This study aims to examine the effect of a STEM enrichment program on middle school girls' self-efficacy and interest in pursuing STEM careers. The researchers hypothesize that after attending the program, girls will feel more positive about STEM careers and have higher self-efficacy in STEM. They plan to use a mixed methods approach, collecting quantitative and qualitative data via pre- and post-surveys from the 30-50 girls who participate in the 3-week program, which will incorporate activities adapted from an existing STEM curriculum.

1. Running Head: STEM ENRICHMENT
Effect of STEM Enrichment on Adolescent Girls’ Self-Efficacy
Alex Baltodano and Veronica Williams
EDET 780-J50 Research Seminar in Education
University of South Carolina
May 30, 2018

2. STEM ENRICHMENT 2
Abstract
Even though girls and boys are graduating from the same high schools, and excelling at
math and science at the same rate, the rate of women that go into STEM careers, especially those
of technology and engineering are fewer than their male counterparts. We want to know if the
way middle school girls feel about going into STEM careers and their self-efficacy about STEM
careers change after going through a STEM enrichment program? This study will utilize a mixed
methods with concurrent triangulation design to examine the effect of participation in the
enrichment program on student STEM identity. We anticipate that girls will feel more positive
about pursuing STEM careers and have a higher self-efficacy rate in relation to STEM careers
after attending a STEM enrichment program.
Keywords: Girls, STEM careers, self-efficacy, STEM enrichment program

3. STEM ENRICHMENT 3
Literature Review
Women are an underrepresented in the STEM (Science, technology, engineering and
mathematics) field. The question that everyone is asking themselves is why? Riegle-Crumb et
al. (2012) shed light in their study that, it is not because of girls’ underachievement in STEM
related classes but because of social constructs that women do not end up in certain STEM
careers. Girls tend to do just as well in math and science class and take just as many AP classes
as their male counterparts. There is believed to be a sort of social construct that certain jobs
match certain genders (Riegle-Crumb, 2012). Women have a more socially accepted role as the
homemaker, making it sometimes more difficult to go into a STEM career. Women also tend to
be more social than men and are more likely to choose career paths in health and biology versus
engineering and physical science (Eccles & Wang, 2016). Exposing girls to different STEM
careers at a young age and exposing them to female role models in these fields might help to
begin breaking down the barriers. Having girls take classes with boys directly related to STEM
careers can also help close the gender the gap. A number of high schools now have engineering
programs and technology related programs. The great thing about them is that if you take the
required courses you can become a completer in the field and that gets recognized by local
business but most of those programs are filled by boys. There needs to be an awareness of
equality created at the elementary or at the very least, at the middle school level, before girls
reach the STEM related programs that give them skills to be even more successful in STEM
related majors and careers.
There are summer camps and different school programs to promote awareness and
readiness. For example, the program at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University’s

4. STEM ENRICHMENT 4
Development Research School (FAMU DRS) takes 120 African American students over a two-
year period and expose them and teach them about technology and engineering in a STEM
atmosphere (White, 2013). These programs do include both boys and girls and that is beneficial
because girls can start to see themselves as equals and as capable as boys. These programs are a
great opportunity but their weakness is the ability to serve large populations. If these types of
programs were integrated into the K-12 curriculum and started at a young age it would benefit a
lot more girls. The other problem with these types of programs is funding. Funding may or may
not be available from year to year, depending on the budget situation. STEM awareness and
training at a young age needs to be a national incentive, especially targeting girls and minorities.
Programs that focus on coding for girls are great ideas. Amador and Soule (2015) bring
up the importance of exposing girls to coding. They predict that by 2020 five of the top ten in-
demand jobs will be in information technology. Implementing a program where girls can learn to
code and create their own reality is a great motivator for young girls to pursue STEM careers.
Girls gave positive feedback and said that this project made technology and math more
accessible to them by helping them see that they were not as difficult or complicated as they
thought. (Amador, J. & Soule, T., 2015). Exposing young women to these types of programs can
really help them envision themselves in technology and engineering fields. These programs can
easily be integrated into the middle-school curriculum and can be used cross-curricular in
science, math and technology classes. School districts would have to make these types of
programs priority and allocate funds to provide resources and training for teachers. These
programs are not effective if teachers are not truly motivated and get trained in them.
When looking at why women drop out of STEM careers or not enrolling in them, we
should also take a look inside the person not just outside. Simon, Aulls, Dedic, Hubbard and Hall

5. STEM ENRICHMENT 5
(2015) focus on looking at self-efficacy, achievement goals, autonomy support and intrinsic
motivation. They found that students with high self-efficacy had more intrinsic motivation and
performed better. Those students who performed better and had the intrinsic motivation were
more likely to choose STEM careers and stay in them. They also found that girls have a lower
self-efficacy rate in science than boys (Simon et al., 2015). Making sure girls feel that they are
prepared enough to go into STEM fields and making sure they have the intrinsic motivation to
stay in really prepares girls to be successful in these career fields. This is something that has to
be targeted at a young age so that it really sticks with girls and they can really set and reach their
career goals.
We must look for models that already work and try to imitate and improve them as best
we can. Research suggests that inclusive environments are beneficial for underrepresented
groups in STEM (Means, et al., 2017). Inclusive STEM high schools have an expectation that
all students are capable of completing a STEM curriculum and rigorous course are not optional.
Teachers must play an active role in influencing girls. Stearns et al. (2016) found a
correlation between girls that choose STEM careers and the number of female teachers in their
high school. There is also a correlation between the amount of female STEM teachers in their
colleges and their likelihood of succeeding. While they did find these correlations, they did so
for white females, explaining that the lack of African American teachers would also cause a lack
of correlation with minority girls (Simon et al., 2015). This study reinforces the need for female
role models, especially for minorities. Girls that are exposed to other women in the STEM field
throughout their high school and college careers are more likely to follow in their same footsteps.
Title IX money could be allocated to fund a diverse staff at the University levels. The use of that

6. STEM ENRICHMENT 6
money can be spun in many directions but it would benefit our society greatly if the funds were
used as intended.
Bearing the importance of early intervention and exposure in mind we propose a
question. Do the way middle school girls feel about going into STEM careers and their self-
efficacy about STEM careers change after going through a STEM enrichment program? We
propose a study that will provide learning experiences in various STEM areas to inspire girls to
pursue studies in the various STEM fields.
Methods
Participants
Participants for the proposed study will from 30 to 50 middle school girls between ten
and fourteen years old. Subjects will be self-selected from female students in a South Carolina
Midlands public school district serving three public middle schools, a charter school, and three
private schools. The researchers wish to include girls from diverse academic, ethnic, social, and
economic backgrounds, therefore all applicants will be accepted until the maximum enrollment
is achieved. Means et al. (2017) found that inclusive STEM schools, who accepted students
based on interests rather than aptitude were serving larger proportions of students from minority
groups. These participants will participate in a 3-week summer enrichment program that aims to
engage girls in rich experiences to boost their interest and confidence in STEM subjects before
high school.
Design

7. STEM ENRICHMENT 7
This study will utilize a mixed methods with concurrent triangulation design to examine
the effect of participation in the enrichment program on student STEM identity. This mixed
method design is appropriate to analyze both qualitative and quantitative data from pre-and post-
surveys containing Likert-scale questions and open-ended questions and observations.
Materials
The proposed study will utilize the Pre-and Post-Participation Surveys from the
Assessing Men and Women in Engineering (AWE) website. Students will complete the Pre-
participation survey as part of the registration process. The Post-Participation survey will be
completed on the last day of the program. The researchers have chosen to use the AWE
instruments because this organization that focuses on development of tools specifically for
STEM education research.
The participants will complete a 3-week curriculum adapted from researched based
SciGirls (PBS.com) videos and activities. SciGirls is a public television show sponsored by the
National Science Foundation with support from ExxonMobile. SciGirls is a mix of various
components including half-hour animated and live action television show, website with
interactive games, and outreach activities (Flagg, 2010). Students activities to be presented
within the 3-week program are Pedal Power, Bouncing Balls, High Tech Fashion, Dough
Creatures, and Blowin’ in the Wind.
Procedures
Approximately six weeks before the beginning of the program, the researcher will
distribute and collect registration for the program. Materials and arrangements for program
activities and logistics will be confirmed. Student participants will complete a registration form

8. STEM ENRICHMENT 8
that includes a questionnaire to gather demographic information and insight on student
perception of STEM. Students will complete Likert-scale and open-ended questions regarding
their STEM interest and self-concept in engineering, science and computer science on the pre-
participation survey on the first day so they are not influenced by any of the program’s activities.
During the three-week period, students will participate in the curriculum composed
videos and games from the SciGirls website with corresponding outreach activities. Students
will be given an opportunity to create an online profile and join the SciGirls community for
participation in online games. Student participants will complete the Post Participation Survey on
the final day of the program.
Table 1: Project Timeline
Week Researcher Participant
1 Compile Data from Pre-Participation
Surveys
Conduct Week 1 Activities
Complete Daily Observations
Complete Pre-Participation Survey
Create SciGirls online profile
View SciGirls Episode
Complete Bouncing Balloons Activity
View SciGirls Episode: Pedal Power
Complete Pedal Power Activity
2 Conduct Week 2 Activities
Complete Daily Observations
View SciGirls Episode: Baile Digital Dance
Complete Dough Creatures Activity
View SciGirls Episode: High Tech Fashion
Complete High Tech Fashion Activity
Plan Fashion/Dance Show
3 Complete Week 3 Activities
Complete Daily Observations
Administer Post Participation Survey
View SciGirls Episode: Blowin’ in the Wind
Complete Blowin’ in the Wind Activity
Complete Post Participation Survey
Present Fashion/Dance Show
At the conclusion of the program, the researcher will compile all data for final analyses. The
researcher will complete a detailed report of the research findings and report results to
stakeholders.

9. STEM ENRICHMENT 9
Analyses
The data collected from the Pre-and Post-Participation Surveys (AWE, 2018) will be
summarized and analyzed using a variety of measures. Tables and charts will be used to display
a summary of the descriptive statistics of data collected regarding high school course selections,
career/major intentions, skill and confidence levels in STEM areas, and satisfaction with
program activities. A comparison of pre- and post-participation survey responses will be
analyzed to determine if there are significant changes in participants’ STEM interests. Analyses
of Likert-scale items will include percentages and Chi-squared test to determine if a relationship
exists. Participant responses regarding their perceived benefits of the program will be reported as
percentages.
Anticipated Results
As a result of participation in the proposed program, we anticipate that participating girls
will develop a better STEM identity and ultimately decide to pursue a career in a STEM field.
Student perceptions of STEM careers should be positively influenced from participation in the
program. The National Science Board (2016) reported similar participation in high level
mathematics courses between males and females, however male students are more likely to
enroll in AP Calculus, Physics and Computer Science. Tomasko et al. (2016) found that
“summer bridge programs can have a positive impact on academic skills and self-efficacy (p.
91).” We anticipate that student participants will improve their confidence in successfully
participating in higher level high school courses after completing the program.

10. STEM ENRICHMENT 10
Table 2: Pre-/Post Participation Survey Responses
How important is it to you to do . . . Not
Important
Somewhat
Important
Very
Important
Pre Post Pre Post Pre Post
Work that makes me think 35
70%
10
20%
8
16%
32
64%
2
4%
8
16%
Work that allows me to make lots of money 5
10%
7
14%
15
30%
15
30%
30
60%
28
56%
Work that allows me to use math, computer,
engineering or science skills
25
50%
15
30%
20
40%
25
50%
5
10%
10
20%
Work that allows me to tell other people what to do 20
40%
12
24%
15
30%
18
36%
15
30%
20
40%
Work that allows me to help solve problems and create
solutions
27
54%
18
36%
13
26%
20
40%
10
20%
12
24%
Work that is fun to do 10
20%
12
24%
28
56%
26
52%
12
24%
12
24%
Work that allows me to have time with family 18
36%
10
20%
12
24%
15
30%
20
40%
25
50%
Work that allows me to help my community and/or
society
10
20%
8
16%
28
56%
30
60%
12
24%
12
24%
Work that makes people think highly of me 18
36%
15
30%
20
40%
25
50%
12
24%
10
20%
Work that is satisfying to me 18
36%
6
12%
20
40%
26
52%
12
24%
18
36%

11. STEM ENRICHMENT 11
Table 3: Post-Participation Perceptions
My participation in this activity: Not at All Slightly Moderately A Great
Deal
Helped me understand computers better. 20
40%
15
30%
5
10%
10
20%
Led me to a better understanding of my
own career goals.
10
20%
18
36%
12
24%
10
20%
Increased my interest in studying
engineering in college.
13
26%
20
40%
10
20%
12
24%
Made me think more about what I will do
after graduating from high school.
8
16%
16
32%
12
24%
14
28%
Made me decide to work harder in school. 4
8%
10
20%
16
32%
20
40%
Made me to decide to take different classes
in school (including college) than I had
planned to.
18
36%
10
20%
12
24%
10
20%
Made me more confident in my ability to
succeed in engineering.
12
24%
16
32%
12
24%
10
20%
Increased my confidence in my ability to
participate in engineering projects or
activities.
12
24%
16
32%
12
24%
10
20%
Conclusion
Students in supportive learning environments develop self-efficacy that leads to future
successes (Tomasko, D., Ridgway, J., Waller, R., & Olesik, S., 2016). This proposed mixed
methods study seeks to demonstrate the impact of early intervention in inspiring young girls to
seriously consider pursuing STEM careers (Wang, et al., 2015). Other factors such as the length

12. STEM ENRICHMENT 12
of the intervention and types of activities are essential to a program’s effectiveness (Hughes,
Nzekwe, & Molyneaux, 2013). In addition to influencing girls to pursue further studies in a
STEM field, the researchers hope to have an impact on the types of experiences students have.

13. STEM ENRICHMENT 13
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14. STEM ENRICHMENT 14
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