Impact Assessment
Our research suggests that Full STEAM Forward provides experiences for young girls to connect more closely with science and scientific practices
As part of our impact assessment, we ask the girls to draw a picture of a scientist at the beginning and end of the program.
Before
At program start, Brielle drew a picture of a scientist wearing a lab coat and working in "their science lab". The scientist is "making a potion to cure the hiccups".
After
At the end of the program, Brielle drew a picture of a scientist "working in the rainforest, checking to see if the trees are healthy". Her drawing also showed a group of people in the background cutting down trees while "another scientist is educating them about the consequences of deforestation".
These two pictures demonstrate an expansion of Brielle's ideas of what scientists do and shows that she has moved beyond stereotypical connections with the word "scientist". Her recent drawing shows her understanding that scientists can work anywhere and also participate in education.
After completing a year with FSF, there was an increase in girls who believed they were good at science and who identified as scientists. More students also stated that they enjoy thinking of different ways to solve a problem
On a scale of 1-5 (1-strongly disagree to 5-strongly agree)
"Science is easy for me"
Pre-Assessment
Post-Assessment
4% chose 5
50% chose 5
"I am good at Science"
29% chose 5
55% chose 5
Listen to our Scientists and Families
What our Scientist and Families Say
Scientist's Mother
“The linkages between the vocabulary, story, and experiments all meshed together seamlessly while providing individual growth in the areas of grammar, reading, art and science.”
Young Scientist
"This program is really really fun, and you learn new things that you have never heard about....I learned more information about the rainforest and space and I know how to explore more."
Scientist's Father
“Every time she walked out of class, she had a smile, and she would sit me down on the couch and tell me everything she learned from top to bottom.”