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ERIC Number: EJ1143748
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 25
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1450-104X
EISSN: N/A
Increasing Access of Female Students in Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), in the University of Malawi (UNIMA)
Mbano, Nellie; Nolan, Kathleen
Science Education International, v28 n1 p53-77 2017
In Malawi, in spite of a number of gender equity policies and initiatives that encourage females to pursue careers within the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), research indicates that they are under-represented in these fields. One initiative recommended to address the factors contributing to this under-representation is the development of a bridging programme for female students. A bridging programme (or, course) is generally defined as any course of study that addresses the gaps between students' existing knowledge and/or skills and the knowledge and/or skills required to successfully make the transition to a new course of study. In this paper, two bridging courses are compared for their lasting effects. The first one was carried out with Form Three (year 11) female students while the second bridging course was offered as a pre-entry course for female students admitted to University of Malawi (STEM) courses. The bridging courses had similar components of academic subjects, study skills, life skills, role models and excursions. The study found that both bridging courses had positive impacts on performance in STEM subjects but the most significant impact in both cases seems to be improvement in motivation and study skills. This paper presents a brief analysis of data collected (through interviews) with participants from both bridging courses and discusses these findings.
International Council of Associations for Science Education. Dokuz Eylul University Faculty of Education, Buca, Izmir 35150, Turkey. Tel: +90-532-4267927; Fax: +90-232-4204895; Web site: http://icaseonline.net
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Secondary Education; High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Malawi
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A