NSF INCLUDES DDLP: Leadership and iSTEAM for Females in Elementary school (LiFE): An Integrated Approach to Increase the Number of Women Pursuing Careers in STEM

“生命计划”是美国国家科学基金会包含设计和开发启动试点项目的一部分，它将调查和设计一项合作努力，以对抗那种认为男孩“天生”更擅长科学和数学的刻板印象，这种刻板印象已成为一种自我实现的预言，默默地塑造了女孩对自己能力的看法。LiFE合作者将从根源上解决这个问题：小学女生的早期学习经历。小学-中学阶段是至关重要的，因为到了8年级，许多女孩就永远离开了STEM的道路。扭转这一趋势的关键是找到有效的方法，将STEM展示为一个协作的、人文丰富的空间，在这个空间里，女孩们可以共同参与，做自己，并进行探索。研究表明，女孩更喜欢能够改变世界的合作活动。LiFE将与经济和种族多样化的新泽西州小学联盟合作，采用“iSTEAM”学习策略，鼓励女孩在创新、合作和沟通的开放环境中应用各种学科的工具来调查和解决现实世界的问题。这种方法在吸引女孩方面尤其有效。LiFE将以一个成功的女孩科学俱乐部（GSC）模式为基础，引入3-4年级的女孩使用基于问题/项目的学习策略进行动手的iSTEAM探索活动。其他活动将利用项目的企业/政府合作伙伴（包括苹果和美国陆军）的专业知识来建立沟通和领导技能。LiFE将透过发展5-6年级的扶轮社来维持GSC的利益，包括丰富的内容和长期的独立计划。最终，一个分层的同伴网络将把小学女生、女大学生和女性STEM专业人士联系起来——每一层都指导下一层。这个网络将维持一种至关重要的“社区意识”，以留住STEM领域的女性。在LiFE的社会创新框架方法中，参与地区将根据他们的社区量身定制GSC，同时也为共同的目标而共同努力。LiFE将研究GSCs对七年级女生对STEM兴趣的持续影响。基于这项研究，LiFE将开发一种具有成本效益的模板，可以在美国各地复制。LiFE将为小学阶段所有学术水平的女孩提供基于问题的iSTEAM概念，同时在非竞争环境中关注参与者开发的项目，并利用学术、企业和政府合作伙伴的资源，促进女性更广泛地参与STEM职业。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The LiFE Project, an NSF INCLUDES Design and Development Launch Pilot, will investigate and design a collaborative effort to counter the stereotypical expectation that boys are "naturally" better at science and math which becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, silently shaping the girls'own perceptions of their ability. LiFE collaborators will address this problem at its source: the early learning experiences of elementary school girls. The elementary-middle school period is critical because by 8th grade, many girls have left the STEM pathway forever. The key to reversing the trend is finding effective ways to showcase STEM as a collaborative, people-rich space in which girls can participate together, be themselves, and engage in exploration. Research indicates that girls prefer collaborative activities that can make a difference in the world. Partnering with a coalition of economically and racially diverse New Jersey elementary schools, LiFE will employ "iSTEAM" learning strategies that encourage girls to apply the tools of various disciplines to investigate and solve real-world problems in an open environment of innovation, collaboration, and communication. This approach promises to be especially effective in engaging girls.LiFE will build on a successful Girls Science Club (GSC) model that introduces girls in grades 3-4 to hands-on iSTEAM exploration activities using Problem/Project-Based Learning strategies. Additional activities will leverage the expertise of the project's corporate/government partners (including Apple and USARMY) to build communication and leadership skills. LiFE will sustain the GSC's benefits by developing clubs for grades 5-6 involving enriched content and long-term independent projects. Eventually, a tiered peer network will link girls from elementary school through women college students and female STEM professionals--each tier mentoring the tiers below. This network will sustain a crucial "sense of community" to retain women in STEM. Within LiFE's social innovation framework approach, participating districts will tailor the GSC to their community while also working together toward shared common goals. LiFE will study the impact of GSCs on persistence of girls' interest in STEM into grade 7. Based on this research, LiFE will develop a cost-effective template that can be replicated across the US. LiFE will bring problem-based iSTEAM concepts to girls of all academic levels in their elementary schools years while, having a community focus with participant-developed projects in a non-competitive environment and leveraging the resources of academic, corporate and government partners to foster broader participation by women in STEM careers.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.