The Relationship between Self-Efficacy and Advanced STEM Coursework in Female Secondary Students.

The Relationship Between Self-Efficacy and Advanced STEM Coursework in Female Secondary Students by Bethany Bernasconi MAT, Boston University, 2004 BA, Boston University, 2002 Proposal Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education Walden University August 2017 Abstract Despite years of attention, gender inequity persists in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Female STEM faculty, positive social interactions, and enrollment in advanced STEM secondary coursework are supportive factors in promoting female students’ persistence in STEM fields. To address the gap in understanding these factors, this study employed a sequential mixed method design using a framework of social cognitive theory. Research questions focused on how levels of self-efficacy and perception of personal and social factors among female secondary students related to their enrollment in advanced STEM coursework and extracurricular activities in a rural New England school where gender parity exists. All 18-year-old female students (N = 82) were invited to complete the self-efficacy subsection of the Science Motivation Questionnaire II (SMQII). Self-efficacy and enrollment in advanced STEM courses and extracurricular activities were analyzed using a Pearson correlation (N=35). Self-efficacy levels did not correlate with the participants’ enrollment in advanced STEM courses and extracurricular activities. In addition, a purposeful sample of participants (N = 7) who completed the SMQII was used to conduct individual interviews investigating how the community of practice contributed to female students’ decisions to pursue advanced STEM coursework. Two themes emerged: the roles of the personal landscape (e.g., resilient mindset) and the social landscape (e.g., peer interactions). Professional development materials to support staff in implementing a cognitive apprenticeship were created in response to the emergent themes. In addressing the lack of understanding of female secondary students’ engagement in advanced STEM coursework, positive social change may be achieved by supporting a greater percentage of women who can pursue STEM career opportunities.Despite years of attention, gender inequity persists in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Female STEM faculty, positive social interactions, and enrollment in advanced STEM secondary coursework are supportive factors in promoting female students’ persistence in STEM fields. To address the gap in understanding these factors, this study employed a sequential mixed method design using a framework of social cognitive theory. Research questions focused on how levels of self-efficacy and perception of personal and social factors among female secondary students related to their enrollment in advanced STEM coursework and extracurricular activities in a rural New England school where gender parity exists. All 18-year-old female students (N = 82) were invited to complete the self-efficacy subsection of the Science Motivation Questionnaire II (SMQII). Self-efficacy and enrollment in advanced STEM courses and extracurricular activities were analyzed using a Pearson correlation (N=35). Self-efficacy levels did not correlate with the participants’ enrollment in advanced STEM courses and extracurricular activities. In addition, a purposeful sample of participants (N = 7) who completed the SMQII was used to conduct individual interviews investigating how the community of practice contributed to female students’ decisions to pursue advanced STEM coursework. Two themes emerged: the roles of the personal landscape (e.g., resilient mindset) and the social landscape (e.g., peer interactions). Professional development materials to support staff in implementing a cognitive apprenticeship were created in response to the emergent themes. In addressing the lack of understanding of female secondary students’ engagement in advanced STEM coursework, positive social change may be achieved by supporting a greater percentage of women who can pursue STEM career opportunities. The Relationship Between Self-Efficacy and Advanced STEM Coursework in Female Secondary Students by Bethany Bernasconi MAT, Boston University, 2004 BA, Boston University, 2002 Proposal Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education Walden University August 2017 Acknowledgments Thank you to my chairpersons, Dr. Beth Robelia, for her endless encouragement and insight throughout my research, and Dr. Irene McAfee for her invaluable feedback. This project would not be possible without the many hours of conversation with colleagues both near and far. Thank you to the students, teachers, colleagues, and administrators who have supported my efforts throughout this entire process. A special thank you to Christine Landwehrle and Elizabeth Manolis for their voices and collaborative nature which always leaves me recharged and with a head full of ideas. All that I have accomplished would not be possible without the loving patient support of my husband, Jay, and my boys, Joe and Evan. Thank you to my boys who cheered me on and told me that I had been in college “a long time,” and who never ceased to tell me how proud they were of me. Thank you to my husband who was a hero for reading bed time stories, driving to early Saturday games, and creating the time I needed to undertake this work. He never ceased to support and believe in me. I couldn’t have done it without him.