Using AI Tools to Enhance Educational Robotics to Bridge the Gender Gap in STEM

Abstract

Bridging the gender gap in STEM remains a critical challenge, with nearly 70% of the STEM workforce being male. Prior research suggests that integrating educational robotics (ER) into the STEM curricula can boost young girls’ motivation before gender stereotypes and societal norms discourage their pursuit of STEM-related academic pursuits and career paths. The success of these activities depends on inclusive topics, materials, and teaching approaches, as a lack of diversity in these elements may lead to disengagement among young girls. To address this, educators must develop gender-neutral ER curricula and activities. However, due to the persistence of unconscious bias and gender stereotypes, determining whether an activity is truly gender-neutral can be difficult. This study explores the potential of ChatGPT 3.5, a widely used Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool, to assist educators in designing gender-neutral ER activities. Specifically, we investigate whether ChatGPT can (i) generate gender-neutral activities that serve as a foundation for educators, and (ii) identify unconscious bias, gender stereotypes, or demotivating elements (e.g., activity topics, materials) in suggested ER activities. To ensure consistency and depth in our analysis, we performed several repetitions of each prompt, examining the variations and commonalities across outputs. Our results indicate that AI tools like ChatGPT can both highlight biases in existing activities and assist in the development of more inclusive, unbiased learning experiences.