Educational Philosophy: Engaging Girls in STEM
The bold goal of SciGirls is to change how millions of girls think about science, technology, engineering, and math - a.k.a. STEM. Research shows that, for a variety of reasons, some girls begin to lose interest (and confidence in their abilities) in math and science in middle school. SciGirls engages girls between 8 and 13 years old, helping them through these challenging tween years to arrive in high school with a positive attitude toward STEM and STEM careers. Download The Big Idea: What the Research Shows (1.5M PDF)
When you heart hear the name SciGirls, you might think, "I work in a mixed genders setting, SciGirls can't be for me." That's definitely not the case. Although our approach, which we call the SciGirls Seven, is rooted in what research has revealed engages girls in STEM, these strategies have also been proven to work with all learners, including underrepresented youth. Everyone benefits from a gender equitable approach to STEM.
The SciGirls Seven: Proven Strategies for Engaging Girls in STEM
The SciGirls approach - for the TV show, website, and educational materials - is rooted in research about how to engage girls in STEM. A quarter of a century of studies have converged on a set of common strategies that work, and these have become SciGirls' foundation. Download: SciGirls Seven: Proven Strategies for Engaging Girls in STEM (1M PDF)
- Girls benefit from collaboration, especially when they can participate and communicate fairly. (Fancsali, 2002; Parker & Rennie, 2002) | Download Tips
- Girls are motivated by projects they find personally relevant and meaningful. (Eisenhart & Finkel, 1998; Liston, Peterson, & Ragan, 2008; Thompson & Windschitl, 2005) | Download Tips
- Girls enjoy hands-on, open-ended projects and investigations. (Burkam, Lee, & Smerdon, 1997; Chatman, Nielsen, Strauss, & Tanner, 2008; Fancsali, 2002) | Download Tips
- Girls are motivated when they can approach projects in their own way, applying their creativity, unique talents, and preferred learning styles. (Calabrese Barton, Tan, & Rivet, 2008; Eisenhart & Finkel, 1998) | Download Tips
- Girls' confidence and performance improves in response to specific, positive feedback on things they can control—such as effort, strategies, and behaviors. (Blackwell, Trzesniewski, & Sorich Dweck, 2007; Halpern et al., 2007; Mueller & Dweck, 1998; Zeldin & Pajares, 2000) | Download Tips
- Girls gain confidence and trust in their own reasoning when encouraged to think critically. (Chatman et al., 2008; Eisenhart & Finkel, 1998) | Download Tips
- Girls benefit from relationships with role models and mentors. (Evans, Whigham, & Wang, 1995; Liston et al., 2008) | Download Tips
Applying the SciGirls Seven and Reading
Download Activity Makeover: Applying the SciGirls Seven (740K PDF)
Download References and Reading (993K PDF)
Visit PBS KIDS and PBS Parents to extend the learning with SciGirls.
