RES - AnimalWorld: Enhancing High School Women's Mathematical Competence

一些国家的评估显示，在过去十年中，数学成绩的性别差距已经显著缩小，高中女性选修数学课程的数量大幅增加。然而，其他数据表明，从高中到大学的关键过渡时期，女生并不具备深厚的、基于概念的数学能力，这有助于进入STEM(科学、技术、工程、数学)职业生涯。具体地说，在必须应用新的问题解决方法，以及必须在时间压力下工作或将技能转移到以前没有见过的问题上时，女性学生在解决复杂问题方面的表现要比男性差得多。其他研究指出，女性和男性学生的学习风格存在差异；女性学生需要更有结构、更具体、更重复的指导，而男性在更抽象的暗示和帮助方面做得同样好，这表明他们对数学概念有更深的理解。一个相关的担忧是，女学生选修更多的数学课程并没有转化为更多的女性进入职场；也就是说，女性正在选修更多的数学课程，但并不打算在职业生涯中使用这些课程。其后果体现在女性在STEM专业和职业中的代表性持续不足，以及严重缺乏足够数量的数学熟练工人来满足我们国家的需求。该项目旨在调查导致女性学生数学能力较浅的因素，以及在从高中到大学的关键过渡时期男性和女性学生的学习风格。我们的研究是在多媒体、多组件模拟环境：AnimalWorld的背景下进行的。AnimalWorld为高中女性(和男性)提供了1)高中数学(分数；代数；几何；比率/比例/小数；概率)的智能导师，提供性别适应性教学，并允许分析男性和女性的学习风格；2)虚拟导师组件，在这个组件中，在模拟世界中解决数学问题的学生可以遇到真正的女性研究人员和专家(通过嵌入模拟的视频剪辑)，她们讨论她们的训练和数学对他们职业生涯的重要性；3)指尖数学模块，学生们定期排练数学事实，释放认知资源，用于更高顺序的问题解决，预测数学考试分数的提高；4)一个通过在模拟的三维环境中动态操作物体来增强学生空间认知的模块，这将使我们能够对女性数学成绩较差反映出空间认知欠发达的假设进行强有力的测试；以及5)一个SAT-数学准备模块，旨在缩小在这一关键成就测试中显著存在的性别差距。我们的预测是，与AnimalWorld合作的女学生在复杂的数学问题解决技能(包括SAT-Math考试成绩)方面将显著提高；性别适应性教学将促进女学生更好地理解概念；虚拟导师将鼓励女学生报告对STEM职业生涯更感兴趣。研究结果将加深我们对男性和女性学习风格的理解，并为所有学生提供有效的数学教学的新途径。

Some national assessments show that the gender gap in math achievement has narrowed dramatically in the last decade, and that there has been a significant increase in the number of mathematics courses taken by high school women. However, other data indicate that female students do not confront the critical transition from high school to college with deep, conceptually based mathematical competence that supports entry into STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) careers. Specifically, female students perform much less well than males on complex problem solving, when they must apply novel problem solving approaches, and when they must work under time pressure or transfer skills to problems not previously seen. Other research points to differences in female and male students learning styles; female students require more structured, concrete and repetitive instruction whereas males do equally well with more abstract hints and help, suggesting that they have a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts. A related concern is that female students increased math course taking has not translated into a higher number of women in the pipeline towards careers; that is, women are taking additional math but are not planning to utilize it in their careers. The consequences are seen in the continued under-representation of females in STEM majors and careers, and the critical lack of mathematically sophisticated workers in numbers sufficient to meet our nations needs.This project is designed to investigate the factors that contribute to female students shallower mathematical competence, as well as the learning styles that characterize male and female students at the critical transition from high school to college. Our investigations take place in the context of a multimedia, multi-component simulation environment: AnimalWorld. AnimalWorld provides high school women (and men) with 1) an intelligent tutor for high school mathematics (fractions; algebra; geometry; ratios/proportions/decimals; probability) that provides gender adaptive instruction and allows for analysis of male and female learning styles; 2) a virtual mentor component, in which students who are solving math problems in the simulated world can meet real female researchers and experts (through video clips embedded in the simulation) who discuss their training and the importance of math for their careers; 3) a math at your fingertips module in which students periodically rehearse math facts to free cognitive resources for higher-order problem solving, predicting increased math test scores; 4) a module to enhance students spatial cognition through dynamic manipulation of objects in simulated three-dimensional environments, which will allow us to provide a strong test of the hypothesis that females poorer math achievement reflects less well developed spatial cognition; and 5) an SAT-Math preparation module designed to narrow the striking gender gap on this critical achievement test.Our prediction is that female students who work with AnimalWorld will show significant increases in their complex math problem-solving skill, including their SAT-Math exam performance; that gender adaptive instruction will foster greater conceptual understanding in female students; and that virtual mentors will encourage female students to report greater interest in STEM careers. The results will increase our understanding of male and female learning styles, as well as provide new approaches to effective mathematics instruction for all students.