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IMPACT OF A GENDER-BALANCED SUMMER ENGINEERING AND
SCIENCE PROGRAM ON FUTURE COURSE AND CAREER CHOICES
NSERC/Nortel Joint Chair for Women in Science and Engineering (Ontario) Hosted by Carleton University / University of Ottawa Minto Centre, 1125 Colonel By Drive / 161 Louis-Pasteur, Ottawa, ON, Canada, K1S 5B5 / Ottawa, ON, Canada K1N 6N5 ABSTRACT A study was carried-out in the spring and summer of 1997 to assess whether the summer camp (Worlds Unbound, University of New Brunswick) had achieved its goals: to increase the understanding of science and engineering; to improve the confidence and skills of the students in this area; have a positive influence on selection courses in mathematics and science in their future high school years; and increase the likely-hood of a choice of career in these fields. INTRODUCTION
A research endeavour1 looking at whether science promotion programs make a difference reported
that the impact varied not only by program, but also by gender. Results of that study indicated that
the strongest positive impact on girls came from a single-sex program called GIRLS IN SCIENCE.
Many of the mixed gender programs to promote science had a stronger impact on boys than on girls.
Of the almost 1600 students surveyed in that British Columbia study, 44 % of the young women
indicated that Medicine was their career choice, versus 26 % of the young men. In the same survey,
4 % of the women versus 20 % of the men chose Engineering as a profession.
Another interesting aspect of the study cited above was the analysis of the factors that affect career
choice for females and males. Vickers et al.1 found that both females and males highly valued 'future
job security' and 'interesting work', but females rated the factor 'contribution to society' more highly
than males did. The impact of parents was similar for both sexes and higher than friends, teachers,
guidance counselors, and the media. That study raised many questions about the gender impact (and
success) of outreach science and engineering programs.
The Worlds Unbound (WU ) program was specially designed to attract an equal number of girls and
boys, and the activities designed with the interest of both groups in mind. The second major principle
was to ensure that doing science and engineering was fun and would build the self-confidence of the
young students. The policy at WU was to admit an equal number of girls and boys. If the number of
boys was greater than the number of girls, the excess was placed on a waiting list. If one of the boys
on the list found a girl to join the program, he was admitted preferentially over the others on the list.
This allowed boys and their parents to be part of the solution, that is, to attract girls to the program.
After the first year, the entire community knew that this program was great for girls and this rule was
rarely had to be exercised in the following years. The spontaneous admission of girls was generally
50%. However, this ideal situation may change at some point in the future and the rule should remain
in place to deal with a downturn in applications from girls should this occur.
METHODOLOGY
In the study reported here, the impact of a science and engineering summer camp (Worlds Unbound
(WU), at the University of New Brunswick, for young students in grades 5-8) was assessed. Each
student attends the day program for a week (Monday to Friday); six such weeks are held every
summer. Two to three of the weeks are held in French, depending on the number of French students
who subscribe. A questionnaire was sent to all young students who had attended the summer science
and engineering program in the past four years and to their parents or guardians; 81 responses were
received: 46 from girls and 35 from boys, and 81 parents also responded. [Note: the questions were
not necessarily asked in the order shown below, but the selected order below facilitates the
discussion. Moreover, not all questions are included here, as some were designed to improve the
program's activities and not related to the objectives of this report.]
RESULTS
2. "Has anyone tried to discourage you from doing math, science, or technology?"
3. "Has anyone encouraged you to do math, science, or technology?"
4. "Reasons given for the encouragement."
5. "What was your favourite activity at Worlds Unbound?"
6. "Did the experience affect your choice of courses in high school?"
7. "How has attending Worlds Unbound changed your ability to do math and science at school?"
8. "What would you like to do when you grow up?"
9. "Are you interested in being a junior counselor in the future?"
10. "Did you enjoy the camp experience or were you bored?"
11. "What would you like to see more of next time?"
Questions and answers (parents)
12. "Do you feel your child has a greater probability now of pursuing a science career than before
attending the camp?"
13. "Is one of the parents in the field of science, engineering, or technology?"
14. "Does your child have access to":
15. "Do you feel that the WU camp has had a positive impact on your child's math and science marks
in school?"
16. "How has your child's attitude towards engineering, science, and technology changed after
attending WU?"
17. "What was the most important result of your child's attendance in the program?"
18. "Would you encourage a career in Science and Engineering?"
DISCUSSION
This study illustrates that a very positive impact can be achieved on both girls and boys when the
outreach activity is designed with equity in all its aspects. The Worlds Unbound program succeeded
in increasing the interest of the students in science and engineering; moreover, many students reported
an increased confidence level in dealing with these subjects. A large number stated that they would
pick mathematics and science courses in high school. As for their career choice, 19 % of the girls and
31% of the boys indicated a future in science or engineering. The choice of medicine was lower than
that reported in the Vickers et al.1 study: 23% for girls and 3% for boys. But this choice is still much
higher for girls than for boys in both studies.
It is likely that, before their summer experience, more girls than boys would have had a negative
attitude or lack of information on these fields and therefore the camp experience opened-up many
new interests for the former group. For the boys, the experience seemed to have re-enforced their
former choices. This was obvious by some of the answers to the questionnaire. Thus, a summer
experience where girls and boys (grades 5 to 8) were in equal numbers, and where gender equity was
a policy of the camp's operation, succeeded in making both genders, and girls in particular, more
aware of careers in engineering and science.
Previous to performing this survey, the author had received anecdotal evidence of the WU Program's
success with both girls and boys, through several comments made by parents and by the participants
at the end of each week. However, the actual survey enabled to confirm to what extent each of the
goals had been met by this out-of-school activity. The gender balance in the participants, the
instructors, and in the leadership roles, the careful selection of content with sensitivity as to
approaches that would work best with girls, all contributed to the success of the camp. In its first year
of operation, everyone was attentive as to how girls and boys reacted to various visits of laboratories
and on the 'child-friendliness (or opposite) of the presentations in the laboratories visited. Many
improvements were made in the second year by removing from the list a few 'poor speakers' and
replacing them mostly by young women graduate students who related well to the young students.
Thus, coed activities can be made to work very successfully, but single-sex activities, if well designed,
can do even better, as reported in another study 2, 3. In the future, the author will continue to design
various outreach activities, some with both genders, and others just for girls and young women.
CONCLUSION
Much financial investment is made into science and engineering promotion programs and few have
been assessed for impact. This study will hopefully stimulate many programs to assess how they are
doing with respect to having a positive impact on each gender, with a special attention placed on how
the participation of girls and young women can be increased substantially, especially in fields where
the job market is excellent. In particular, designing an activity for females only 2, 3, until such a time
as obstacles and stereotypes disappear from our society, and insuring a mix of activities ( hands-on
components, career choice guidance, visiting people actually doing engineering and science, games)
can be a recipe for outstanding success. The long-term impact of these programs on actual career
choices will be assessed when these students graduate from high school.
References
1. Vickers, M. , Ching, H.L., and Dean, C.B. "Do Science Promotion Programs Make a Difference?"
Proceedings (Papers and Initiatives), More than Just Numbers Conference, University of New
Brunswick, Fredericton, N.B., Canada E3B 5A3: 83-87.
2. Frize, M., Long, R., Moore, S., and Satterthwaite, G. "Pinocchio's Nose, the Long and Short of
it: A Special Day for Grade 10 Female Students at Nortel." 11th Canadian Conference on
Engineering Education, Halifax, July 5-7: 239-244.
3. http://www.carleton.ca/wise and http://www.genie.uottawa.ca/wise
ACKNOWLEDMENT
The author thanks Victoria Campbell, Jane McGinn-Giberson, and the staff of Worlds Unbound at the University of New Brunswick for helping to distribute and collect the questionnaire. |