Motivating adolescent females into Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)

Abstract

During the treatment time period, the junior high life science class of seventh and eighth grade students were introduced to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) with the goal to motivate the female students into related areas of study. During the treatment, students participated in presentations, labs, activities, and cooperative group assignments that dealt with STEM courses and careers. These included presenters with STEM careers coming into the classroom or meeting online to talk to the students about their STEM careers, engineering labs which the students participated in to heighten their awareness of everyday objects we use that are related to STEM, and the students working together in the classroom on STEM activities to reinforce the many aspects of STEM in our lives. All of this was done with the intense purpose to increase the female students' knowledge of STEM in order to motivate them to want to take more STEM related courses in school and to further their education into STEM related careers.