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Research & Evaluation

Project Overview

SciGirls CONNECT²: Investigating the Use of Gender Equitable Teaching Strategies in a National STEM Education Network, is a three-year Research in Service to Practice project. This project will examine how the gender equitable and culturally responsive strategies currently employed in SciGirls, the NSF-funded informal science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) educational program, influence girls’ STEM identity formation. Findings from this research effort, in tandem with a literature review, will result in a set of updated strategies that address the urgent need for gender equity in STEM. Our goal is to improve the SciGirls Seven strategies, used by informal educators since 2010 across hundreds of STEM programs to help girls, particularly those from Hispanic and other diverse populations, form positive STEM identities. These new, expanded strategies will provide educators with a critical, current resource to help engage girls in STEM studies and careers. To achieve this goal, the project team will work with advisors and a cohort of informal STEM education organizations to: 1) evaluate educators’ use and perceived efficacy of the SciGirls Seven; 2) conduct a comprehensive literature review of the latest gender equity research; 3) implement a research study investigating the impact of the SciGirls Seven on girls’ STEM identity. Based on this work, we will update the strategies and our cohort of partner educators will employ the new strategies with diverse girls in informal STEM environments. Educators will provide feedback on their efficac and we will disseminate the literature review, research and evaluation findings, and the final set of SciGirls Strategies to practitioners and knowledge builders in the informal STEM education field.