What kind of math software works for girls?
Girls and boys are similarly capable of doing mathematics, as reflected in their grades throughout K12 schooling. However girls and particularly women of color are underrepresented in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields that require good math skills. Statistically, tthey receive lower grades in standardized math tests that are key to making career choices. Past research has established that a persistent negative motivational shift exists in girls’ perceptions of math, a gap that becomes more acute as girls and boys progress through the school system. This motivational shift is observed in self-concept, value and liking of math and is disassociated from indicators of math performance. Several software development projects, supported by federal agencies, have encouraged girls. These projects are on the right track because they have the potential for broad dissemination, thanks to the Internet and the presence of computers in schools and homes.
This NSF-funded project "What kind of math software works for girls?" is funded by the "Gender in Science and Engineering Program", and led by Ivon Arroyo (PI), James Royer (co-PI) and Beverly Woolf (co-PI). The goal is to identify universal and reproducible principles that support learning of math through software for girls, using Wayang Outpost as a testbed. It is key to understanding which interventions enhance girls’ achievement and feelings towards math.
Several hypotheses advanced for girls’ motivational shift and gender differences in performance. Both cognitive and motivational interventions are being evaluated, including pedagogical "learning companions" that resemble the student’s gender and ethnicity; feedback at key moments of frustration; adjusting the level of challenge, support and help; training for math memory retrieval speed and accuracy; training for mental spatial manipulations and analogical search.
This project analyzes whether specific software interventions produce motivational and math achievement gains for girls within real K12-level educational settings, in two crucial moments of girls’ development of attitudes towards STEM, grades 5-6 and 10-11. Randomized controlled evaluations are being used to analyze the impact of strategies that can improve girls’ and minorities’ performance in math and motivation to pursue math classes. Outcomes include scientifically sound principles for the development of software-based interventions that improve girls’ motivation for math and performance in math.
 |
An ecologist at the Wayang Outposts investigates clear-cutting in the Indonesian rainforest. |
|---|