Collabor8: (Re-) Engaging female secondary cohorts in STEM subjects

Holland, BE; Ronca, M

Collabor8: (Re-) Engaging female secondary cohorts in STEM subjects

Holland, BE Ronca, M

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Publisher:: School of Engineering, Deakin University, Victoria, Australia
Publication Type:: Conference Proceeding
Citation:: Proceedings of Australasian Association for Engineering Education Conference, 2015, pp. 783 - 794 (12)
Issue Date:: 2015-12-05

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Full metadata record

Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Holland, BE	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Ronca, M	en_US
dc.contributor.editor	Oo, A	en_US
dc.contributor.editor	Patel, A	en_US
dc.contributor.editor	Hilditch, T	en_US
dc.contributor.editor	Chandran, S	en_US
dc.date	2015-12-06	en_US
dc.date.available	2015-09-29	en_US
dc.date.issued	2015-12-05	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Proceedings of Australasian Association for Engineering Education Conference, 2015, pp. 783 - 794 (12)	en_US
dc.identifier.isbn	978-0-7300-0041-9	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/41575
dc.description.abstract	Demand for skilled professionals in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is projected to increase significantly with 75% of the fastest growing occupations requiring STEM skills (Australian Industry Group, 2013). Yet, over the past 20 years, Australia has seen significant decline in the number of secondary students - particularly girls - electing to study science and advanced mathematics (Office of Chief Scientist, 2014). A 2014 national STEM strategy from the Office of the Chief Scientist recommended support for `high levels of participation and success in STEM [education] for all Australians, including women, Indigenous students and students from disadvantaged and marginalised backgrounds’. Recent research builds on previous work (e.g. Fine et al, 2010; Lyons et al, 2012; Sikora, 2012; Mills et al, 2010). Zecharia et al identify three key factors found to be influencing young women’s participation in STEM subjects: 1. Relevance of STEM to sense of identity and future aspirations. 2. Perceived actual and relative ability in STEM subjects. 3. ‘Science capital’ - or experience of STEM, including formal and informal exposure to STEM subjects and careers through the curriculum, schooling, media, culture, family and personal connections’ (Zecharia et al., 2014 p.9). This paper introduces Collabor8, an engineering and IT outreach program for junior female students from high schools serving low socio-economic communities. Collabor8 will test the relative importance of Zecharia et al’s three key factors for participants’ interest in STEM; intention to select STEM subjects in senior high school and tertiary study, and evaluate the chosen outreach model.	en_US
dc.publisher	School of Engineering, Deakin University, Victoria, Australia	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Proceedings of Australasian Association for Engineering Education Conference	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	AAEE - Annual Conference of Australasian Association for Engineering Education	en_US
dc.title	Collabor8: (Re-) Engaging female secondary cohorts in STEM subjects	en_US
dc.type	Conference Proceeding
utslib.location	Geelong	en_US
utslib.location.activity	Geelong	en_US
utslib.for	0999 Other Engineering	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology/School of Information, Systems and Modelling
utslib.copyright.status	open_access
pubs.consider-herdc	true	en_US
pubs.finish-date	2015-12-09	en_US
pubs.place-of-publication	Geelong	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.start-date	2015-12-06	en_US

Abstract:

Demand for skilled professionals in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is projected to increase significantly with 75% of the fastest growing occupations requiring STEM skills (Australian Industry Group, 2013). Yet, over the past 20 years, Australia has seen significant decline in the number of secondary students - particularly girls - electing to study science and advanced mathematics (Office of Chief Scientist, 2014). A 2014 national STEM strategy from the Office of the Chief Scientist recommended support for `high levels of participation and success in STEM [education] for all Australians, including women, Indigenous students and students from disadvantaged and marginalised backgrounds’. Recent research builds on previous work (e.g. Fine et al, 2010; Lyons et al, 2012; Sikora, 2012; Mills et al, 2010). Zecharia et al identify three key factors found to be influencing young women’s participation in STEM subjects: 1. Relevance of STEM to sense of identity and future aspirations. 2. Perceived actual and relative ability in STEM subjects. 3. ‘Science capital’ - or experience of STEM, including formal and informal exposure to STEM subjects and careers through the curriculum, schooling, media, culture, family and personal connections’ (Zecharia et al., 2014 p.9). This paper introduces Collabor8, an engineering and IT outreach program for junior female students from high schools serving low socio-economic communities. Collabor8 will test the relative importance of Zecharia et al’s three key factors for participants’ interest in STEM; intention to select STEM subjects in senior high school and tertiary study, and evaluate the chosen outreach model.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/41575