STEM, Gaming, and Gender:
An Educational Perspective from the US
Noelle Griffin, PhD
Assistant Director for Research and Evaluation
CRESST
Women in Games Workshop
Los Angeles, CA – October 20, 2011
Overview
•
Gender and science, technology, engineering, math
(STEM) achievement
•
Gender and STEM attainment
•
Gender and educational games - considerations
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Gender and STEM Achievement
•
Historical perspectives
 Boys outperform girls in math/science
 Gender differences begin at an early age
 Gender differences increase with age
•
More current findings
 Gender gaps in STEM, if exist, typically small
 In some situations girls outperform boys
 Domain makes a difference
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Example: NAEP
•
National Assessment of Educational Progress
(2009)
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Grades 4, 8, 12; literacy, mathematics, science
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Math: Small (2 point) gender difference
•
Science: Varies by content, grade
 Overall science: Boys score higher than girls (2-5 points)
 Life science: No difference or girls score higher
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NAEP: Math Gender Differences
Figure 1. Trend in fourth-grade NAEP mathematics average scores and score gaps, by gender.
Reprinted from “The nation’s report card: Mathematics 2009. National assessment of educational
progress of grades 4 and 8,” by National Center for Education Statistics, 2009, p. 11. Copyright 2009
by the National Center for Education Statistics.
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NAEP: Example of Other Variation
Figure 2. Trend in fourth-grade NAEP mathematics average scores, by eligibility for free or reduced-price
school lunch. Reprinted from “The nation’s report card: Mathematics 2009. National assessment of
educational progress of grades 4 and 8,” by National Center for Education Statistics, 2009, p. 12.
Copyright 2009 by the National Center for Education Statistics.
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Example: National High School
Graduates Study (2009)
•
No gender difference in STEM credits earned
•
Women have higher GPAs
•
Women more likely to complete mid-level or
rigorous curriculum
•
Women tended to be “missing” more rigorous
science requirements
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Gender and STEM Attainment
•
Programme for International Student Assessment
(PISA): Engagement, interest, motivation in STEM
lower for girls
•
Although women have increased in some science
majors, still under-represented in many
•
Only @ 20% of physics, engineering, computer
science undergrad degrees
•
Similar trends in doctorate, professorship, career
contexts
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Women in STEM Careers
Figure 3. Women in selected STEM occupations, 2008. Reprinted from “Why so few? Women in
science, technology, engineering and mathematics,” by C. Hill, C. Corbett and A. St. Rose, 2010, p. 31.
Copyright 2010 by the American Association of University Women.
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Research: Potential Psychosocial
Sources of STEM Gender Gap
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Social learning/modeling
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Stereotype threat
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Self-efficacy, test anxiety
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Opportunity to learn (OTL)
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Parent, teacher factors
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Peer group influence
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Metacognitive factors (e.g., self-regulation)
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Gender and Educational Games
•
Gender differences in gaming persist, but
decreasing
 Game type/format important
•
Gender considerations in motivational/engagement
aspect
 Narrative/character
 Social demands
 Within-group variability
•
Gender and learning game effectiveness/impact
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Gender and Gaming Participation
(Chung et al, 2011)
Gender differences in reported game play
Game Type
Mean Difference
(Male-Female)
Mobile games
-.01
Puzzle games
-.23
Arcade games
.34
First person shooter
1.59* (statistically significant)
Action games
1.47* (statistically significant)
•
Gender differences due to first person/action differences
•
Self-reported video game efficacy higher for boys, but no difference
when first-person shooter experience controlled for
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Narrative/Gender in Educational
Games (Bittick et al, 2011)
•
177 middle and high school students
•
Math game, 3 versions of narrative (feminine,
masculine, neutral)
•
Key findings:
 No gender differences in math pre/post tests
 Masculine narrative –greater learning impact
 “Matching” of narrative - greater impact for males
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Future Directions
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griffin@cse.ucla.edu