Gender stereotyping and STEM education: Girls' empowerment through effective ICT training in Hong Kong

Gender stereotyping and STEM education: Girls' empowerment through effective ICT training in Hong Kong

• Tam, Hau Lin City University of Hong Kong
• Chan, Angus Yuk Fung City University of Hong Kong
• Lai, Oscar Long Hin City University of Hong Kong

Children and Youth Services Review, 119(0), -, 2021

Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd.

2021

• A Human Growth & Development
  • AJ Sexual Difference, Bisexual Educational Difference, Sexism in Education
• G Curriculum, Teaching & Learning: Specific Disciplines
  • GC Mathematics & Statistics
• G Curriculum, Teaching & Learning: Specific Disciplines
  • GD Science & Technology
• G Curriculum, Teaching & Learning: Specific Disciplines
  • GG Engineering, Manufacturing & Construction

STEM Education Girls’ ICT Self-efficacy Perceived Value of ICT ICT Gender Stereotyping

• Hong Kong

• 1997.7 onwards

• Secondary Education

For over a decade, STEM education has been developed as an integrative curriculum for promoting students' performance in the disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. However, its development in Hong Kong is still at an early stage, and more studies are necessary to explore the impact of STEM education on local students. In addition, gender stereotyping is a long-standing issue that needs to be addressed in information communications technology (ICT) education. Through surveys used to evaluate a local ICT training workshop in Hong Kong with 411 female students in junior secondary school, this study provides empirical evidence supporting the effectiveness of a STEM education program for promoting student development and alleviating gender stereotyping in ICT. The results showed that an inquiry-based model of learning, which focuses on students' problem-solving skills and analytical ability, significantly enhanced ICT self-efficacy and reduced perceived difficulties in using ICT. Moreover, ICT-related gender stereotyping was associated with both ICT self-efficacy and perceived difficulties in using ICT, indicating that gender stereotyping in ICT can be reduced by granting more ICT learning opportunities to female students. Although the perceived value of studying ICT did not show a statistically significant improvement as a result of the ICT workshop, perceived value played a critical role in moderating the effect of ICT self-efficacy on ICT-related gender stereotyping and mediated the relationship between perceived difficulties in using ICT and ICT-related gender stereotyping. It is recommended that more emphasis should be placed on promoting perceived values in future ICT programs. Copyright ©2021 Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd.

• English

Journal Articles

• 01907409

• 10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105624

https://bibliography.lib.eduhk.hk/en/bibs/9837351b

2022-05-12