Educational and Social Psychological Outcomes of a STEM Program for Adolescent Girls
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The first national meeting of textile and clothing professors took place in Madison, Wisconsin in June 1959. With a mission to advance excellence in education, scholarship and innovation, and their global applications, the International Textile and Apparel Association (ITAA) is a professional and educational association of scholars, educators, and students in the textile, apparel, and merchandising disciplines in higher education.
This site provides free, public access to the ITAA annual conference proceedings beginning in 2015. Previous proceedings can be found by following the "Additional ITAA Proceedings" link on the left sidebar of this page.
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The purpose of this research was to explore how participation in Fashion FUNdamentals (FF) shaped girls' interest and confidence in the STEM disciplines, their STEM learning, and their feelings about themselves. FF is a two-week, no-cost, summer program (M-F, 9 am-5 pm) targeting underserved adolescent girls aged 10-13 years. Fashion FUNdamentals is a unique STEM program insomuch as it frames STEM learning within the context of fashion and includes both technical and social programming. FF has been offered three times (2015-2017) and has served 129 girls. At the conclusion of each year's program, the FF team conducted focus groups with participants. Analysis of focus group data revealed five themes. Findings demonstrate that participating in FF can support girls' STEM interest/confidence/comprehension as well as their self-confidence and educational and career preparedness, suggesting that adopting a lens of fashion to explore the STEM disciplines can promote girls' academic and personal development.