The Effects of a STEAM Focused Education on Female High School Students' Academic Performance and Engagement in Risk-Taking Behaviors

• In Event: Poster Session I

Abstract

Research on gender differences and attrition rates for undergraduate and graduate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields has yielded an extensive amount of literature, suggesting that pervasive gender stereotypes associating math and science with masculinity contribute to the underrepresentation of women in STEM fields. However, research on high school students’ experiences with STEM fields is not nearly as comprehensive, as existing research rarely addresses how high school students’ interests in STEM fields are either fostered or diluted. This project draws on secondary data, in the form of academic records, and in-depth interviews to examine how female high school students’ participation in a science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) focused education program impacts a number of student outcomes. The findings of this research suggest that female high school students who participate in a STEAM focused education program perform better academically and have lower levels of engagement in risk-taking behaviors when compared with their female peers in a traditional learning environment.

Author

• Lisa Ida Speropolous, University of New Hampshire