Female students’ interactions in a middle school engineering project: a case study

Targeting females at high school or earlier may be a key towards engaging them in science, technology, engineering andmathematics (STEM) education. This ethnographic study, part of a three-year longitudinal research project, investigated Year 8female students’ learning about engineering concepts associated with designing, constructing, testing, and evaluating a catapult.There was a series of lead-up lessons and four lessons for the catapult challenge (total of 18 x 45-minute lessons) over a nine-weekperiod. Data from two girls within a focus group showed that they needed to: (1) receive clarification on engineering terms tofacilitate more fluent discourse, (2) question and debate conceptual understandings without peers being judgmental, and (3) havemultiple opportunities for engaging with materials towards designing, constructing and explaining key concepts learnt. There areimplications for teachers facilitating STEM education, such as: clarifying STEM terms, articulating how students can interact innon-judgmental ways, and providing multiple opportunities for interacting within engineering education.