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Contributions
to Disciplines:
Contributions to Mathematics:
Our teaching intervention
has added to the knowledge base of how women learn mathematics best,
suggesting that the combined use of learning communities, collaborative
problem-solving, relevant problems, and written narratives promote
women's achievement.
Our advertisements and
intervention have provoked discussion within the Department of Mathematical
Sciences regarding effective approaches to teaching mathematics
to women. As a result, several professors not currently in the project
are considering changing their curriculum to reflect some of the
grant activities.
Contributions
to Women’s Studies:
By focusing on social
misperceptions as well as on the teaching intervention, we are drawing
attention to the fact that women’s relative absence from mathematics
is not only a women's issue. Misconceptions and negative stereotypes,
combined with a teaching tradition based on men's ways of knowing,
contribute to the current shortage of women in science, math, and
engineering. Women benefit from additional supports such as our
calculus class not because they lack competence but because the
interventions offer appropriate pedagogies while helping them to
understand and overcome psycho-social barriers.
Contributions
to Other Disciplines (esp. Sciences and Engineering):
Project activities contribute
to the national dialogue about women and scientific literacy. Moreover,
our intervention offers a way to enable women students to pass Calculus
I, a barrier course that often prevents them from taking advanced
mathematics, science, and engineering courses. Some of the pedagogical
techniques used in the intervention, such as collaborative problem-solving,
have applications for other science and technology fields.
Contributions
to Student Development:
We made major contributions
to the lives of the thirteen women enrolled in our Calculus I intervention
in 2002 and 19 women in 2003. Not only did they learn the subject
well, but they gained a sense of self-efficacy regarding their abilities
in mathematics, and they enjoyed being part of a community of women.
We gave one doctoral
student in mathematics and four M.A. students in Communication opportunities
for research and/or teaching.
Our project developed new curriculum activities for use with students
in Calculus I as well as orientation activities that are especially
effective for women going into math and science.
Contributions
to Resources for Research and Education:
Our project has contributed
to the collection of books, articles, and other materials available
to Northern Illinois University faculty, staff, and students in
the Women's Studies Reading Room.
To the best of our knowledge,
our advertising campaign was the first social norms project to involve
an academic subject. Our experience has given us expertise in how
to develop such a campaign and has led to the creation of a bank
of advertisements, many of which could be used by other universities.
In a broader context,
presentations on this project have been made at the American Educational
Research Association and the National Women’s Studies Association
in 2003.
We have developed this
web site to enable others to access information about our project.
Contributions
to Workforce Development:
Our project contributes
to the solution of an important social problem-women's low participation
rate in careers that require a background in advanced mathematics.
By working on two different levels to change perceptions of women's
abilities in mathematics, we promote the retention of women in college-level
mathematics courses so that women will be better prepared for the
challenges of an increasingly technological workforce. By improving
their workforce preparation, we raise women's potential incomes,
improving their economic status and general welfare. Not only can
these changes affect working women's lives, but they have an impact
on their families as well.
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