Examining the Links Between Affect Toward 3D Printing Technology and Interest in STEM Careers Among Female Elementary Students

Abstract

Despite the exponential growth in STEM-related jobs, there is an acute shortage of people choosing to pursue STEM-related studies and careers. Compared with men, women are underrepresented in STEM-related courses and careers. The chapter, therefore, examined the associations of perceived usefulness of 3D printing technology, self-concept in using 3D printing technology, and interest in and enjoyment of using 3D printing technology with interest in science-, math-, and technology-related careers among 276 female elementary students enrolled in public schools in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The results of path analyses after accounting for student demographic characteristics, revealed that perceived usefulness of 3D printing technology, self-concept in using 3D printing technology, and interest in and enjoyment of using 3D printing technology were significantly and positively related to interest in science-, math-, and technology-related careers among female elementary students. Implications of the findings for policy and practice are discussed.

A review of ICT-enabled learning for schoolgirls in Asia and its impacts on education equity

“…There are two prominent roles of ICT tools in such approaches for teaching and learning in this review. One is to supplement or substitute conventional educational resources for students to learn subject knowledge (Ali et al, 2019 ; Tsai, 2017 ), and the other is to function as a major tool for improving students’ subject knowledge (Mo et al, 2015 ; Tho et al, 2015 ;), or developing students’ particular skills (Hsieh & Chen, 2019 ; Jeng & Liu, 2016 ). Despite being used widely, the two roles of ICT tools in ICT-enabled learning may have not yet been explicitly examined, particularly in Asia or concerning girls’ learning.…”

“…However, learning made possible by emerging technologies might not directly improve girls’ access. Despite being given a chance to try emerging technologies that are rare in schoolgirls’ personal lives as a novel way to learn a subject matter, schoolgirls still have less access to the Internet at home than boys do (Ali et al, 2019 ). Additionally, if schools primarily use traditional teaching methods, cultural beliefs that can get in the way of schoolgirls’ learning may continue to restrict their access to learning (Aljaber, 2018 ; Al-Shaya & Oyaid, 2021 ).…”

“…After trying emerging technologies such as 3D printing in teaching and learning, schoolgirls’ interest and enjoyment in using ICT tools were observed, and their perceived value of ICT was improved (Ali et al, 2019 ). Using robots to learn programming helped the researchers to see that both boys’ and girls’ computational thinking and creativity could be improved in general since the gender difference in such improvement was not statistically significant (Noh & Lee, 2020 ).…”

“…Access to digital devices at home and in schools is significantly associated with girls’ performance of digital citizenship competencies (UNESCO, 2019 ) and their enjoyment and participation in ICT-enabled learning activities (Hsieh & Chen, 2019 ). In addition, “utility value intervention” targeted at parents may be helpful to promote their perceived usefulness of ICT and possibly lead to girls’ increased access to the Internet and ICT tools (Ali et al, 2019 , p. 148). Hence, support from stakeholders such as parents and family members is required to extend girls’ learning experience out of the classroom and sustain the improvements gained from ICT-enabled learning.…”

Exploring the role of 3D printing and STEM integration levels in students' STEM career interest

“…Bicer et al (2017) engaged 95 U.S. high schoolers in 3D computer‐aided design and 3D printing activities over a two‐week summer camp experience and revealed higher level of 3D printing resulted in significant improvements in students' perceptions about creativity ( d = 0.61) and problem‐solving skills ( d = 0.66) required for STEM careers. In another study, Ali and colleagues (2019) examined changes in 276 UAE elementary students' interest in STEM careers as they engaged in STEM 3D printing activities in the classroom. The results of path analyses in this study showed that after accounting for student demographic characteristics, higher level of 3D printing integration was associated with improved perceived usefulness of 3D printing, self‐concept in using 3D printing and interest in and enjoyment of using 3D printing technology, which was significantly and positively related with interest in STEM careers amongst female elementary students.…”