For Girls, Learning Science Outside Linked to Better Grades, Knowledge
Muddy Sneakers program uses the outdoors to engage kids in science. Credit: Capturing WNC.
“Although gender gaps associated with K-12 science achievement have narrowed significantly, gaps in science engagement and efficacy in childhood likely explain why women remain underrepresented in science careers. Early intervention programs may address root causes of gender gaps in science careers.”
Muddy Sneakers has partnered with North Carolina State University in an ongoing research collaborative for the purpose of measuring and understanding the impacts of our program. The results from this evaluation are encouraging and overwhelmingly positive.
We are seeing a number of inspiring trends in the resulting data, including a sharp uptick in science knowledge and grades for female students, significant improvements in both grades and behavior among students struggling with learning disabilities, and improved science knowledge for all children in Muddy Sneakers schools.
We hope that these results, combined with ongoing research, will help to move public opinion for how environmental education is perceived in public education. This strong partnership will continue in the years to come as we find ways to investigate together the long-term and various other impacts Muddy Sneakers has on students and teachers.
“When researchers evaluated students’ science grades by gender, they saw that girls who participated in the [Muddy Sneakers] outdoor science program maintained their science grades on average, while girls’ average grades in the traditional science classes dropped. They also saw that participation in the outdoor program helped girls learn more about how science works on average, but traditional classrooms did not.”
Click here for more information about the study’s lead researcher, Kathryn Stevenson.
