Let’s Talk about STEM is a pilot project, funded by Science Foundation Ireland, and led by DCU’s Institute of Education in conjunction with the Centre for the Advancement of STEM Teaching & Learning (CASTeL) in DCU. This project is a collaboration between researchers in psychology and STEM education to deliver a pilot programme to address the underrepresentation of women in STEM by targeting girls’ early engagement with science. Drawing on twenty years of robust international research and initiatives, this project delivers a STEM education programme for parents and educators of young children which highlights the potential impact of language on children’s perception of, and motivation to engage with, science. In particular, it emphasises girls’ views of themselves as capable users of, and investigators in, science. The programme invites parents, early childhood educators, infant classroom teachers and informal STEM educators to participate in workshops during which they consider evidence on the role of language in differentially motivating girls and boys interest in and persistence with scientific learning.

Led by CA