Abstract
In the USA, women have consistently been proportionally underrepresented in science and technology (S&T). In these disciplines, as students move from high schools to colleges to graduate programs, qualified women drop out at higher rates than do men, resulting in a striking loss of talented students. Attitude toward a discipline is one of the major factors in students’ choice of majors. As a result, attitudes toward S&T are issues with longstanding attention and interest in education research. Retention of female students in S&T majors remains a major concern. The purpose of the study was to investigate attitudes toward S&T including attitudes toward female participation in S&T, among S&T majors, and examine differences by gender and class standing. Such an investigation would provide deeper insights to help devise strategies to retain women in S&T majors.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank all the students who took the time and care to participate in this research. We are also grateful for the faculty members who allowed us to administer our survey during their class time. In addition, this research would not have been possible without the funding and support from: (1) the Center for Mathematics, Science, and Technology at the authors’ home institution, and (2) the National Science Foundation.
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Gokhale, A.A., Rabe-Hemp, C., Woeste, L. et al. Gender Differences in Attitudes Toward Science and Technology Among Majors. J Sci Educ Technol 24, 509–516 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-014-9541-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-014-9541-5