Creating a Female‐Responsive Design Framework for STEM exhibits

Abstract

This paper describes the development of a Female‐Responsive Design Framework for Informal Science Education (ISE). The FRD Framework translates ideas from Culturally Responsive Pedagogy to discover and recommend pedagogical strategies that apply to females and design. This paper describes our synthesis of prior research about females’ social, historical, and cultural practices in STEM learning from a variety of fields. The paper further details our process of developing the FRD Framework with the help of museum practitioners, female youth, researchers, and experts from the fields of design, gender, and museums. We discuss four female‐responsive strategies, and suggest multiple STEM exhibit design attributes that support each of these strategies. This framework contributes to a growing movement to more thoughtfully consider females when designing STEM exhibits. We hope that the museum field will expand, evolve, and deeply explore the FRD Framework.

Exhibit Designs for Girls' Engagement (EDGE)

“…This presented two problems for the project, one practical and one analytical. On the practical side, we knew it would be difficult for exhibit teams to consider the FRD Framework's full set of design attributes (Dancstep and Sindorf this issue) while developing an exhibit. Therefore, we wanted to reduce the number of attributes by identifying the most promising subset for designing with young girls in mind .…”

“…The NSF‐funded study described in this paper aimed to identify the most important exhibit design attributes for engaging girls aged 8–13. The first step in this process was the development of our Female‐Responsive Design (FRD) Framework (described in detail in Dancstep and Sindorf this issue). Using the theoretical lens of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (CRP), the framework defines “female” inclusively, acknowledging that gender occurs along a spectrum and that there is considerable variability among females.…”

“…Table provides examples of our approach to identifying specific exhibit design attributes that fit within the broad strategies of the FRD Framework. (For the full list of strategies, attributes, and related references, see Dancstep and Sindorf in this issue). These design attributes were developed in concert with expert advisors and practitioners, along with precious few research studies.…”

Parental Pre-knowledge Enhances Guidance During Inquiry-Based Family Learning in a Museum Context: An Individual Differences Perspective

“…Insights from research about how person characteristics impact family inquiry in the museum are of value for museum practice, for example, when designing for specific audiences (e.g., Dritsas et al, 1998;Dancstep and Sindorf, 2018) or specific learning experiences (e.g., Humphrey and Gutwill, 2005;Gutwill, 2008;Povis and Crowley, 2015). The findings of the current study could be of interest for museum professionals in making informed choices in exhibition design in relation to desired objectives.…”

Are Women a Missing Audience for Science on YouTube? An Exploratory Study

“…Past studies, however, have shown that girls are less likely to engage in these kinds of experiences than boys are (Hamilton et al, 1995;NSF, 2003). To address this disparity, informal science learning scholars have sought ways to create more gender inclusive environments using pedagogical and design strategies that would appeal to young women (e.g., Dancstep and Sindorf, 2018). These investments in gender inclusion might be working.…”