TY - GEN
T1 - Middle school girls' perceptions of engineers before and after a female only summer enrichment program
AU - Hirsch, Linda S.
AU - Berliner-Heyman, Suzanne
AU - Cano, Rosa
AU - Kimmel, Howard
AU - Carpinelli, John
PY - 2011
Y1 - 2011
N2 - The Center for Pre-College Programs at New Jersey Institute of Technology sponsors a series of summer programs designed to increase academically talented students' interest in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. One of the programs, Woman in Engineering and Technology, called FEMME, has been designed specifically for young women in an effort to increase the number of women interested in engineering and other technological careers. The programs span grades four to eight because middle school is not only an important time for all students to begin thinking about future careers, but because boys and girls do not differ much in technical abilities until the later high school years but rather in their attitudes toward technological careers including engineering. Single-gender programs like FEMME can be particularly effective in reaching young girls, influencing their attitudes before they reach high school. The Middle School Students' Attitude to Engineering, Science and Mathematics Survey and the Draw an Engineer Test have been used to more fully assess young women's perceptions of engineers and what they believe engineers actually do, and how their perceptions may change as a result of attending the FEMME program.
AB - The Center for Pre-College Programs at New Jersey Institute of Technology sponsors a series of summer programs designed to increase academically talented students' interest in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. One of the programs, Woman in Engineering and Technology, called FEMME, has been designed specifically for young women in an effort to increase the number of women interested in engineering and other technological careers. The programs span grades four to eight because middle school is not only an important time for all students to begin thinking about future careers, but because boys and girls do not differ much in technical abilities until the later high school years but rather in their attitudes toward technological careers including engineering. Single-gender programs like FEMME can be particularly effective in reaching young girls, influencing their attitudes before they reach high school. The Middle School Students' Attitude to Engineering, Science and Mathematics Survey and the Draw an Engineer Test have been used to more fully assess young women's perceptions of engineers and what they believe engineers actually do, and how their perceptions may change as a result of attending the FEMME program.
KW - Attitudes toward engineering
KW - Female only enrichment programs
KW - Girl's perceptions of engineers
KW - Knowledge of engineering careers
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84858252961&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84858252961&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1109/FIE.2011.6142990
DO - 10.1109/FIE.2011.6142990
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:84858252961
SN - 9781612844671
T3 - Proceedings - Frontiers in Education Conference, FIE
BT - 41st Annual Frontiers in Education Conference
T2 - 41st Annual Frontiers in Education Conference: Celebrating 41 Years of Monumental Innovations from Around the World, FIE 2011
Y2 - 12 October 2011 through 15 November 2011
ER -