**1. Introduction**

In the United States, women are significantly underrepresented in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, although to a lesser degree than has been the case in the past [1]. A recent survey indicated that although women made up almost half (47%) of the U.S. workforce, only 25% of women held STEM-related jobs [2]. Further, although almost an equal number of women and men hold science and engineering degrees in the US, only a small percentage of women are employed as scientists and engineers [3]. Women and minorities are especially underrepresented in the physical sciences, computer sciences, and engineering [4, 5]. And, although STEM professions grew by 24.4% from 2005 to 2015, women and minorities were not well-represented in this job growth [6].

By 2020, it is projected that U.S. companies will need 1.6 million STEM-skilled employees, with labor market data indicating that core STEM knowledge, skills,

and abilities are crucial not only in conventional STEM occupations, but also in a host of other job sectors [5, 7]. The need to develop a balanced and inclusive human resource pool prepared to tackle STEM challenges is further supported by data indicating that, currently, in the US, there are more vacancies in the STEM fields than there are people in the STEM workforce [8, 9]. Thus, it is imperative that initiatives and programs from the government and commercial sectors be designed to specifically recruit and retain women and other underrepresented minorities in order to reduce the gap in the STEM workforce [5]. Establishing a strong and diverse STEM workforce will foster creativity, innovation, and problem-solving skills to ensure America's continued economic growth [10, 11].

In order to successfully address women's underrepresentation in the STEM workforce, it is important to broaden the participation of girls in diverse and exciting STEM education programs, both formal and informal, both in-school and out-of-school, that demonstrate the relevance of STEM learning to everyday life, to educational and professional opportunities, and to solving "real world" problems. Programs designed to heighten interest in STEM learning among adolescent and teenage girls are especially important owing a variety of identified barriers to girls' persistence in STEM education. According to American Association of University Women (AAUW), girls' interest and performance in STEM subjects is greatly affected by stereotypes, gender bias, and loss of confidence regarding their academic achievement in STEM-related courses [12]. Misconceptions regarding STEM and its relevance lead young girls to feel that STEM careers are 'not for them.' Loss of interest and negative attitudes toward STEM careers among girls take root early, during their middle school years, and progress rapidly [13]. Further, middle school girls often perceive STEM-related subjects as uninteresting and difficult [14].

In recent years, educators have made efforts to encourage girls to persist in STEM learning. Evidence suggests that this educational support to girls must start early in elementary and middle school—rather than in high school [12, 15]. Efforts have been made to identify the forms of educational support that will best nurture girls' STEM interest and learning as well as their confidence to pursue a STEM career. First and foremost, educators must capture girls' attention with an engaging and relevant curriculum and incorporate activities into that curriculum that inspire girls to pursue STEM careers [16]. According to a 2018 study, integrating "real world" problems into STEM curricula can especially be meaningful for girls insomuch as tackling such problems helps to align girls' interests, values, and desires to make an impact through pursuit of a STEM career [17]. Similarly, incorporating hands-on, 'learning and doing' activities may help girls to build critical thinking skills and abilities related to gathering, evaluating, and analyzing evidence to solve today's multifaceted problems [18]. Additionally, exposing girls to positive female role models—especially those who share a background with the young female participants—helps to undermine girls' negative stereotypes about STEM as well as the belief that STEM careers are "not for them" [16]. Immersing girls in STEM learning also may help girls to envision STEM as a realistic part of their academic and professional futures [16].

One approach to immersing girls in STEM learning involves the integration of art, creativity, and design into the learning experience (aka STEAM); or, more specially, learning that embraces the enjoyment and achievement realized from the creation of physical objects—prototypes and/or esthetic and functional items—and that simultaneously demonstrates principles of science, technology, engineering and math [19–21]. This 'product-oriented' approach to learning purposefully embeds creativity into the learning process and positions students as active creators, rather than as passive consumers (Loudon, 2018). Product-oriented learning that marries creativity with advanced technology is the foundation for the modern

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*'Making' as a Catalyst for Engaging Young Female Adolescents in STEM Learning*

'maker' or 'making' movement that is receiving considerable attention across U.S. communities and educational institutions for its potential to foster STEM learning and career opportunities, especially among underrepresented groups such as girls. Although girls may not often associate creativity with STEM occupations or with the ability to make a difference in the world through STEM [17], creativity is integral to many STEM professions. Creativity involves use of the imagination to generate original and valuable ideas or objects, and thereby contributes to complex problem solving in science, technology, engineering and math [22]. An empirical study exploring the relationship between problem-solving, creativity, and interest in STEM revealed that girls' interest in problem-solving was a predictor of their interest in all four STEM subject areas and that girls' interest in creativity was a positive predictor their interest in computers and engineering [11]. Further illustrating the importance of creativity in STEM professions, the World Economic Forum's [23] job report identified analytical thinking, innovation, active learning, and proficiency in new technologies (design and programming) as well as 'human' skills, such as creativity, originality and initiative, critical thinking, persuasion and negotiation and complex problem-solving as important workplace skills that will

With this chapter, we address the potential of making to serve as a catalyst for engaging young female adolescents in STEM learning. More specifically, we explore how STEM-based making may encourage young female adolescents, who often approach making from an esthetic or personal expression perspective [24], to more fully embrace and integrate systems and technologies that foster creative and critical thinking, innovative prototyping, and problem-solving into the learning process. Additionally, we present insights as to how STEM-based making designed specifically for young female adolescents—a group that has traditionally had limited access to extracurricular STEM experiences as well as to makerspaces owing to age, gender, and socioeconomic status [25, 26]—may foster greater access to, and equity in, STEM learning. We conclude by exploring the role of colleges or universities in facilitating access to and equity in STEM-based making through an in-depth look at three STEM education programs that were established by faculty at U.S. universities specifically to provide adolescent girls the opportunity to engage in

experiential STEM learning in resource-rich environments.

**2. Engaging young female adolescents in STEM learning**

The maker movement, defined as the convergence of technology and traditional artistry, is generally associated with informal learning that encourages exploration, discovery, and understanding [27]. Making may take many forms and encompasses a variety of activities, such as design thinking, building, testing, and modifying, that are oriented toward the creation of a physical object. Making fosters collaboration and experimentation, and it involves a trial and error approach to problem-solving, wherein failure is recognized as positive part of the learning experience [28]. Making introduces learners to a variety of disciplines and encourages them to assume multiple roles, such as designer, computer scientist, material expert, mathematician, and inventor, and to utilize diverse experiences, knowledge, methods, and skills to identify innovative solutions to simple and challenging problems [28]. It also presents opportunity for more diverse teaching roles, in the form of mentoring and peer teaching, than are typically available in a

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87036*

retain or increase their value by 2022.

**2.1 Making and makerspaces**

traditional school setting [29, 30].

#### *'Making' as a Catalyst for Engaging Young Female Adolescents in STEM Learning DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87036*

'maker' or 'making' movement that is receiving considerable attention across U.S. communities and educational institutions for its potential to foster STEM learning and career opportunities, especially among underrepresented groups such as girls. Although girls may not often associate creativity with STEM occupations or with the ability to make a difference in the world through STEM [17], creativity is integral to many STEM professions. Creativity involves use of the imagination to generate original and valuable ideas or objects, and thereby contributes to complex problem solving in science, technology, engineering and math [22]. An empirical study exploring the relationship between problem-solving, creativity, and interest in STEM revealed that girls' interest in problem-solving was a predictor of their interest in all four STEM subject areas and that girls' interest in creativity was a positive predictor their interest in computers and engineering [11]. Further illustrating the importance of creativity in STEM professions, the World Economic Forum's [23] job report identified analytical thinking, innovation, active learning, and proficiency in new technologies (design and programming) as well as 'human' skills, such as creativity, originality and initiative, critical thinking, persuasion and negotiation and complex problem-solving as important workplace skills that will retain or increase their value by 2022.

With this chapter, we address the potential of making to serve as a catalyst for engaging young female adolescents in STEM learning. More specifically, we explore how STEM-based making may encourage young female adolescents, who often approach making from an esthetic or personal expression perspective [24], to more fully embrace and integrate systems and technologies that foster creative and critical thinking, innovative prototyping, and problem-solving into the learning process. Additionally, we present insights as to how STEM-based making designed specifically for young female adolescents—a group that has traditionally had limited access to extracurricular STEM experiences as well as to makerspaces owing to age, gender, and socioeconomic status [25, 26]—may foster greater access to, and equity in, STEM learning. We conclude by exploring the role of colleges or universities in facilitating access to and equity in STEM-based making through an in-depth look at three STEM education programs that were established by faculty at U.S. universities specifically to provide adolescent girls the opportunity to engage in experiential STEM learning in resource-rich environments.
