SciGirls Seven: How to Engage Girls in STEM

SciGirls Seven: How to Engage Girls in STEM

This book outlines our educational approach, rooted in what research has revealed engages girls in STEM. Yet these strategies have also been proven to work with all learners, including underrepresented youth.  Everyone benefits from a gender equitable approach to STEM!

• Download the complete guide here, or download only the sections you need below.
• Watch the SciGirls Gender Equity Webinar to get the lowdown on SciGirls' approach. Recorded June 1, 2010 with the National Girls Collaborative Project.
• Want a fun way to present the strategies to others? Download the SciGirls Seven puzzle pieces here.

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When you hear the name SciGirls, you might think, "I work in a mixed genders setting, SciGirls can't be for me." That's definitely not the case. Although our approach, which we call the SciGirls Seven, is rooted in what research has revealed engages girls in STEM, these strategies have also been proven to work with all learners, including underrepresented youth. Research shows that, for a variety of reasons, some girls begin to lose interest (and confidence in their abilities) in math and science in middle school.  Download The Big Idea: What the Research Shows (1.5M PDF)

The SciGirls Seven: Proven Strategies for Engaging Girls in STEM

The SciGirls approach - for the TV show, website, and educational materials - is rooted in research about how to engage girls in STEM. A quarter of a century of studies have converged on a set of common strategies that work, and these have become SciGirls' foundation. Download: SciGirls Seven: Proven Strategies for Engaging Girls in STEM (1M PDF)

1. Girls benefit from collaboration, especially when they can participate and communicate fairly. (Fancsali, 2002; Parker & Rennie, 2002) | Download Tips
2. Girls are motivated by projects they find personally relevant and meaningful. (Eisenhart & Finkel, 1998; Liston, Peterson, & Ragan, 2008; Thompson & Windschitl, 2005) | Download Tips
3. Girls enjoy hands-on, open-ended projects and investigations. (Burkam, Lee, & Smerdon, 1997; Chatman, Nielsen, Strauss, & Tanner, 2008; Fancsali, 2002) | Download Tips
4. Girls are motivated when they can approach projects in their own way, applying their creativity, unique talents, and preferred learning styles. (Calabrese Barton, Tan, & Rivet, 2008; Eisenhart & Finkel, 1998) | Download Tips
5. Girls' confidence and performance improves in response to specific, positive feedback on things they can control—such as effort, strategies, and behaviors. (Blackwell, Trzesniewski, & Sorich Dweck, 2007; Halpern et al., 2007; Mueller & Dweck, 1998; Zeldin & Pajares, 2000) | Download Tips
6. Girls gain confidence and trust in their own reasoning when encouraged to think critically. (Chatman et al., 2008; Eisenhart & Finkel, 1998) | Download Tips
7. Girls benefit from relationships with role models and mentors. (Evans, Whigham, & Wang, 1995; Liston et al., 2008) | Download Tips

Learn how to apply the SciGirls Seven to any STEM activity in your repertoire! Download Activity Makeover: Applying the SciGirls Seven (740K PDF)

Want to learn more? Download References and Readings