2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The Effect of Role Models on Interest in STEM (Work-in-progress)

This paper investigates how role models and influencers affect students’ interest in STEM and the differences per gender. Data collected for this research came from four summer engineering camps held at a local university in the mountain west region and is part of the Department of Education’s GEARUP program. The camps enabled students to gain a better understanding of STEM and the potential for a future career.

As part of the camps, the students worked in teams and engaged in various activities involving engineering research. The camps included activities such as collecting water samples and measuring various water properties using remotely operated vehicles (ROV’s). Students also built simple sensors to measure air quality and collected stream data. The students developed engineering research hypotheses during the camps with the help of their teachers. The students then tested those hypotheses and were encouraged to think like engineers. At the end of the camps the student teams presented their findings and what they learned.

Data was collected through pre- and post-camp surveys. The surveys included questions about role models in both open ended and Likert scale. Students also responded to questions about their interest in STEM. The sample size was 130 students split almost evenly between male and female.

The data was collected and analyzed over a 4-year period as part of a longitudinal study. The analysis involves both quantitative and qualitative data which was collected simultaneously. Both types of data will be analyzed in a mixed methods research design to provide a deeper understanding of how role models influence male and female students’ interest in STEM. The results will be separated and compared based on gender with emphasis placed on role models.

Quantitative data will be analyzed using statistical t-tests that compare students who have or do not have a STEM role model pre- and post-camp among male and female participants. The t-test results will be used to look at the correlation between having role models and interest in STEM. In addition, if there is an increase in interest in both genders (or absent in both genders) we will determine if the increase is significantly greater for one of the genders. These quantitative tests could provide evidence that shows students’ perception of role models in STEM for both male and female students.

Qualitative data will be analyzed using specialized qualitative software (MaxQDA) to find themes in the data. Various themes may include the existence of role models from family, extended family, teachers, celebrities, etc. The quantitative and qualitative data will be combined and presented in a mixed methods format.

This research focuses on the differences in male and female students’ perceptions of role models and influencers in STEM. The knowledge gained could help in understanding the influence role models have on student interest in STEM and to better design future camps with that knowledge in mind.