Increasing Gender Diversity in Engineering Using Soft Robotics

Autor/inn/en	Jackson, Andrew; Mentzer, Nathan; Kramer-Bottiglio, Rebecca
Titel	Increasing Gender Diversity in Engineering Using Soft Robotics
Quelle	In: Journal of Engineering Education, 110 (2021) 1, S.143-160 (18 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Jackson, Andrew)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1069-4730
DOI	10.1002/jee.20378
Schlagwörter	Engineering Education; Gender Differences; Robotics; Females; Student Attitudes; High School Students; Teaching Methods; Student Motivation; Student Interests; Self Efficacy; Design; Social Influences + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ingenieurausbildung; Geschlechterkonflikt; Robotertechnik; Weibliches Geschlecht; Schülerverhalten; High school; High schools; Student; Students; Oberschule; Schüler; Schülerin; Studentin; Teaching method; Lehrmethode; Unterrichtsmethode; Schulische Motivation; Studieninteresse; Self-efficacy; Selbstwirksamkeit; Sozialer Einfluss
Abstract	Background: There is a well-known gender disparity in the engineering field. Three of the most important factors related to the participation of women in engineering are differences in perceived societal relevance, technical self-efficacy, and tinkering self-efficacy. Purpose/Hypothesis: Soft robotics is a relatively new engineering application with the potential to address these three factors. We investigated whether participation in a soft robotics design experience would improve students'--especially girls'--perceptions of engineering in contrast to a traditional, rigid robotics experience. Design/Method: Soft robotics curriculum materials were developed for high-school engineering classes using design-based research. Seven teachers delivered soft and rigid robotics lessons; then 293 students reported their perceptions of motivation, interest, and self-efficacy following the lessons and retrospectively. We examined the relationship between gender and lesson type and differences in perceptions of engineering over time. Results: The soft and rigid robotics experiences promoted engineering interest and general, experimental, tinkering, and design self-efficacy. Girls' perceptions of tinkering self-efficacy particularly benefitted from the soft robotics lesson, mitigating gender differences. A robustness check compared the outcomes of different statistical models and verified the stability of the findings. Conclusions: Soft robot design experiences emphasize materiality and iterative design, which contribute to enhanced tinkering self-efficacy. The use of soft robotics in education represents a promising opportunity to integrate authentic engineering experiences, broaden perceptions of engineering, and support the development of future engineers. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01