SSA could not be possible without the generous support of Drs. Herbert A. and Betty Lou Lubs and the Science, Society, and the Arts Research Conference Endowment. We are deeply grateful!
Legos and construction toys enhance cognitive development, like spatial skills, for children. Yet, Legos are marketed to and played with more by boys than girls. Could this difference stem from adults’ interaction with boys and girls during Lego play? Dr. Fulcher’s Gender Development lab is currently collecting data from 44 female and 26 male participants for phase 1 of the “Lego Teaching Project.” College students build a Lego figurine, then give instructions for the figure over an audio-recorder to a Girl Scout troop, Boy Scout troop, or co-ed Karate class. In Phase 2, college students from another university listen to these instructions and attempt to build the figurine. Instructions intended for boys may prove more helpful than instructions for girls, as boys are perceived as more capable of STEM learning. We hope to analyze differences in participants’ instructions to examine how college-aged students view STEM abilities in girls and boys.
