Sci-fi movies as gateways to empower women students in higher education

Abstract

The purpose of this portfolio is to examine whether using sci-fi movies can affect women students’ self-perceptions about their science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) ability and career-linked self-perceptions in higher education. While women students are still underrepresented in some STEM fields, sci-fi movies offer women the opportunity to see women in STEM-based roles. Task 1 of this portfolio examines previous scholarly work focused on using sci-fi movies in classrooms to empower women students in STEM-related majors. Task 2 provides the methodology I used to conduct a survey and questionnaire, including research tools and the coding process. Task 3 of this portfolio is presented as an evidence-based report, intended to be read and utilized by teachers and curriculum developers as a practical tool to develop unit plans in the classrooms. The use of the method could also have the potential to expose the academic climate and social atmosphere that affects women students’ self-perceptions. The method contains both quantitative and qualitative analysis, including questionnaires with open-ended questions and activities that accessed participant responses to different jobs. Participants were asked to watch three movies, after which their opinions about career-linked self-perceptions were analyzed by comparing their different behaviors. The findings suggest that while participants still hold embedded gender-linked self-perceptions about careers, these perceptions can be modified, and education plays an essential role in the process.