The original article was written by Tracy Jan and can be found at:
http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2006/02/12/she_
aims_at_getting_girls_hooked_on_science/?rss_id=Boston.com+%2F+News+%2F+
The last time I watched television for a few minutes to pass the time, there was an ad aired in which a small girl asked her dad why the sky is blue. He had a cute response for the 6- or 7-year-old girl, something to the tune of “Because it reflects the color of your eyes.” The girl then goes on to offer the correct scientific reason that the sky appears blue to us. The commercial was for the Girl Scouts, promoting the group as a way to keep girls interested in math and science because, statistically, many young women lose interest in pursuing math and science by a certain age. It seems that this issue is making its way around the educational community- the article I read that was recently posted in The Boston Globe discusses a program started by Boston College senior Liz O’Day who found through informal conversations that girls find science “lame, boring, too hard, and just plain uncool.” While I think that the presence of more males than females in careers related to math and science has been known for some time, there seems to be a re-emergence of the issue and what it means for students and their future careers.
While historically girls were blocked out of the sciences almost completely, such is not the case today. Why, then, is there a need for programs like the one started by O’Day, which was created specifically for high school girls and focusing on science? I think that there is no easy answer to this question, but that a combination of social forces is the most likely answer. I tend to be very skeptical of the idea that is sometimes offered up suggesting biological differences have to do with the number of males and females engaging in scientific study or research. Perhaps, as a result of some remaining social forces pointing girls away from the sciences, girls would still feel more reluctant to come to a coed science-based activity than one for just girls.
So, will programs like the one discussed in the article be effective in helping keep young women interested in the sciences? With experiments that are planned to “wow” the students with the outcome and talks with female scientists, I think the program could at least spark some interest in exploring different ways to think about science and math. However, I am not sure whether or not these kinds of experiences could actually result in female students choosing careers in science or taking higher-level science classes. If indeed this is the goal of the program, I think it would be wise to include tutoring opportunities for students struggling in their current science classes. The article also mentions that there are some students in the program who are not excelling in science, but that there are also many who already have a strong interest in science. If this is the case, the activities should be applicable and/or meaningful for both kinds of students.
