There is clear evidence that shows robotics projects are an engaging educational tool. Previous National Science Foundation grants, "Agents for Change: Robotics for Girls" and the "Tufts Engineering: The Next Steps Project", have been successful in creating curriculum for teaching and encouraging girls in the study of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math).

While it appears clear that robotics projects energize students toward participating in the activities, it is less clear whether such projects translate into long-term interests in STEM areas of study and, ultimately, career choices.

A vital component to understanding the "achievement-related choices" people make when deciding what areas to study, what careers to pursue, and the strength of commitment they make to accomplish their goals is a persons perception of self-achievement in a particular area of study. This grant will fund an in depth study of participants in a robotics educational program to gain an understanding of how such programs may have a short term effect on girls perception of their achievement in STEM areas and whether this translates into long term choices in study and career options. The study will apply a long-standing model in motivation theory, the expectancy-value theory, to examine a variety of factors that surround girls perceptions of their achievements.