Attracting Girls to Civil Engineering through Hands-On Activities That Reveal the Communal Goals and Values of the Profession
Publication: Leadership and Management in Engineering
Volume 13, Issue 1
Abstract
In this paper we report on our work to develop hands-on activities for middle school classrooms that clearly reveal how civil engineers make a substantial societal impact. These activities and their accompanying messaging vividly show how, through their work, teams of civil engineers help people around the world have better quality of life in a sustainable way. All activities are easily reproducible with low-cost materials and represent a number of specialization areas within civil engineering—namely, structural, urban and community planning, and water resources. The messaging that is an integral part of the activities uses the latest available research on why girls are underrepresented in civil engineering in particular, and the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields in general, to highlight the communal goals and values that civil engineers strive for. The results presented in this paper should allow civil engineers to more clearly show how their work enacts communal and altruistic goals that are known to be generally more highly endorsed by women than by men. Preliminary results on the implementation of these strategies in the context of an all-girls middle school show promise in enabling a better connection between the civil engineering profession and female students.
Data show that women are underrepresented in careers in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, particularly in engineering (Hunter 2006; Menzemer 2007; Leonard and Blevins 2007; Abou-Jaoude and Najjar 2011; Rawot et al. 2011; Kiwana et al. 2011; Koppel et al. 2002; Beddoes 2011; De Cohen and Deterding 2009; Hirsch et al. 2011; Diekman et al. 2011; Cheryan and Plaut 2010; Weisgram and Bigler 2007; National Science Foundation 2011). Female students are often more inclined to study in disciplines in which, through perspectives encouraged throughout their social development, they perceive that they can help people (Koppel et al. 2002; Hirsch et al. 2011; Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 2012). The literature suggests that women tend to hold communal goals more highly than men and often do not make a direct connection to the role of these goals in STEM professions (Diekman et al. 2011). This value manifests itself in a greater number of women pursuing careers in areas such as the health sciences than in the STEM fields (Hirsch et al. 2011; Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 2012). In other words, it has been proposed that women are attracted to careers in which they can help people, work with people, and enact communal goals (Koppel et al. 2002; Hirsch et al. 2011). Many middle and high school students are unaware that turning communal goals and values into reality is quite possible through a career in engineering (Koppel et al. 2002). In fact, it is common that students do not have a clear idea of what engineering involves (Hunter 2006; Hirsch et al. 2011; Iskander and Kapila 2012) or develop perceptions that engineering is only for high-achieving students (Riskowski et al. 2009) or that it is not a female-friendly profession (Hoh 2009).
Many middle school students can identify that there are more men working in STEM areas than women (Weisgram and Bigler 2007). Without much consideration, they may conclude that this is due to men being better at these jobs. Thus, opportunities that allow female students to experience STEM activities and be exposed to female role models in these areas may help counteract this perspective (Baram-Tsabari and Yarden 2011). These opportunities may help female students learn more about how communal goals and values are central to these professions. Recent research, however, questions the value of female role models, particularly those that are presented in an overly feminine manner, which may result in further disinterest from middle school students in the STEM fields (Betz and Sekaquaptewa 2012; Cheryan et al. 2011).
Research also indicates that it is common for both male and female students to experience a rapid loss of interest in the STEM fields during their middle school years (Rawot et al. 2011; Kiwana et al. 2011; Weisgram and Bigler 2007; Riskowski et al. 2009; Baram-Tsabari and Yarden 2011; Snell and Snell 2002; Hanson et al. 2003). In fact, beyond the middle school years, students have more choice about what they study and often drift away from STEM-related subjects (Sadler et al. 2012). For this reason, the civil engineering program implemented has been targeted at the lower middle school grades to inspire female students to consider the possibilities that are available in the STEM fields.
As with other engineering disciplines, there are relatively few female civil engineering professionals (National Science Foundation 2011). To counteract this imbalance, a variety of programs have been described in the literature to encourage middle and high school students, in particular girls, to become interested in civil engineering (Hunter 2006; Menzemer 2007; Leonard and Blevins 2007; Abou-Jaoude and Najjar 2011; Rawot et al. 2011; Iskander and Kapila 2012; Riskowski et al. 2009; Hanson et al. 2003; Mosqueda et al. 2011; Perrey et al. 2008; Elton et al. 2006). These programs vary from stand-alone activities that a teacher can conduct in class (Elton et al. 2006) to intensive programs of after-school workshops on various civil engineering concepts (Hanson et al. 2003). Our main contribution in this area is providing explicit links between hands-on activities and the communal goals and values of civil engineering.
Program Outline
An intensive 4-week program of STEM workshops, designed to introduce female students to the wider world of engineering, was delivered to two middle school classes, one Grade 5 and the other Grade 6, from a local girls’ school. The content of the program included one optics engineering workshop, one sound engineering workshop, and two civil engineering workshops. These were delivered separately to each grade and were facilitated by University of Tasmania engineering students who were part of the STEM Education and Outreach team (http://www.utas.edu.au/stem). The content of each workshop was closely linked to the Australian Science standards. These standards indicate the science content knowledge and skills that students between Preparatory (before year 1) and year 10 should acquire in each year of their schooling. The government designed standards are to be implemented nationwide from 2013 (ACARA 2012). Each workshop consisted of hands-on group activities, references to relevant theory, practical examples, and interactive discussions about engineers in the workplace. Only the civil engineering workshops are described in this paper.
To make a preliminary assessment of the effectiveness of the STEM program in influencing girls’ perceptions of engineers and the engineering profession, participants were surveyed using the Draw an Engineer Test (DAET) both before and after the program (Capobianco et al. 2011; Karatas et al. 2011; Weber et al. 2011). This instrument asks students to draw an engineer and then write about the engineer’s work environment, hobbies, and job duties.
Civil Engineering Workshops
In this section we describe the hands-on activities and the messaging used to connect these activities to various communal goals and values of the civil engineering profession. These hands-on activities are representative of modern civil engineering practice.
Water Transportation
The first civil engineering workshop focused on the use of water resources and the role of civil engineers in this area. After a general introduction to the engineering profession, a preliminary activity was facilitated. Students had to design and construct a disposable container made only out of paper that could hold as much water for as long as possible. Students were then introduced to the engineering design process, with particular emphasis on evaluating and redesigning a prototype. The students tested their designs once and made alterations depending on the performance of their container. This activity encouraged the students to be creative, and redesigning provided an opportunity to critically analyze their own work. The majority of students in each class produced a design that held water. However, some students did not consider the practicality of being able to easily transport water using their prototype.
The communal goals and values that could be linked to the activity were discussed after initial testing. It was proposed that being able to transport water with low-cost materials and no technological support is particularly relevant to developing or poverty-stricken countries. This discussion highlighted that the simplicity and potential effectiveness of the designs were the major considerations of the activity. The design principles of efficiency and minimal environmental impact in the industrial production process of cups and containers were also explored with both groups of girls.
Water Purification
The primary hands-on activity completed in the water engineering workshop looked at water purification. The girls discussed definitions of clean water and different kinds of impurities before being put into teams to design and construct a model purification system. Students were presented with a range of household materials that could be layered in a soft drink bottle to form the purifier (see, e.g., Roberts 2011). Initially, teams brainstormed ideas and attempted to evaluate which materials would perform well in the filter. Once an idea was decided on and designed on paper, the groups constructed their model prototype. Purifiers were tested by passing “dirty water” (containing oil, food colouring, and sediments) through the system. The effectiveness of the system was judged based on the speed of the filtration and the “cleanliness” of the water.
The altruistic messages related to this activity were explored to highlight that water purification makes life safer and easier for society. As a point of contrast, the group discussed water purification in the context of a developing country and how this differed from personal experiences of water usage and access. Low-cost, commercially available filter systems that are in use in developing countries were also described (Bell 2012; Flakstad 2004). Students were also introduced to local water sources and interactively worked with the facilitators to suggest some communal considerations a civil engineer would make in getting potable water to the taps in their respective houses. The key considerations identified by the students included environmental impact, nonintrusive layout of pipelines, cost, and safety in construction, to name a few.
Tall Structures
The second civil engineering workshop concentrated on structures. The preliminary activity involved the students working in small teams to build the tallest tower possible with a limited number of newspaper sheets and tape (see, e.g., Minogue and Guentensberger 2006). It was an important requirement that the tower could hold a specified weight at its highest point. A short time limit was set, so students had to communicate and brainstorm efficiently to complete the design challenge. Facilitators introduced examples of existing tall towers, and the group discussed the civil engineering considerations and implications of designing and constructing a tall tower. Common engineering design issues such as cost, safety, and environmental impact were suggested by the girls. Facilitators also encouraged discussion about the reduction of urban sprawl and commuting time as a result of building a tall (residential) tower. Connections were also explored to the role of tall towers in urban and community planning. Girls were made aware that civil engineers commonly face conflicting objectives, such as minimizing environmental impact while keeping costs low.
Bridge Building
The primary hands-on activity completed in the structural engineering workshop considered bridge construction. Students were introduced to forces and the basics of tension, compression, and bending. These ideas were applied to basic geometry, investigating how simple planar shapes respond to different forces. Students then worked in teams to design and construct a truss bridge that could hold as much weight as possible without collapsing (see, e.g., Owens and Sullivan 2012). The teams were given only tape and a restricted number of straws as construction materials. A pressuring time limit was set, encouraging the groups again to work efficiently and communicate well. It was a requirement that each group brainstorm and design their structure on paper before construction. The engineering design process was used, in which students had the opportunity to test their bridge, identify possible failure modes, and add to or change their design. The success of the bridge design was judged based on its ultimate load, as well as its deflections. If a bridge deflected significantly, it was considered ineffective, and girls were encouraged to improve their designs accordingly.
Communal goals and values were explored by analyzing what purpose bridges serve. The classes came to the conclusion that bridges address the communal goal of making life easier for people. They exist to reduce the amount of time it takes to get from one location to another while also providing access to areas that may be difficult or impossible to get to otherwise. The classes then spent time in small group discussions to identify some societal considerations a civil engineer would make in designing and constructing a bridge. Among others, students suggested that important considerations included making the bridge safe for motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians; ensuring that the bridge was big enough to prevent congestion; and minimizing the negative impact on surrounding people, animals, plants, and rivers. Additionally, the classes discussed finding a balance between these goals, sustainability, and overall cost.
Preliminary Results
In this section, we present some preliminary results on how this series of workshops influenced perceptions of engineers and the engineering profession in the girls who took part in the program. The number of students participating in each workshop was 21 and 24 for Grades 5 and 6, respectively. The DAET was used to explore students’ understanding and perceptions of engineers before and on completion of the 4-week STEM program. In the preprogram survey, both classes most commonly depicted an engineer as a man wearing overalls and fixing cars with basic tools. No student in either grade drew such an image on completion of the program. Given that there were other engineering disciplines represented across the STEM program, results of the DAET reflected a variety of engineering streams. Nevertheless, a significant proportion of drawings in the postprogram survey represented civil engineers at work. Most of these drawings made reference to ideas such as design, planning, modelling, and teamwork, all of which were discussed throughout the various workshops. This finding reflects that students were able to retain fundamental engineering concepts beyond completion of the program.
As previously mentioned, highlighting the communal goals and values of the (civil) engineering profession was a central objective across the workshops. Importantly, these goals and values were not mentioned in any worksheets from either grade in the preprogram survey; only one Grade 5 student referenced these ideas in the postprogram survey. However, 10 Grade 6 students discussed societal goals such as safety, environmental considerations, and improving quality of life as elements that characterize the work of engineers. For example, in the preprogram survey, Student 16 (Grade 6) initially wrote, “My engineer designs bridges and then makes little models of them to see if they work. He then constructs them.” In the postprogram survey, she stated, “She [the engineer] makes and designs cochlear implants to help deaf people. This is a very rewarding career, as she gets to help people and make their lives better.” Similarly, in the preprogram survey, Student 24 (Grade 6) wrote, “My engineer fixes car engines to make them work smoothly. His second job is researching things about engines.” At the end of the program, her statement changed to, “My engineer is a civil engineer, and she designs bridges and buildings. She has to make things efficiently and safely.”
The difference in the number of references to communal goals and values between the Grade 5 and 6 classes may be due to a higher level of maturity in the older, Grade 6 class. Generally, the Grade 6 class was also more attentive and more willing to partake in discussions between activities.
While the topic of women in engineering was never explicitly discussed, the number of female engineers drawn in the DAET rose from 2 to 10 for Grade 5 students and from 4 to 8 for Grade 6 students. This finding is reflected in the above quotes; both students discussed a male engineer in the preprogram survey yet wrote about a female engineer in the postprogram survey. All of the workshops conducted had at least one female facilitator. This fact, combined with the improved perception of engineering, may have enabled the students to relate to the profession by the end of the program (Diekman et al. 2010, 2011). In many of the postprogram surveys students drew, or made reference to, the engineers being happy, far more than in the preprogram survey. This finding may also reveal that the clearer understanding of engineering that developed over the course of the program also made the profession more appealing than prior to participation in the STEM workshops.
The girls completed feedback forms at the conclusion of each workshop. Generally, while student comments on the workshops were positive, it was clear that the students enjoyed participating in hands-on activities more than in interactive discussions. This finding suggests that while the students retained the core elements of the role of communal goals and values in civil engineering, they did not enjoy discussing them as much as they did doing the hands-on group work. This finding leads to the recommendation that future workshops be more closely linked to ongoing classroom work so that students take more responsibility for their own learning, rather than perceiving the workshops as fun excursions with no explicit educational outcomes. The authors feel that this linkage may be addressed by actively involving teachers in the design, delivery, and evaluation stages of future STEM programs.
Conclusion
Preliminary results have so far shown that the girls generally enhanced their understanding of what civil engineers do. These students also discovered more about women in engineering and the altruistic goals and values associated with the profession. The intensive STEM program had a tangible effect in changing these middle school girls’ perceptions of engineers when consistent reflections on communal goals and values were made. The authors strongly believe that facilitating fun hands-on activities in the area of civil engineering should be complemented with messaging that clearly conveys how engineers help people and enact communal goals and values. We also feel that hands-on activities with explicit connections to how civil infrastructure and technology help people and society can better stimulate the interest of female students. To the best of our knowledge, these features are not commonly visible in current STEM outreach programs for middle school students. Stronger messaging focused on societal goals and values could also have a positive impact on male students.
The STEM program is planned to expand to a wider variety of civil engineering areas, such as geotechnical and transport engineering. The project will also be expanded to be delivered to higher and lower grade levels to measure the effectiveness of the program for different age groups. Updated information about the workshops and hands-on activities is available on the University of Tasmania STEM website (http://www.utas.edu.au/stem).
Acknowledgments
We gratefully acknowledge the support and participation of the Grade 5 and 6 classes from St. Michael’s Collegiate School.
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Biographies
William Colvin is an undergraduate student, School of Engineering, University of Tasmania, Hobart. He can be contacted at [email protected].
Sarah Lydenis a graduate student, School of Engineering, University of Tasmania, Hobart. She can be contacted at [email protected].
Bernardo A. León de la Barra is lecturer, School of Engineering, University of Tasmania, Hobart. He can be contacted at [email protected].
Information & Authors
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Published In
Leadership and Management in Engineering
Volume 13 • Issue 1 • January 2013
Pages: 35 - 41
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 1, 2012
Accepted: Jul 24, 2012
Published online: Dec 16, 2012
Published in print: Jan 1, 2013
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