Description

The purpose of this dissertation is to discover how the myth of gender differences

in STEM inform the lived experiences of male and female 12th graders in one high school

in Northwest Ohio. Over the years, the observed gender gap favoring males over females

in STEM ability has closed, and female students have even surpassed males in some

measures. The fact that girls have met and exceeded boys in many measures of STEM

ability over time suggests that the historical disparity was the result of social or

psychological, and not biological, differences. Even though schools have changed

throughout the years to accommodate and encourage female students in STEM, there is

still a persistent disparity in participation at the highest levels of STEM in education and

in careers. Males still outnumber females in the more mathematical and technical

sciences, such as computer science and engineering. This study applied feminist

socialization theory and phenomenology as its theoretical framework. The biggest themes

that informed student's choices and preferences were as follows: intended choices follow

family influence, myth persists in subtle ways, teenagers have a limited future view, and

the chicken and the egg issues of personal interests versus social influence. There are