01/24/2024
By Zakkiyya Witherspoon

The School of Education invites you to attend a doctoral dissertation defense by Janet McGrath on “Improving Equity in STEM Education: Creating Inclusive Engineering Design-Based Experiences for Middle School Girls.” 

Candidate: Janet McGrath
Degree: Doctoral- Leadership in Schooling
Defense Date: Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024
Time: 11 a.m.
Location: Via Zoom
Thesis/Dissertation Title: “Improving Equity in STEM Education: Creating Inclusive Engineering Design-Based Experiences for Middle School Girls.” 

Dissertation Committee

  • Dissertation Chair James Nehring, Ed.D., Professor, Leadership in Schooling, School of Education, University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Phitsamay S. Uy, Ed.D., Associate Professor, Leadership in Schooling, Graduate Coordinator for Ed.D Programs, & Co-director of Center for Asian American Studies, School of Education, University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Mentor Tara Goodhue. Ed.D., Adjunct Professor, School of Education, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Abstract:
This three-manuscript dissertation in practice used improvement science as the methodological approach of disciplined inquiry into a problem of practice –– the discrepancy of male and female participation in engineering design-based (EDB) courses and clubs in Starr School District. Manuscript 1 centered around diagnosing the problem and delved into research on creating EDB spaces and curricula that were more inclusive to females. Manuscript 2 described the implementation of an intervention using a Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle to test a theory of improvement. This mixed-method study analyzed the changes in engineering attitudes among female middle school students before and after an EDB intervention that included social aspects, peer mentors, and 3D printing. Girls (n = 22) and boys (n = 12) in the Peer Leader/ Buddy Program participated in a six-week in-school intervention where they used the engineering design process to make an end-of-the-year gift for their buddy. Participants (N = 34) took the S-STEM survey and engaged in semi-structured interviews (n = 4) before and after the intervention. Key findings included: An intervention with 3D printing, social interaction, and peer mentors improved engineering efficacy amongst middle school females; putting effort into making a prototype to express their relatedness to others was a positive experience for female students; participants showed a pattern of viewing engineers as someone who creates a product with a purpose. Manuscript 3 offered recommendations to enhance female attitudes toward engineering, including starting engineering education in elementary school, gearing engineering experiences toward the interest of females, and pushing EDB experiences into pre-existing groups.