Parental Interest in Children’s Further Exposure to STEM Related Activities after an All-girls Robotics Camp

Abstract

This pilot study of parental attitudes concerning an all-girls robotics camp was conducted in the summer of 2015 at Saint Leo University, a private, not-for-profit university in the southern United States. The purpose of the research was to determine parental interest in further exposure to STEM related activities after an all-girls robotics camp, and whether parents’ own prior exposure to computer programming or confidence with computers may have had some influence. Results indicate parental support for the Girls Can! Robotics camp was exceptionally high for almost all areas, especially the social and team oriented aspects, as well as the academic enrichment it offered. Parents who reported a higher level of comfort with computers responded more positively concerning their future intentions regarding whether they would encourage their child to engage with additional technology related activities and academic courses than parents who were less comfortable with computers. Parents appeared to strongly support further exposure to technology, but not necessarily to computer programming.