Advisor(s)
Jennifer Ponder
Committee Member(s)
Charles Woods
Mike Wyss
Paulette Dilworth
Teaira McMurtry
School
School of Education
Document Type
Dissertation
Department (new version)
Education
Date of Award
1-7-2025
Abstract
Although the number of women pursuing science careers has increased, there is still a very low representation of African American women in science-related professions. In effort to ignite the interest of African American women in science-related careers, a shift will need to take place in the pedagogical practices of middle school teachers that will increase African American girls’ engagement in science. This shift in pedagogical practices will require the conjoining efforts of informal science programs that operate under the same pedagogical practices. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the middle years science experiences of African American girls attending school in rural areas. Through this phenomenological research, the researcher wanted to understand the challenges that African American girls face that deter them from wanting to pursue careers in science. The researcher further investigated how culturally relevant informal science activities affect African American girls' perceptions of science. Data for this study was collected through semi-structured interviews, participant questionnaires, observations, focus group sessions and follow-up interviews. Through the analyzed data, the researcher found that after participants participated in informal science activities, their perceptions of science and interests in possibly pursuing science-related careers increased.
ProQuest ID
Recommended Citation
Chandler, Malysa, "Voices From Rural Classrooms: African American Girls’ Middle School Experiences And Engagement With Science" (2025). All ETDs from UAB. 7316.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/7316
