Gender awareness in STEAM education: why and how? Erasmus + BIP on STEAM education. Ana Belén Roríguez Raposo Facultade de Ciencias da Educación Universidade de Santiago de Compostela Partially supported by Plan Estatal de Investigación Científica, Técnica y de Innovación 2021-2023. Convocatoria de "Proyectos de Generación de Conocimiento”. Referencia PID2021-122326OB-I00 Is there a STEM gender gap? UNESCO (2017)MIT (2023) yes • In non-STEM jobs: 49,3%. • UNESCO (2017): 28% of STEM researchers. • MIT (2023): 28% of STEM workforce. • Irregular distribution all around the world, but almost never favours women. • The gap is bigger in strongly maths based STEM (or hard STEM). Spoiler: yes • Chemistry: 2087. • Engineering: 2144. • Mathematics: 2146. • Physics: 2158. Sugimoto, C; Laviére, V (2023), Equitiy for women in Science. Dismanteling Systemic Barriers to Advance. Harvard University Press. Evolution and closing Explaining the gender gap Biological Cognitive Social Individual •Sex - socialization -> Psycho-bio-social approach. Biological •Mathematics •Spatial domain Cognitive •Stereotypes •Family and Friends •School: teachers and biased curricula •Role models •Expectatives Social •Affection: attitudes, beliefs and emotions. •Sense of belonging: STEM identity. •Expectations and academic success. Individual Cognition and affection Spatial abilites Mathematics Interaction between affection and congnition Spatial domain, maths and STEM • Yes, from a certain point of view: mental rotation and qualitative orientation. Are boys better at reading maps? Gender Spatial domain Maths Girls with low spatial abilities are more penalized tan boys We should enchance spatial abilites: • Specific tasks. • Unespecific tasks. Good spatial abilites correlate with good STEM performance in general, and with good mathematical performance in particular. Playing videogames, team sports or building blocks (male games) correlate with enhanced spatial abilities in adolescence and adulthood. Afecction, maths and STEM • Inconsisten evidence and variability across countries and gender equality paradox. • HOWEVER, complex problem solving seems to favour boys: they tend to asume more risks han girls, and it seems that spatial reasoning can be a key point. Myth: maths are for boys Affective domain and STEM Beliefs • Stereotypes Attitudes • Self-steem • Self-efficacy Emotions • Anxiety Gender Self efficacy and anxiety Space Maths We should • Enhance spatial abilites (again). • Metaafective tasks: writing about feelings, making explicit the stereotype trheat, identifying fears …. STEMAvoid or follow Social factors Socialization and stereotypes STEAM methodology and gender awareness Socialization and stereotypes Stereotypes Socialization Beautiful Never stand out Care givers Hard workers Verbal thinkers Friends Careless Weird (nerds) Egocentric Brilliant Spatial thinkers Work alone Girlsare Scientificsare Girls • Beautiful • Never stand out • Care givers • Hard workers • Verbal thinkers • Friends Scientific girls • People oriented • Colaborative • Family friendly environment • AestheticalBeware of • Opinion of family and friends. • Insecurity and low self-steem. We should • Collaborative, non competitive. • Focus on the process (affection). • Visible and beautiful products. • People oriented problems. • Avoid negative stereotypes. Girl friendly lessons Fighting stereotypes Positive role models • Real STEM women with real wolrd problems and preferences. • Not put too much emphasis in the difficulties but in the achievements. STEAM methodology and gender awareness Highlights of STEAM methodology •Solve real problems. •Collaborative. •Multidisciplinary. We should include Spatial reasoning Metaafection Positive role models And avoid stereotypes! Examples An example from primary education: Women, Maths and Mosaics An example from undergraduate education: MatEsElla (SheIsMath) Example: Women, Mathematics and Mosaics Clara Manrique-Velayos: De Hypatia de Alejandría ás nenas de hoxe en día, Master degree thesis. Highlights • 3rd grade students. • Three main characters that introduce the activities: Hypatia, Emmy Noether and María Wonenburger. • Play with mirrors. • Create mosaics and symmetric pictures following Hilda af Klimt and Maruja Mallo. Results • Pre-test: the group showed gender bias and stereotypes. • Implementation: The group experimented with mirrors to explore symmetries and mosaics. They created mosaics and found how to use mirrors to generate them. The activities were introduced by the three mathematician through letters and stories. • Post-test: the group showed satisfaction and a change in their view of women in science. Example: Women, Maths and mosaics Clara Manrique-Velayos: De Hypatia de Alejandría ás nenas de hoxe en día, Master degree thesis. Experimental exploration with mirrors Manipulative mosaic creation Outcome: mosaics Example: SteMatEsElla (SheIsMath) Highlights • Mentoring programme proposed by Real Sociedad Española de Matemáticas. • Participants: undergraduate and Master degree female students. • Mentors: experimented women in STEM jobs. • Role models and stereotypes through mentoring, coaching and leading training. Development and results • Couples mentor-mentoree. • Specifical training for mentors and mentorees. • Keep free contact for 6 months. • Conferences every 2 or three months about different subjects. • Mentors and mentorees find the experience useful and satisfying. Proposed by RSME and ICMAT To sum up Gender gap • There is a gender gap in some STEM careers. • Girls and boys don't have the same background. • The reason is multifactorial. Close the gender gap • Close the starting point: freedom of choice. • STEAM education is suitable to close it. How do we help? • Colaborative methodologies. • Care of affection: focus on the process, metaafectivity, real wolrd problems. • Postive role models and breaking negative (and false) stereotypes. Thank you very much!