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SciGirls Seven: Strategies for Engaging Girls in STEM
 
The SciGirls approach is rooted in research on how to engage girls in STEM. A quarter of a century of studies have converged on a set of common strategies that work, and these have become SciGirls’ foundation—aka the SciGirls Seven. All SciGirls activities were created with the SciGirls Seven in mind and incorporate as many strategies as possible. We even mark the use of select strategies within each activity. (Look for superscript numbers and refer back to this page.) For additional information, please see our introductory booklet, SciGirls Seven: How to Engage Girls in STEM, which includes tips for implementing these strategies. You can download the full 20-page PDF from the Support Materials.
 
1.    Girls benefit from collaboration, especially when they can participate and communicate fairly.

2.    Girls are motivated by projects they find personally relevant and meaningful.

3.    Girls enjoy hands-on, open-ended projects and investigations.

4.    Girls are motivated when they can approach projects in their own way, applying their creativity, unique talents, and preferred learning styles.

5.    Girls’ confidence and performance improves in response to specific, positive feedback on things they can control—such as effort, strategies, and behaviors.

6.    Girls gain confidence and trust in their own reasoning when encouraged to think critically.

7.    Girls benefit from relationships with role models and mentors.