STUDENT ATTITUDES TOWARD SCIENCE & SCIENCE-RELATED CAREERS: AN INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFICACY OF A HIGH SCHOOL BIOLOGY TEACHERS' INTERVENTION PROGRAM (EDUCATION, SECONDARY, FEMALE)
Abstract
Despite the recent renewed interest in science, a majority of capable girls has not elected to pursue a career in science or even to strive for literacy in science. There is a need to emphasize the usefulness of science in future professional and non-professional work in order to nurture the underdeveloped national resource of women knowledgeable about scientific, technological, and engineering fields. Specifically, this project sought ways to ensure that girls attain full and fair participation in educational programs in science by removing obstacles, both perceived and actual. In order to modify existing classroom techniques and environments, a Teacher Intervention Program was designed. During a workshop, and through periodic personal communications, teachers were sensitized to the necessity of providing a stimulating gender-free learning environment. In addition, they were presented with a variety of methods and materials which have been shown to encourage females in science. The random sample of twelve teachers represented a wide variety of classroom and socio-economic environments. Therefore, it was assumed that the student subjects could be taken to be representative of the general populace of science students, at least in the central United States. The subjects tested were students in twenty-four biology classes taught by twelve secondary school teachers. In order to test the effectiveness of the Teacher Intervention Program both qualitative and quantitative measures were employed. Using two-way ANOVA's, treatment group by student sex, a comparison of the mean scores was made for all students, for all females and for all males. The results indicated that the experimental group, compared to the control group, had significantly higher mean scores on tests of attitudes, perceptions, extracurricular science activities and interest in a science-related career. In order to assess behavioral changes, additional information about students and teachers was secured through qualitative methodologies, such as interviews and observations.
Degree
Ph.D.
Subject Area
Science education
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