Results of the summarizing process for the arXiv paper: 2012.03746v2

The field of entrepreneurship has been dedicated to researching and developing programs that can effectively impact the entrepreneurial intention of students in pre-university levels of study. However, there is still a lack of evidence-based knowledge on the effectiveness of such programs, particularly in addressing gender equity issues in STEM-focused entrepreneurship. To address this gap, the OzGirlsEntrepreneurship program was designed to explore the effects of a one-day female-focused STEM-based entrepreneurship program on the entrepreneurial intention of secondary school female students. The program encouraged girls aged 14-16 years to develop and implement creative computational solutions to socially relevant problems, with an Internet of Things (IoT) component using the micro:bit device. Data was collected from two surveys completed by 193 secondary school female students who participated in the program. The findings revealed that soft-skills development, particularly in creative thinking, risk-taking, problem-solving, and leadership development were key factors associated with developing entrepreneurial attitudes in young female students. Additionally, meaningful human connections such as positive role modelling and peer-to-peer learning were also important factors in fostering entrepreneurial intent. With these factors taken into consideration, it was found that the OzGirlsEntrepreneurship program substantially increased the entrepreneurial intention of secondary school female students. This study offers actionable implications and recommendations for developing and delivering entrepreneurship education programs for secondary school level students. It highlights the importance of incorporating soft skills development and meaningful human connections into such programs to effectively foster entrepreneurial intent among young female students. Overall, this research contributes significantly to addressing gender equity issues in STEM-focused entrepreneurship by providing evidence based insights into effective approaches for promoting entrepreneurial attitudes among young women.

Exploring the Impact of a Female-Focused STEM-Based Entrepreneurship Program on Secondary School Female Students

The field of entrepreneurship has been dedicated to researching and developing programs that can effectively impact the entrepreneurial intention of students in pre-university levels of study. However, there is still a lack of evidence-based knowledge on the effectiveness of such programs, particularly in addressing gender equity issues in STEM-focused entrepreneurship. To address this gap, the OzGirlsEntrepreneurship program was designed to explore the effects of a one-day female-focused STEM-based entrepreneurship program on the entrepreneurial intention of secondary school female students.

Background Information

The OzGirlsEntrepreneurship program was developed by researchers at Monash University with an aim to encourage girls aged 14–16 years to develop and implement creative computational solutions to socially relevant problems using micro:bit devices as part of an Internet Of Things (IoT) component. The program also sought to foster soft skills development among participants such as creative thinking, risk taking, problem solving and leadership development which are all key factors associated with developing entrepreneurial attitudes in young female students. Additionally, meaningful human connections were established through positive role modelling and peer learning activities within the program.

Data Collection & Analysis

Data for this research was collected from two surveys completed by 193 secondary school female students who participated in the OzGirlsEntrepreneurship program. The findings revealed that soft skills development and meaningful human connections were key factors associated with fostering entrepreneurial intent among young women participating in this type of program. Specifically, it was found that these elements substantially increased their entrepreneurial intentions after completing the one day workshop compared to before they had taken part in it.

Implications & Recommendations

This research provides actionable implications and recommendations for developing and delivering effective entrepreneurship education programs for secondary school level students which take into account both soft skills development as well as meaningful human connections between peers and mentors/role models within such initiatives. It highlights how incorporating these aspects into existing programming can effectively foster entrepreneurial attitudes among young women while also helping address gender equity issues related to STEM focused entrepreneurship more broadly speaking.

Conclusion

Overall, this research contributes significantly towards understanding how best we can promote greater engagement amongst young women when it comes to pursuing careers related to science technology engineering or mathematics (STEM). By providing evidence based insights into effective approaches for promoting entrepreneurial attitudes among them, we can help ensure that more girls are given equal opportunities when it comes to exploring their potentials within these fields without facing any additional barriers due solely because they are female or belong underrepresented groups within society today.