / Margolis, Eric (Thesis advisor) / Appleton, Nicholas (Committee member) / Paredes, Maria (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016