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Evidence of narrowing the gap in achievement of
accomplishment
between diverse groups.
The GEMS unit Experimenting with Model Rockets was specifically
designed to encourage the full participation of girls and young women
in the activities and was successful in doing so. Experiment 1 of the
study "Learning to Control Variables with Model Rockets" showed
that both boys and girls were successful in designing controlled experiments.
In the control experiment, Experiment 2, while both boys and girls did
significantly better on the post-test, girls did even better than boys
(boys, t = 2.72, p< 0.025; girls, t = 3.24, p<0.025). Dr. Sneider
has explained that, in addition to model rockets having been a traditionally
male domain, interviews and anecdotal evidence during early stages of
the rocketry activities in the study suggested that the way the goals
of the activity were framed had a significant impact on participation
by girls/young women. As advisors on the study, partly funded by NSF,
he enlisted the expertise of the EQUALS program at LHS, then directed
by Nancy Kreinberg, and involved leaders of the Girl Scouts of America
to help address this issue and promote gender equity. Through a combination
of what was learned through interviewing students as part of the study,
and consultation with advisors, a major change in how the activities
were initially described was proposed. It was found that girls were
much more responsive to the activities when the teacher or youth leader
emphasized that the object of the activities was to work together to
design a good experiment in order to find out why some rockets fly higher
than others (rather than a contest to see whose rocket flies the highest).
The strong participation and success of girls in the study supported
this approach. Several years later, during the GEMS testing process
this lesson was emphasized and enthusiastic involvement of girls/young
woman was again reported. Therefore, the GEMS guide instructs the teacher:
"Emphasize that the goal is not for their rocket to fly the highest,
but to design a good experiment, in order to find out why some rockets
fly higher than others." (page 17, Experimenting with Model
Rockets). The introduction to the unit explains, "Although
boys have traditionally been more involved in building and launching
model rockets, any initial reluctance on the part of girls is almost
always overcome once the activity begins. It is important to stress
to all students that the goal of these activities is to design good
experiments to figure out why some rockets fly higher than others, rather
than competing to see whose rocket flies the highest. Girls who wish
to work together can form their own teams. Many of the organizations
and advisors who took part in testing and modifying these activities
were especially attuned to obstacles girls encounter in pursuing science
and mathematics careers. This series of activities can enable girls
to gain greater confidence, perhaps even helping ‘launch’
some on career paths that would not have been considered several decades
ago." (Experimenting with Model Rockets, page 3, 1989, 1991,
1997).
The PRISM (Primary Institute in Science and Mathematics) Project
(1990–1997)
The Woodside Consortium Evaluation was conducted by Dr. Steven Schneider
and Susan Arbuckle. PRISM used many GEMS units as curricular exemplars,
and the evaluation includes some data relating to equity. In the pre-institute
questionnaire for the third summer institute, participants were asked
to rank their current level of understanding in a number of teaching
strategies and conceptual approaches, including "Equity strategies
for teaching traditionally underrepresented groups including LEP, physically
challenged, girls, and ethnically diverse classes." A paired T-test
was conducted to test the level of significance of the outcomes of the
pre- and post-institute levels of understanding. All of the strategies
were found to be statistically significant (p < .001). For every
concept, the level of understanding increased. In the pre-institute
questionnaire, the mean levels of confidence ranged from 2.0 (weak)
to 3.4 (strong) and in the post-institute questionnaire, the mean levels
of confidence ranged from 3.5 (average) to 4.7 (very strong). While
only an indication via teacher surveys of increased attention to these
issues, it is notable that this was one of the emphases of the PRISM
program and that GEMS units were utilized to foster these equity strategies.
The Galaxy Classroom Project (Pilot Program 1991-1995) funded by
Hughes Air and NSF. There are several anecdotal accounts from the
Galaxy program that relate to this heading. A special education student
at one of the urban schools "never misses an opportunity to let
anyone within hearing distance know that he plans to become scientist
so that he can ‘do Galaxy stuff forever and ever!’" A
third grade teacher in a "predominantly Hispanic school" told
how one student of hers had never spoken, not one word. She read his
file and found that his silence had been a concern for some time. She
continues, "In my class he was very well behaved, he did his work,
he simply never spoke. Since he has been working in the Galaxy classroom,
he has changed. He talks now. He talks with kids in his cooperative
group and he occasionally responds aloud to events in the show. We have
been working with him carefully; he has come a very long way. This week
he raised his hand to answer a question in class." (GEMS Network
News, Spring/Summer 1994, pages 20, 21.)
Anecdotal Information: In addition to efforts to reflect an include
he full range of diversity in GEMS publications and programs, as noted
in other parts of the submission, we have considerable anecdotal information,
along with written and oral reports from our national network of sites
and centers to confirm that GEMS activities are often singled out by
teachers for their accessibility to all students and their ability to
both engage students who have not previously been motivated in science
and mathematics and enable them to gain a sense of success. Classroom
observation during the GEMS testing process pays special attention to
the social composition and other special characteristics of the class.
It was during local trial testing, for example, that GEMS staff members
saw three boys who the teacher often had to send out to the playground
with an aide because they were so disruptive become completely involved
in one of the strategy activities from the GEMS guide Frog Math.
In another class, testing the GEMS guide Bubble Festival, a boy
whose family was homeless and who normally did not participate in class
became, after a word of encouragement to the effect that (as the GEMS
unit emphasizes) he could explore in his own way, focused for an entire
class period on figuring out a creative way of measuring bubbles using
non-standard units. He then started wondering about how to measure volume.
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