The importance of history in the development of the STEM education cannot be underestimated and continues to occupy that space. There are currently a number of varying opinions by different stakeholders, on what STEM education is and how it should be taught (White, 2014:4).
Regrettably, Akinsowon and Osisanwo (2014:8) relate how different surveys, throughout the African continent have discovered a higher record of boys who are studying science and technology subjects and perform significantly better than girls. This leads to boys pursuing the STEM careers beyond their schooling. Girls, on the other hand, take different career paths away from the STEM fields and even the research field. The results are that women tend to be in the minority in both these fields and their influence in policymaking remains limited. Girls and women have to be attracted to pursue STEM careers in bigger numbers, considering their minority status in these fields.
What these authors refer to as ‘Situational Interest’ (Akinsowon & Osisanwo, 2014:10), is said to be triggered by the environment, due to the ‘state of actual attraction or curiosity as well as increased attention’. This means that the environment plays a greater role in making science interesting for women or the opposite of that. In some cases, the ‘teacher’ factor’ becomes the cause for girls to dislike science, i.e. the perceptions and attitude of STEM teachers in schools may be discouraging, whereby teachers give more attention to boys than girls and offer them more opportunities for hands-on practical work while the girls are almost ignored. This is one form of gender discrimination born of harmful cultural stereotypes, discouraging women from taking their rightful place in the STEM fields.
The ‘home factor’ is yet another discouraging aspect, where women want to balance family life and personal relationships while at the same time trying to secure a successful career in the sciences, which often becomes impossible. The two challenges
mentioned above, embracing child care and operating a research laboratory are competing. It is also reported that women who plan to have children in the future, drop out of the professional research careers at twice the rate of men (Akinsowon & Osisanwo, 2014:10). In addition to this, curriculum development can also be discouraging to both men and women. An example is the introductory part of computer science, which focuses on programming (ibid:11). The need for amendment in the curriculum is another factor that has to be integrated with the delivery of that curriculum, to enable full access to the STEM. Flexibility to balance home and work activities within the STEM sector also needs to be researched.
In trying to curb the above and many more contextual factors that inhibit the taking up of careers in the STEM by girls and women and in closing the gender gap in the STEM representation in Nigeria, Akinsowon and Osisanwo (2014:11) suggested the following:
• Adequate preparation of the girl for STEM; preparing girls for good mathematics skills starts with the right mindset and confidence to handle the subject well. Therefore, teachers need to be trained on how to relate to those female students who may have a preconceived idea that the STEM fields are difficult.
• Another perception that the STEM fields are meant for men needs to be corrected. The promotion of a positive image of women in STEM is a key factor. • All gender bias and stereotypes should be removed from society and communities, in particular, parents, curriculum developers, school administrative staff, educators and trainers.
• Girls should be exposed to female role models who have ‘excelled in their STEM careers and equally do well as mothers and wives’ from an early age. This includes enabling them to access STEM education and counselling on the importance and need for them to take up a career in the STEM fields. Activities such as career exhibitions, job shadowing, talks on STEM fields, creativity education, workplace and science educational tours, science expos, etc. should be organised frequently.
• Award ceremonies should be organised for women in STEM. Scholarships, from local and international organisations should be sourced from bodies and associations such as Anita Borg Scholarship; Grace Hopper Celebrations for Women in Computing; Schlumberger Foundation Faculty for the Future; the World Bank-funded Science and Technology Education Post-Basic (STEP-B) Project; Exxon Mobil Education Initiatives (MPN); Schlumberger Excellence in Education Development (SEED); Strengthening Mathematics and Science Education Project (SMASE), and so on.
• Competency-based learning activities should be introduced into the teaching of STEM. This will assist to make courses perceived as real and not theoretical. It would also help to make the learning environment of STEM more attractive. • Another programme that has a strong impact on the female is mentoring. If it is
active and properly implemented, it has a modelling effect and also helps to build confidence, clearing the gender stereotype that has been attached to STEM. Research has shown that mentoring programmes from primary to secondary school levels can result in great improvements in the learners’ academic performance, attitudes and self-confidence. Girls attending secondary schools and studying the STEM subjects could serve as mentors for younger girls in primary schools. Similarly, female scientists could serve as mentors for young women at universities.
The above mentoring layers could also benefit the mentors, since they develop leadership skills when mentoring their assigned mentees and at the same time, they receive advice from their own mentors to pass to their mentees.