GSE/RES Helping to Even the Odds for Girls in STEM Fields: Understanding the Basis for Girls' Difficulties with Measurement

波士顿学院将调查性别和社会经济地位在四年级数学学习方面的差异的基础——特别是测量技能——当孩子们开始使用一系列标准测量工具时。目的和方法本研究采用三管齐下的方法来理解测量中性别和社会经济地位差异的本质。第一个目标是确定四年级学生测量技能的具体维度，揭示性别和社会经济地位的差异。为了实现这一目标，将开发一个系统和全面的测试电池，涵盖广泛的测量技能（第一年）。使用这个工具，学生的表现将被检查，以确定它是否因任务的认知要求而变化。将主要依赖于事实、程序和数值公式知识的项目与依赖于对测量原理和空间感的理解的项目进行比较。该项目的下一个主要目标是确定在测量测试中调解性别和社会经济地位差异的因素。由于测量结合了空间和数值推理的认知方面，这些技能将作为测量性能的预测因素进行检查（二年级）。使用路径分析技术，将确定性别和SES在空间或数字技能上的差异（或两者兼有）是否作为这些群体测量差异的中介。该项目的最终目标是根据前两个研究阶段获得的知识设计和评估测量干预方案。干预和控制项目将在二年级的春季/夏季进行开发和试点测试，并在三年级的课堂上实施。新的测量组将用于评估干预和控制条件下学生在干预前后的表现变化。本研究应进一步阐明测量中性别差异的本质，澄清哪些类型的测量经验减少了关键的性别和社会地位差距。在国内和国际数学成就研究中，测量子测试显示，从四年级到十二年级，最强烈和最一致的性别差异有利于男性（Mullis et al., 2000； NCES, 2004）。在考察美国社会经济地位（SES）差异时，测量子测试再次突出，为低社会经济地位和少数民族学生提供了最大的困难（Lubienski, 2003）。尽管有这些证据，但很少有研究调查测量中普遍存在的性别和社会经济地位差异的基础。然而，理解这个问题的本质是至关重要的，因为测量技能是在STEM（科学、技术、工程和数学）领域取得成功的重要先决条件。数学和科学教育的主要组织强调测量是“数学最广泛应用的应用之一”（NCTM, 2000，第103页），并认为它是“科学的统一概念”之一（NSTA, 2003，第6页）。更广泛的影响数学中性别差异的研究主要集中在态度和社会因素上（NSF, 2004）。性别和社会经济地位在认知策略和技能方面的差异在美国学校的干预研究和数学课程中都是很小的一部分。如果女孩和社会经济地位低的学生在一开始就不太可能对测量原则有深刻的理解，这可能会导致他们在数学和科学方面遇到困难，同时也会导致他们在接触STEM内容时缺乏自信和兴趣。因此，了解测量中这些初始问题的基础是至关重要的。该项目旨在帮助我们了解传统上服务不足的群体，并利用这些基于研究的知识为与这些群体相关的教育实践提供信息。这项研究的结果将广泛传播，新的测量量表和干预方案将在网上提供。鉴于测量作为STEM基础结构的关键作用，本研究可能最终有助于扩大服务不足群体在这些领域的参与，为全国学校系统提供研究测试的测量材料。

Boston College will investigate the basis for gender and SES differences in mathematics learning - specifically measurement skill -- at fourth grade, when children begin to work consistently with a range of standard measurement tools.Objectives and MethodThe proposal takes a three-pronged approach to understanding the nature of gender and SES differences in measurement. The first goal is to identify the specific dimensions of measurement skill at fourth grade that reveal gender and SES differences. To achieve this goal, a systematic and comprehensive test battery covering a wide range of measurement skills will be developed (Year 1). Using this tool, students' performance will be examined to determine whether it varies depending on the cognitive demands of the task. Items that depend primarily on the knowledge of facts, procedures, and numerical formulas will be compared to items that depend on an understanding of measurement principles and spatial sense. The next major goal of the project is to identify the factors that mediate the gender and SES differences on the measurement test. Since measurement incorporates the cognitive aspects of both spatial and numerical reasoning, these skills will be examined as predictors of measurement performance (Year 2). Using path analytic techniques, it will be determined whether gender and SES differences in spatial or numerical skills (or both) function as mediators of the differences in measurement found for these groups. The final goal of the project is to design and evaluate a measurement intervention program based on the knowledge gained during the first two research phases. The intervention and control programs will be developed and pilot-tested in Spring/Summer of Year 2, and implemented in classrooms in Year 3. The new measurement battery will be used to assess pre-/post changes in performance for students in the intervention and control conditions. This study should shed further light on the nature of gender difference in measurement, by clarifying which types of measurement experiences reduce the critical gender and SES gaps.Intellectual MeritIn both national and international studies of mathematics achievement, measurement subtests show the strongest and most consistent gender differences favoring males, from fourth through twelfth grade (Mullis et al., 2000; NCES, 2004). When examining socio-economic status (SES) differences within the U.S., the measurement subtests again stand out as providing the greatest difficulty for low SES and minority students (Lubienski, 2003). Despite this evidence, little research has been done to investigate the basis for the pervasive gender and SES differences in measurement. Yet understanding the nature of this problem is critical because measurement skills are an important pre-requisite for success in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields. Major organizations in mathematics and science education stress measurement as "one of the most widely used applications of mathematics" (NCTM, 2000, p. 103) and consider it to be one of the "unifying concepts of science" (NSTA, 2003, p. 6). Broader ImpactThe major focus in the field of gender differences in mathematics has been on attitudinal and social factors (NSF, 2004). Gender and SES differences in cognitive strategies and skills have been a very minor part of either the intervention research or the mathematics curricula within schools in the United States. If girls and low SES students are less likely to have a deep understanding of measurement principles right at the outset, this may contribute to difficulties later on in mathematics and science, as well as engendering a lack of self-confidence and interest in approaching STEM content. Thus, it is critical to understand the basis for these initial problems in measurement.The project has been designed to contribute to our understanding of traditionally underserved groups and to use this research-based knowledge to inform educational practice in relation to these groups. The findings from this research will be broadly disseminated, with the new measurement scales and the intervention program made available on-line. Given the critical role of measurement as a fundamental construct within STEM, this research may ultimately help to broaden the participation of underserved groups in these fields by providing research tested measurement materials available to school systems nation-wide.