GDSE/DEM: Teaching Science with the Social Studies of Science for Gender Equity

Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University, Blacksburg VA

Investigators

Abstract

The Biology Department at Virginia Tech will put in place a strategy to overcome the decrease in the participation of women in biology during their undergraduate years. Metaphorically referred to as the leaky pipeline, women and girls leave science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) as they move from elementary school to professional careers. Increasing numbers of women are recruited into science but they are not retained, even though the metaphor assumes that they will persist under current pedagogical practices, that they will be successful within the social constraints of scientific careers, and that they will assimilate into the current practice of science. However, the pipeline itself and the pond into which it empties may not be neutral; may promote females' leaving science. If these cultures developed in the absence of a wide variety of participants and perspectives, it is perhaps not surprising that it is alienating to those who have been excluded. The goal of this demonstration project to investigate the hypothesis that the cultures of science are responsible for alienating women and minorities. By integrating the social studies of science into science education, the team will reveal these cultures and then assess whether this novel pedagogy increases women's retention. The team will teach a sophomore-level Cell and Molecular Biology course that makes scientific cultures visible alongside traditional material, e.g., mechanisms and regulation of DNA replication, transcription and translation, protein trafficking. Students will have supplementary readings, writing assignments and discussions that use the social studies of science to see the assumptions, concepts, and practices of science in a new way. Writing assignments and oral responses (obtained in semi-structured interviews) will be assessed for progressively deeper understanding of the social characteristics of cell and molecular biology, for students' increasing competence and sophistication in using the social studies of science to examine the paradigms and practices of cell and molecular biology, and for their attitudes toward studying cell and molecular biology from this perspective. The benchmarks for the assessment are the epistemological stages (silence, perceived knowledge, subjective knowledge objective knowledge, contextual knowledge) developed by Belenky et al., (1986). These stages were constructed using women's experiences, and their use is appropriate in this project since we are giving women a perspective on the epistemology of science that is different from the predominant masculine model. This assessment, along with a measurement of self-efficacy in traditionally male-dominated occupations (Betz and Hackett, 1998), will be correlated with persistence in science education and progression to scientific careers. If the approach has the desired effect, students' awareness of the cultures of science will give them the ability to develop strategies for persistence within the status quo or strategies for change. Either result would have broad impact. Our human and social capital in the scientific workforce would be augmented by increasing the representation of under-represented groups, by fostering gender and racial equity in science, and by bringing fresh viewpoints and creativity in order to solve problems in science, engineering, and technology. As well, it opens a completely new area of theory and practice in science teaching and teacher preparation that benefits all learners. Consequently, the strategy and the assessment of the strategy will be disseminated nationally and internationally, within the university, at meetings of professional societies, and through several publications and web sites.