Ciencia con rostro de niña: semillero STEM con perspectiva de género para fortalecer identidad científica en niñas de séptimo grado en Fresno y Medellín.

Abstract

The project "Science with a Girl's Face" (Ciencia con rostro de niña) aimed to evaluate the influence of a school research group with a STEM approach and a gender perspective on strengthening the scientific identity of seventh-grade girls in two Colombian urban schools: the public institution, “Institución Educativa Técnica Niña María” in Fresno (Tolima) and the private school, “Colegio Pinares Altoverde” in Medellín (Antioquia). The study was framed within the socio-critical paradigm and adopted a participatory action research design (Kemmis y McTaggart, 1988), following a predominantly qualitative approach complemented by descriptive data. The initial diagnosis, conducted through an adaptation of the STEM-CIS scale (Kier et al., 2014) and qualitative techniques, revealed a fragmented scientific identity characterized by low self-efficacy, weak vocational projection, and an absence of female role models, despite a discursive recognition of gender equality. Based on these findings, a pedagogical-curricular strategy was designed around five units inspired by women scientists (Franklin, Curie, Goodall, Lovelace, and Johnson); the first two units were piloted over eight sessions with 30 students (15 per school) between February and April 2026. The experiences integrated contextualized inquiry, experimental activities, logbooks, encounters with guest women scientists, and critical knowledge production. The comparative analysis between the diagnostic and closing activities showed that more than 89% of the participants improved across all five assessed dimensions—self-efficacy, interest, self-concept, belonging, and recognition—along with showing greater confidence to participate and project themselves into scientific settings. As a final product, a replicable methodological guide was consolidated. The findings suggest that STEM research groups with a gender perspective are viable settings to strengthen female scientific identity from within the school, providing useful evidence for pedagogical and institutional decision-making in urban contexts of Tolima and Antioquia.