Scholarship & Research
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Item The effects of authentic learning experiences on female students' perceptions of science and confidence in attaining a STEM career(Montana State University - Bozeman, Graduate School, 2014) Thompson-Krug, Melissa Elyse; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Peggy Taylor.The purpose of this research project was to determine whether authentic learning experiences improve female students' perceptions of STEM and confidence in attaining a STEM career, to what degree hands-on experiences contribute to perceptions of STEM, which tools do Zoo Academy teachers use to create authentic learning experiences for students, and what strategies teachers currently use to engage female students in STEM. This project was carried out at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium in Omaha, Nebraska. Local high school juniors and seniors who wish to gain authentic learning experiences may attend high school on zoo grounds in a program called Zoo Academy.Zoo Academy students learn through hands-on activities, shadowing zoo employees, conducting independent studies, and speaking to the community about topics such as conservation. Much of their learning takes place outdoors rather than inside a classroom. Data regarding female students' STEM perceptions and identity was collected through surveys, student and teacher interviews, and the Draw a Scientist test. Analysis of the student interview, student surveys, teacher survey, and Draw a Scientist Test reveals that authentic learning experiences improve female students' perception of science and identity in future STEM careers, hands-on experiences contribute positively to perceptions of STEM, Zoo Academy teachers have a variety of tools at their disposal to create authentic learning experiences for students, and teachers use various strategies to engage both male and female students in STEM. My findings revealed two major takeaways: authentic experiences improve all students' attitude toward learning, regardless of subject; and teaching style has an overwhelmingly strong impact on students' confidence and identity.Item The preparation and attitudes of calculus-based Physics 227 and algebra-based Physics 103 students(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 1986) Stelzl, Jacqueline AleanItem Understanding how chemistry helps can help : an experimental investigation of increasing women's motivation to pursue chemistry research(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2013) Huntoon, Meghan; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Jessi L. SmithWhat social factors play a role in women's interest in pursuing a scientific research career? Goal congruity theory posits that people pursue careers that fulfill important goals and values. Women may avoid pursuing chemistry, for example, because women tend to highly endorse communal goals (working with and helping others) and chemistry is viewed as unlikely to afford communal goals. Experiment 1 tested whether chemistry research is stereotyped as non-communal in nature. People rated an identical research task framed as either a "psychology" or "chemistry" task or no information was given. Unfortunately, the subtle manipulation of task frame failed to influence participants' ratings of communal and agentic affordances of the task. Nevertheless, exploratory analyses of data that did not rely on the manipulation found that people who personally endorsed agentic goals reported more belongingness in science, and women who personally endorsed agentic goals reported more interest in scientific research. This project also tested if self-generating the communal and agentic applications of a science task increases motivation to pursue chemistry research, and if such connections are especially successful in eliciting research motivation among women (Experiment 2). The hypotheses were not testable because analysis of the manipulation check revealed that fewer than 51% of participants successfully self-generated condition appropriate items. Discussion centers on exploratory results and future directions.Item From STEM to stern : a review and test of stereotype threat interventions on women's math performance and motivation(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2012) Chase, Justin Paul; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Jessi L. SmithHow do interventions vary in their ability to attenuate women's performance and motivational detriments in science and math triggered by gender related stereotype threat? This project was designed to review the interventions which have been empirically demonstrated to reduce stereotype threat, and then to test the relative effectiveness of these interventions on college women's math performance and motivation. In the phase one, a literature review was conducted to identify interventions which successfully reduced stereotype threat toward women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Interventions were then categorized into five types based on their common theoretical framework. Phase two was designed to experimentally test the relative effectiveness of the five types of interventions compared to women who did not receive any intervention and men. Although all interventions enhanced women's attitudes toward STEM (all ps < .05), results showed that value affirmation (a writing activity that focuses on self-values important to the target) was the only intervention to significantly improve both performance and motivation of women under stereotype threat. Implications for stereotype threat interventions and the manner in which they impact STEM test performance and motivation are discussed.