GSE/RES:Sustainability topics as a route to female recruitment in engineering

智力价值：这项研究项目将调查：a)高中物理教师目前处理与可持续发展相关的主题的方式；b)是否接触到这些主题和工程师？其中的关键作用增加了妇女主修工程学的可能性；以及c)如何有意义地将可持续发展专题纳入高中物理课程，使妇女成为工程学的积极参与者。这项研究建立在批判性科学机构的基础上，学生在哪里？当他们看到改变他们世界的机会时，他们的学习和兴趣就会增强。可持续发展是一个中介话题，我们将通过它来探索高中女性批判性科学机构的发展。本项目的研究方法是解释性混合方法设计，首先是确定关系的量化阶段，然后是定性解释阶段，以增加这些关系的细节和意义。定量阶段将确定高中科学经验与可持续发展之间的关系，对可持续发展问题的兴趣，对工程师的信念？在追求可持续发展的过程中，选择大学的专业。定性阶段将通过深入的学生访谈和对物理教师的案例研究来增加这些关系的背景，这些教师的可持续发展相关课程导致她们的女学生选择工程专业。更广泛的影响：该项目应用批判性科学机构来理解可持续发展主题如何赋予女性选择工程学专业的权力。这种理解将有助于制定切实可行的方法，吸引更多的妇女从事工程工作，并增加从事可持续发展问题的工程师的数量和多样性。此外，该项目将确定有意义地将可持续发展主题纳入高中物理课程的方法，使妇女成为工程学的积极参与者。妇女更多地参与工程工作将产生更加全面的工程专业和更可持续的工程解决方案，这对于解决能源安全和气候不稳定等问题越来越重要。积极主动地接触高中物理教师将使项目成果在传统的学术渠道之外得到广泛传播。该奖项是与NSF EPSCoR办公室共同资助的。

Intellectual Merit: This research project will investigate: a) ways in which high school physical science teachers currently address sustainability-related topics; b) whether exposure to these topics and engineers? key role in them increases the likelihood that women major in engineering; and c) how to meaningfully incorporate sustainability topics into high school physical science classes in ways that engage women to become active participants in engineering. This research builds on critical science agency, where students? learning and interest is enhanced when they see an opportunity to make change in their world. Sustainability is the mediating topic through which we will explore the development of critical science agency in high school women. The research approach to this project is an explanatory mixed methods design, with a quantitative phase to identify relationships followed by a qualitative explanatory phase to add detail and meaning to these relationships. The quantitative phase will identify relationships between high school science experiences with sustainability, interest in sustainability issues, beliefs about engineers? role in the pursuit of sustainability, and college major choice. The qualitative phase will add context to these relationships through in-depth student interviews and case studies of physical science teachers whose sustainability-related lessons led their female students to choose engineering majors. Broader Impacts: This project applies critical science agency to understand how sustainability topics can empower females to choose to major in engineering. This understanding will help devise practical methods to attract more women to engineering and to increase the number and diversity of engineers working on sustainability issues. In addition, this project will identify methods to meaningfully incorporate sustainability topics into high school physical science classes in ways that engage women to become active participants in engineering. Increased participation of women in engineering will lead to a more well-rounded engineering profession and to more sustainable engineering solutions, which are increasingly important to address issues such as energy security and climate destabilization. Proactive outreach to high school physical science teachers will enable widespread dissemination of the project results beyond traditional academic channels.This award is co-funded with the NSF EPSCoR office.