I teach middle school, and I’m looking for ways to interest girls in science. I seem to get a lot of “It’s too hard” and “I don’t like science.” What strategies could I use to overcome these attitudes? —C., Texas

It’s hard to believe we’re still having this conversation in 2016! And yet the NSTA discussion forums have ongoing threads such as Getting girls involved in science, Minority women in STEM, Encouraging girls into love of science, STEM for girls, and What a person in a STEM career needs.

Apparently this is still a relevant topic, as is encouraging minority students to pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers. Our colleagues offer many suggestions in these threads.

A female math colleague and I had an interesting conversation on this. We are about the same age and grew up in a time when women were actively discouraged from studying advanced science and math. We compared our backgrounds to figure out how and why we managed to beat the odds. Our parents encouraged our interests. We both attended large state universities (she majored in math and minored in science; I majored in chemistry and took many math courses.) We both attended Catholic high schools…and then we had an “aha” moment. In both schools, all of our math and science teachers were women! And they were from the same order. These sisters encouraged all students to learn, but girls were not allowed to be spectators while the boys did the lab work. The girls were expected to achieve at high levels and be proud of their accomplishments. As my geometry teacher would say, “No cream puffs in this class!”

It seems for my colleague and me, having successful and intelligent women as role models was important, in addition to encouragement from our families. Students can find female role models and their contributions among your school’s graduates, in the media, and in the community.

But while having role models is important, it may not be enough to overcome stereotypes (males in lab coats, “mad” scientists) and misconceptions (math is too hard, women may study biology but not engineering or the physical sciences). Here are some popular suggestions from the discussion forums, with the idea that it’s never too early to start helping students discover and develop their interests:

• Choose activities that encourage exploration and creativity with support for students who are apprehensive about getting a “correct” answer.
• Avoid gender stereotypes and assign group roles randomly, ensuring girls get equitable opportunities to lead.
• Use a variety of activities, including hands-on and technology-based. Allow students to chose activities or require all students to participate in everything, rather than assigning activities by gender (e.g., blocks to boys, coloring to girls).
• Call on girls equitably in class.
• Assume all students will be successful and build confidence with positive and constructive feedback.
• Be aware of specific student interests and show how those topics relate to the real world.
• Use photographs or graphics in class materials that include female scientists and engineers.

Having mentors can be helpful, too. A few years ago, a female student in my school wanted to take calculus, but her father tried to talk her out of it, saying it was “too hard” for girls. She asked me what to do. I didn’t want to disrespect her father, but I knew that she was totally capable. I mentioned I had taken quite a few calculus courses in high school and college, as had the other female math and science teachers, and we managed to survive! I said if she decided to take the course, my colleagues and I would help her if she needed it. She took the course, never needed our tutoring offer, and aced the course. She now works in the financial department of an international business.

Teachers can benefit from female role models and mentors, too. I facilitated a professional development course in environmental science in which the instructor was a female entomologist. She shared her passion and her current research on endangered butterfly species. It was interesting to watch the mostly female teachers in the class hang on her every word, and by the end of the course they were eager to incorporate the study of insects into their classes.

On the next page, two women share their reflections on what or who encouraged their interests.

From Chevin Stone, middle school science teacher

My motivation to pursue a career in science came from my parents, my father in particular, who saw the nature freak in me and how I was always asking “why” about the world around me. Throughout school, I had several math and science teachers (some male, some female) who encouraged my interest in science and supported my interests [through] science fairs and other projects. My chemistry teacher sent me over the edge! A weird man (aren’t all science teachers weird?), he recognized that the two girls in his third period class of 28, were the ones that would take it all seriously. I minored in chemistry because of him.

For me, being female and black, it has been an interesting career. I started out in industrial hygiene, filling a quota (I killed two demographic birds with one stone), and it was assumed I would not have an impact. Because I do care about the world, people, and science, and because I had the best mentor (female, of course), I soon [became] good at what I did and even found ways to innovate the processes in our office. I took that knowledge to other jobs, eventually becoming a manager of an occupational safety and health team. The men disrespected me, the women questioned me…and I was fabulous, just the same.

I eventually chose (as many women do) to set the fast track aside to raise my children, which eventually led me to education. I came to education knowing the practical things that are not taught (and are hazardous in the workplace) and have made it my mission to create scientifically literate members of society.

I make it clear on the first day of school that science literacy is our goal and that all students can and will be literate by the end of the school year. I try not to show favoritism during lessons, allowing the girls to express themselves as well as the boys. As you know, most eighth grade girls would rather start “dumbing down” than [let] their lights shine. I encourage even the ones that expressly state they don’t like science to be scientists…and they love it.  

I’m one of the building rebels. I don’t care about standardized test data; we’re here to learn about our world and how it works, to become aware of our impact (positive and negative) on the planet, and how we, even if we don’t pursue careers in science, can change the world scientifically.  

From Jane Webster, park naturalist:

In seventh grade I was exposed to the wonderful world of biology. We did labs with lots of hands-on activities that I enjoyed. Frequent short quizzes rewarded my curiosity with good grades. We used an answer key to grade them ourselves. This evidence of [my teacher’s] trust gave me some confidence in myself.

My earth science teacher’s enthusiasm for the subject was contagious. To this day, my mother exclaims, “Strata!” when we drive through a road cut. She remembers how I always wanted to stop and check out any interesting bit of exposed geology. Still do.
High school chemistry was fun because of the labs. We were trusted to work with flame and chemicals that could be dangerous if we handled them improperly but did cool things if we [safely] followed instructions. So, what do these teachers have in common that sparked my interest in science?  They were kind, enthusiastic, smart, and they trusted us. A big part of their classes involved hands-on experiences, which I think empowered us. They let us to learn by doing and seeing for ourselves.

In addition, my parents valued learning and education and were supportive of all my interests, not just the ones that were gender-typical. In the late 1960s and early 70s, an expression of individuality was valued. “Do your own thing” was a frequently heard phrase, which I took to mean that if I was a girl who was interested in science, that was fine!

I believe that girls are not always given an even playing field. The simple fact that there is a term like “tomboy” is evidence of the difference in treatment and expectations. Although they may have access to the same opportunities as boys, they may be judged by a higher standard when they fail. The judgment may be subtle, often felt rather than understood. It can lead to a lack of confidence, which may result in more failure, loss of interest, or giving up.

As a park naturalist, I deal with the squishy sciences. In hands-on activities with students, there is occasionally some squealing. It is almost always a girl, and it can be contagious. But if I approach the students calmly, reassure them and redirect their energy, at the end of the day I find that the ones who squealed the loudest are often among the ones with the highest interest and keenest understanding.