Janice M. Margle

Engineering, Penn State Abington College

Abington, Pennsylvania 19001

Patricia VanLeuvan

Education, Penn State Commonwealth College at Delaware County

Media, Pennsylvania 19063

The Math Options program began at Penn State in 1990. It was the inspiration of two women who were members of the Philadelphia chapter of Women and Mathematics. The two founders wanted to introduce young women to career options that might otherwise be viewed by girls as unattainable upon reaching college age.

Girls are often "locked out" of many career options because they have not continued coursework in mathematics and science throughout their high school years (Pallas & Alexander, 1983). The course enrollment patterns of young women are related to their feelings of confidence in learning and working in the mathematics and science areas. Research indicates that girls have a lower mathematics self-concept (Byrne & Shavelson, 1987; Marsh, Parker, & Barnes, 1985), underestimate their mathematical abilities, feel less adequate, and have lower expectations for success in mathematics when compared to boys (Campbell, 1986; Stipek & Gralinski, 1991). Subtle messages conveying the notion that girls are not as capable as boys in mathematics and science (Sadker & Sadker, 1994) may be communicated by significant others (i.e., parents, teachers, friends). These negative messages may also affect the aspirations of girls. Coupled with a decline in achievement and less positive attitudes toward science, the beliefs of adolescent girls may lessen their self-confidence and affect their decisions about suitable career choices.

Past research indicates that males relate to mathematics as being more useful and interesting than do females (Fennema, 1981; Hilton & Berglund, 1974). Indeed, the major factor related to the persistence of girls in mathematics is reported to be their opinions about the usefulness of mathematics for future study or in their future careers (Fox, 1976; Linn & Hyde, 1989; Pedersen, Bleyer, & Elmore, 1985; Tobin & Fox, 1980). Career awareness activities focusing on the pivotal nature of mathematics for entry into, and success in, a future occupation seem to be the most instrumental in helping young women make informed decisions about course selections prior to entering high school. Intervention before high school is crucial (AAUW, 1991, 1992; Clewell, Anderson, & Thorpe, 1992), because it is in junior high that students are often found to accelerate their enrollment in mathematics coursework. At this point, the choice of a particular high school "track" of study by young women may enhance, or inhibit, their preparation and potential for success in future mathematics and science-related careers.

While there is a decrease in mathematics self-concept for both boys and girls in high school, the decrease seems to come earlier and is more devastating for females (Byrnes & Shavelson, 1987; Meece, Parsons, Kaczala, Goff, & Futterman, 1982). To effectively reverse this trend, girls need to be introduced to the opportunities and incentives for completing mathematics and science courses. Devising strategies to increase female participation in science, engineering, and mathematics, in partnership with parents and teachers, is the impetus for the Math Options Program. The objectives of this program are consistent with those of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (1994), i.e., stating that underrepresented groups (must) have full participation in mathematics education.

The goals of the Math Options Program are:

• to increase the awareness of young women about the career options available in science, engineering, and mathematics;
• to provide opportunities for young women to interact with professional women from fields where science and math are pivotal for career success;
• to provide support and encouragement to young women (both middle school girls and Penn State student group leaders) who are interested in pursuing careers in math and science-based fields;
• to document the mathematics and science course enrollment patterns and career aspirations of participants throughout their high school years;
• to provide current and future teachers (i.e., Penn State student group leaders), as well as parents, with information and strategies to guide and support young women who wish to pursue careers in science, engineering, and mathematics.

The Math Options Program is supported by the joint effort of (1) an Executive Committee consisting of Penn State faculty and staff and (2) an Advisory Committee of professional women representing diverse segments of the educational and corporate communities. The Executive Committee provides leadership in the organization and implementation of the Math Options program within the parameters of the local Penn State campus (e.g., facilities and personnel). The educational representatives to the Advisory Committee are teachers, principals, counselors, and administrators who provide expertise in adapting the Math Options goals and activities to match the learning styles and cognitive abilities of seventh grade girls. The corporate representatives to the Advisory Committee provide presenter and funding support and lend their expertise in the planning process. The collaboration of local university, school district, and corporate constituencies in the design and refinement of the Math Options Program has yielded activities that are educationally relevant and performable within each particular campus setting.

The Math Options goals of providing career information and nurturing the talent of young women in science, engineering, and mathematics have led to the development of three related programs with specific target audiences. These three related programs focus on career information and positive experiences in the use of science, engineering, and mathematics in the "real world" of work. The activities bring together female middle school students and their teachers, female college students (from Penn State), and women from industry, academia, and government agencies.

Short-term evaluation data have been collected on a daily basis from students, teachers, presenters and Penn State group leaders since the Math Options program began. The purpose has been to learn what features or aspects of the program are effective and to identify those in need of improvement. Evaluation data and feedback have been collected from multiple sources so that an understanding and appreciation of their perspectives may be determined. Career Day evaluation data have included information in three categories: (a) the general organization of the day, (b) the effectiveness of workshop or panel discussions, and (c) open-ended feedback regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the one-day program. For categories (a) and (b), respondents were asked to circle a rating on a five point scale where Poor = 1, Fair = 2, Average = 3, Good = 4, and Excellent = 5.

In 1994, a longitudinal progress reporting system was launched to learn about the math and science course selections and career aspirations of the Math Options participants throughout their high school years. The short-term evaluation data, attitudinal questionnaire, and progress reports were deemed to be essential to the Math Options Program. This information was used to improve the delivery and effectiveness of the program. It also contributed to the knowledge base for designing intervention programs aimed at keeping girls in the science, engineering, and mathematics "pipeline".

In its first year, the Math Options program was only held at the Penn State Ogontz campus (now the Penn State Abington College). From the time of its initial announcement in 1991, schools were eager to have students participate in the Math Options Career Day. That year the Math Options 1991 Career Day served 30 schools and a total of 150 students. The Math Options 1992 Career Day included 47 schools and a total of 250 students at the Ogontz campus and was offered for the first time at the Delaware County campus to 19 schools and a total of 97 students.

Shortly after its founding, the Math Options program started attracting corporate funding. In 1992, the Penn State Ogontz and the Penn State Delaware County Executive Committees were awarded a $75,000 expansion grant from Bell of Pennsylvania. Other corporations contributed annual funding, in modest amounts, and/or provided release time for presenters and in-kind donations (e.g., ARCO Corporation, Honeywell Incorporated, and Rohm & Haas). The Bell of Pennsylvania grant supported the writing of a Math Options Implementation Manual with auxiliary materials, as well as training sessions and initial funding for implementation at ten additional Penn State Commonwealth campuses. As a result, the Math Options 1993 Career Day was conducted at twelve Penn State campus locations across the State of Pennsylvania serving a total of 1,714 students. The growth of the Career Day participant pool from a single campus serving 150 students in the Southeastern corridor in 1991 to twelve campuses serving 1,714 students statewide in 1993, demonstrated the program's potential to impact a wide audience.

The Math Options Career Day program received the 1991 Quality and Effectiveness of Programming Award from the National Continuing Education Association. And in 1993, the Association of Teachers of Mathematics in Philadelphia and Vicinity recognized Math Options Career Day as the 1993 Outstanding Contribution to Mathematics Education. A description of the Career Day workshops, panel discussion, and career fair can be found in two journal articles in Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School (VanLeuvan, Smith, Dion, Simon, & Kaplan, 1996) and Pennsylvania Educational Leadership (VanLeuvan, Dion, Simon, & Kaplan, 1994).

The organizers of the Math Options Career Day recognized the limitations of a one-day experience and explored incorporating follow-up activities into the Math Options program. The first type of follow-up activity, the one-week Math Options Summer Institute for eighth grade girls, was made possible by a $100, 000 "seed" grant from the Mobil Corporation awarded over a multi-year period to the Ogontz and Delaware County campuses. The Math Options Summer Institute featured workshops that linked corporate site visits with professional women in engineering, environmental science, product development, computer-aided design, and the medical and health care professions. Components of the health and wellness day were detailed in Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School (VanLeuvan, 1997) and in a workbook from the American Society for Engineering Educators, Division of Women in Engineering Workshop (VanLeuvan & Margle, 1998). Still, another workbook entry from the American Society for Engineering Educators, Division of Women in Engineering Workshop provided a series of modules used in conjunction with the demonstration of engineering principles associated with the design and testing of windmill blades in wind tunnels (Margle & Itzoe, 1998).

The Delaware County Campus piloted a second type of follow-up Math Options program, the Panel Discussion and Social, for students and parents. The aim was to broaden the impact of Math Options program through parent involvement. Attendance from 1993-96 was sparse, with few families responding to the invitation. Alternative days, time periods and seasons of the year were explored, but participation did not increase and the program was discontinued.

At the close of each day in the Math Options Program, the participants evaluated the level of interest and usefulness of the information received. Ratings by the students, teachers, and presenters for the Career Days and Summer Institute activities have been "Good" to "Excellent" using a five point scale from "Poor" to "Excellent". The positive responses of the girls to their Math Options experiences is recorded as evaluation data in the previously cited articles (Margle & Itzoe, 1998; VanLeuvan & Margle, 1998; VanLeuvan, 1997; VanLeuvan, et al, 1994, 1996).

It was desired to go beyond measuring the short-term impact of Math Options and assess the results of efforts to mentor young women in pursuit of mathematics and science-based careers. The following specific research questions were of interest:

• Do Math Options participants continue in mathematics and science course work throughout high school?
• Do Math Options participants seek a higher education in science, engineering, and mathematics?
• What are the participants’ career aspirations?
• Has the Math Options Program influenced participants’ educational or career decisions?

Course Enrollment Patterns of Career Day Students. Most of the 85 Career Day participants who returned the survey had completed a three year math course sequence of Algebra I (77 or 90.5%), Algebra II (78 or 92%) and Geometry (75 or 88%). More than half had completed Trigonometry (49 or 58%) and Pre-Calculus (45 or 53%). Eighteen students had completed Calculus while three were currently enrolled in Calculus (25%). Two students had completed additional math courses, AP Calculus, and Probability and Statistics.

As with math, course completion in Physical Science (57 or 67%), Earth Science (42 or 49%), Biology (83 or 98%) and Chemistry (78 or 92%) remained high through three years of high school. More than half the students had completed, and one was currently enrolled in, Physics (46 or 54%). Twenty-nine students had completed an Advanced Placement science course, AP Biology (13), AP Chemistry (11), or AP Physics (5), and four were enrolled in AP sections.

This level of persistence in math and science courses exceeded that of college-bound females as reported by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) (cited in Schuck, 1998). ETS reported comparable percentages through the Trigonometry and Chemistry sequences in math and science, but ETS also reported considerably lower percentages of college-bound females completing Pre-Calculus (29%), Calculus (17%), and Physics (37%) than were found for Career Day participants.

Career Day participants were asked whether the Career Day experiences had in any way affected their educational plans for high school or college. Thirty-seven (43.5%) replied that their educational plans had been changed as a result of the Career Day experience. The most frequently cited change was a decision to take more math and science courses at a higher level of difficulty (21 students or 25%).

Ten students stated that their educational plans were affected when they learned about the math and science courses that would be necessary for their college major or desired career. "My major will definitely involve science." (I) "realized (the) classes needed for a career in medicine." (I will) "look for a school with a strong background in math and science." (To) "go to a college with good science facilities."

Four students indicated that they, " became more interested in both math and science" or "realized math and science were for me." Others described motivational factors or a resolve to achieve. "It reinforced my desire to succeed." "To try my hardest to do the best I can in school." "I feel more confident in my abilities." "I started to think how important my future really is to me." (I) "saw many women in math and science careers and I can also."

Course Enrollment Patterns of MOSI Students. All of the sixteen MOSI participants who returned the survey had completed a two-year math course sequence of Algebra I and Geometry whereas fifteen had completed and one was enrolled in Algebra II (94%). More than half of the students had or were completing Trigonometry (11 or 69%) and Pre-Calculus (12 or 75%). And, out of another four students, two indicated completing Calculus (2 or 13%) and two were still enrolled in Calculus (2 or 13%).

Course completion in the sciences remained high through three years of high school for Physical Science (7 or 44%) or Earth Science (7 or 44%), Biology (15 or 94%) and Chemistry (14 or 88%). Out of a total of seven students (44%), three had completed and four were currently enrolled in Physics. Seven students had completed an Advanced Placement science course, AP Biology (2), AP Chemistry (3), or AP Physics (2), and Physiology (1).

The level of persistence in math and science courses for MOSI participants also exceeded that of college-bound females as reported by ETS for Trigonometry (53%), Pre-Calculus (29%), Calculus (17%), Chemistry (80%), and Physics (37%) (cited in Schuck, 1998). In fact, the course completion rates of MOSI participants were higher for all math and science courses except Algebra, Geometry, and Biology, where they were comparable. The Trigonometry (69%) and Pre-Calculus (75%) course completions were considerably higher than the percentages typical of college-bound females. This was especially striking in that eight of the MOSI respondents were only juniors in high school.

When MOSI participants were asked whether their Summer Institute experiences had in any way affected their educational plans for high school or college, ten (62.5%) replied, "Yes." Again, the most frequently cited change was a decision to take more math and science course at a higher level of difficulty (5 students or 31%). (I was) "inspired to achieve high grades in rigorous courses." (It affected) "the honors math and science courses taken." "They helped me to see math and science in a different manner."

Six students stated that they learned about specific careers they planned to pursue. "I found I was interested in Environmental Science." "I have decided to pursue a career in Chemistry/Pharmacology and I would have never been influenced if it wasn't for this institute." Two students indicated that they had become more interested in math and science or "realized I wanted to study math and science." Collectively, these responses indicated that the Career Day and MOSI activities provided students with information about educational requirements and inspired some students to continue studies in math and science. Of course these young women were the Math Options participants who returned the survey. They represented 38% of the Career Day students and 44% of the MOSI students. Girls who chose not to return the survey might have reported different course completion patterns. If data were available for all Career Day and MOSI girls, the actual percentages completing math and science courses might be much lower and parallel those of typical college-bound females.

Career Aspirations of Math Options Participants. Both the Career Day and MOSI participants indicated their plans to continue their education in pursuit of their career goals upon high school graduation. The educational aspirations of both groups were very high. In the Career Day group, 57 were planning for graduate school at the Masters (24) or Doctoral (27) level or professional studies in Medicine (4) or Law (2). Twenty-five expected to complete a Bachelors Degree and one an Associates Degree. MOSI participants were aiming high as well with fourteen (87.5%) expecting to complete graduate school with a Masters (10), Doctorate (5), or Medical (3) Degree and with two projecting completion of a Bachelors Degree.

The educational expectations of Math Options participants were consistent with their career aspirations. On the survey, students listed up to three jobs that they would like to have when they are 25 years old. Career Day students most frequently listed jobs in the medical and health sciences as their career preferences, with physician leading the way and rated as a very strong preference by 22 students and moderate by nine. Eight students reported very strong preferences for physical or occupational therapy. Other health sciences included orthodontist, biomedical researcher, dietitian, nurse, and medical technician.

In the sciences, 19 students noted very strong preferences with 13 indicating only moderate preferences. Chemical and biochemical engineers were the most popular (6 very strong and 5 moderate) followed by biologist (5 very strong and 5 moderate), veterinarian (2 very strong and 2 moderate) and environmental scientist (3 very strong and 1 moderate). Other science careers mentioned were botanist, chemist, physicist, and zoologist.

Engineering was rated as a very strong preference for 11 students and moderate by 8, while business received ratings of very strong from 11 students and moderate ratings from another 7. The law profession was also listed as very strong for 8 and moderate for one student. Other careers listed were computer scientist, psychologist, teacher, mathematician, artist, designer, writer, dancer, and sociologist.

MOSI participants set similar professional goals. Four indicated very strong preferences for the sciences, environmental science (2), biology (1), and chemistry (1). Another four students listed medicine as their goal, and two listed business management. Other career preferences included engineer, nutritionist, pharmacologist, investment banker, lawyer, photographer, teacher, and politician.

When Math Options participants were asked whether their experiences in the program affected their career plans in any way, 29 Career Day students (34%) and 9 MOSI students (56%) said, "Yes." Career Day participants most frequently explained that they had learned about and decided upon a career area (19 students). (It) "enlightened me about many science fields." "It made me more sure of what I wanted to do in life." (It) " showed me opportunities for women in the medical field." (I could) "see all the options open to me." (It) "gave me a general idea of my opportunities as a female in science."

Other students were affected and inspired by the positive role models they met. "The women were undaunted by the hard work of their careers." " Positive women role models gave me the message that women can do anything." "If they could do it, so can I." (I)" gained respect for math and science oriented people like my mom." (I learned) "that women can be doctors and scientists because I never met any."

Some students gained confidence. "It made me feel that I am capable of a career of my choice involving math and science." (It) " gave me the confidence to follow a desire to major in computer science." (It) "strengthened (my) support to pursue a career in a science field."

The sixteen MOSI students gave the same types of responses. Seven students stated that the program helped them to decide upon a major or career path. (It) "instilled in me an awareness for a possible science-related career." "I know what I want to do now, whereas before I was undecided." Others seemed to gain support and motivation. "It showed me that I am able to excel in math and science." "I felt I could do any job though I am female." "I can't wait for college and to pursue a life in the field I love" (Chemistry/ Pharmacology). It appears that the aim of providing career information had enabled many Math Options participants to formulate educational and career goals.

References