Addressing Gender Barriers in STEM through Theatre of Social Engagement

通过社会参与剧场解决STEM中的性别障碍项目通过教育高中生、家长、教师和辅导员了解妇女和其他代表性不足群体面临的参与障碍，回应了教育公众了解计算机和信息科学与工程(CEISE)领域职业的需要。在这个面向公众受众的传播研究(CRPA)项目中，一个戏剧性的戏剧被用来传达PI的工作结果，该工作导致了一个关于性别和IT的理论来解释和预测IT领域的性别(低于)表征。这部剧戏剧化了这一理论的结构，特别是性别、种族和阶级如何影响身份以及职业和生活决定。作为研究的一部分，这部戏剧的故事情节取材于生活史采访，讲述了三名即将高中毕业的年轻女性，她们对自己的未来和可能的IT职业做出了决定。这部剧恰好位于社会参与剧场的领域和文学中，它的阶段性读物和辅助网站将访问范围扩展到科学界之外，以获得关于CISE性别障碍的新的科学研究。该项目的学习目标包括：1.对可能的计算机和信息科学及工程职业的认识和知识；影响妇女职业选择的障碍和陈规定型观念；以及能够在职业决策的关键转折点发挥作用的“重要其他人”，如合作伙伴、家庭成员、导师和教师。关于CISE领域向每个人开放而不分性别、民族、种族或阶级的态度变化；如何利用个人特征来抵制进入CISE职业生涯的障碍。关于更多地了解CISE职业和教育机会的意向行为；以及对与CISE相关的负面刻板印象的回应。对拟议项目的评估将包括观察、戏剧朗读后的对话会议(焦点小组)、在放映时进行的事后调查，以及在放映后一定时间内进行的第二次表演后调查。传播将通过为新泽西州和宾夕法尼亚州的观众阅读该剧，与非正式学习场所合作，以及通过一个相关网站，允许访问者下载和上演该剧。该剧和网站的广告将通过Facebook、Twitter等网站和促进计算多样性的网站进行。此外，国际戏剧协会打算将戏剧作为一种非正式的学习方法，并研究观众对戏剧本身的反应，以此作为学术文献的一部分。

The Addressing Gender Barriers in STEM through Theatre of Social Engagement project responds to the need to educate the public about the careers in computer and information science and engineering (CISE) fields by educating high school students, parents, teachers and counselors about the barriers to participation that confront women and other underrepresented groups. In this Communicating Research to Public Audiences (CRPA) project, a dramatic play is used to communicate the findings from the PI's work which resulted in a theory about gender and IT to explain and predict gender (under)representation in IT fields. The play dramatizes constructs of the theory, particularly the ways in which gender, ethnicity, and class affect identity and career and life decisions. Drawing from life history interviews conducted as a part of the research, the storyline of the dramatic play centers on three young women who are graduating from high school and making decisions about their futures and possible careers in IT. Situated squarely in the realm and literature of "theatre of social engagement," this play, and its staged readings and ancillary website, extend access beyond the scientific community to new scientific research on gender barriers in CISE. Learning goals for the project include:1. Awareness and knowledge about possible computer and information science and engineering careers; barriers and stereotypes that affect CISE career choice among women; and "significant others" such as partners, family members, mentors and teachers who can make a difference at key inflection points in career decision making.2. Attitude change about the CISE fields being open to everyone regardless of gender, ethnicity, race or class; how one's individual characteristics can be used to resist barriers to inclusion in CISE careers.3. Intended behavior about learning more about CISE careers and educational opportunities; and responding to negative stereotypes related to CISE. Evaluation of the proposed project will include observations, talk-back sessions (focus groups) after readings of the play, pre-post surveys administered at the showings, and a second post-performance survey to be administered a certain amount of time after the showing. Dissemination will be through readings of the play for audiences in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, with partnering informal learning venues, and through an associated website which will allow visitors to download and stage the play themselves. Advertisement for the play and the website will take place through websites such as Facebook, Twitter, and websites that promote diversity in computing. In addition, the PI intends to contribute to the scholarly literature on theatre as an informal learning approach and on the findings of how audiences respond to the play itself.