Narrowing the Gender Gap: Enduring Changes in Middle School Students’ Attitude Toward Math, Science and Technology

Abstract

Middle School students from rural school districts participated in a Summer STEM program with academic year follow-up requirements. Both males and females showed increased interest and confidence regarding math science, technology, and problem-solving. Furthermore, these gains continued beyond the immediate impact of Summer program participation and were intact nine months later. However, perhaps the most interesting results from this study are the effects that the program had on closing the gap between males and females on several of these important indicators.