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Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering

ISSN for PRINT: 1072-8325

Institutional price:	$211.00
Issues per year:	4

Best Paper Award Selection - Editorial Board Site

2000, Volume6

96 pages

Issue price - $42.00

GEOSCIENCE IN SOCIAL CONTEXT: AN ASSESSMENT OF COURSE IMPACT ON ATTITUDES OF FEMALE UNDERGRADUATES

Elizabeth H. McEneaney
Department of Sociology, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Box 455033, Las Vegas, NV 89154-5033

Cheryl L. Radeloff
Department of Sociology, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Box 455033, Las Vegas, NV 89154-5033

ABSTRACT

This article evaluates the effect of an experimental introductory undergraduate course on female students' confidence and interest in geoscience, and their attitude toward classroom participation and praxis. The course is one component of the PROMISE project, which is funded by the National Science Foundation, and described in detail previously (Mayberry, Welling, Phillips, Radeloff & Rees, 1999). Using pre- and postcourse surveys, we found that students in the course showed no significant change in confidence, modest gains in interest, and highly significant improvements in classroom participation. Almost all students reported that the course changed their social/political beliefs and actions. These results compare favorably to results from a traditional introductory geoscience course that show significant drops in confidence and interest, and no improvement in classroom participation.