Adolescent Girls’ STEM Identity Formation and Media Images of STEM Professionals: Considering the Influence of Contextual Cues

Steinke, Jocelyn

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00716

Cited by 104 publications

(116 citation statements)

References 105 publications

(175 reference statements)

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“…For example, the women interviewed by Carlone and Johnson (2007) saw science as a useful tool for pursuing their desire to help others. This more stereotypically feminine goal may contradict the more masculine norms that pervade many scientific disciplines and which is commonly depicted in the media (Steinke, 2017). Future work should examine the overlap that identity has with the domains of competence, performance, and recognition that were proposed by Carlone and Johnson (2007) and Herrera et al (2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…This corresponds with a sharp decline in students' intentions to major in STEM fields following high school (Berryman, 1983). Depictions of scientists in the media can strongly influence identity development by producing an image of what a STEM professional should be (Steinke, 2017). We propose that, by virtue of being a single-item pictorial measure, the STEM-PIO-1 can be used repeatedly to assess the changes in identification with STEM that can occur as a student progresses through his or her educational track.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This may be especially important when assessing individuals from groups traditionally underrepresented in STEM, as their motivations for pursuing STEM and their idea of what a STEM career will look like, may differ from the broader population (Carlone and Johnson, 2007). Additionally, popular depictions of scientists and people who are interested in science change dramatically over time and across contexts, with popular media depictions of scientists potentially impacting young individuals' developing identities (Steinke, 2017). Furthermore, interest in science is strongly determined by the opportunities to explore science that students experience during their K-12 years, and academic confidence in science classes may affect the development of science interest (Astin, 1993).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Single-Item Measure for Assessing STEM Identity

et al. 2019

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Science identity based frameworks have proven fruitful in predicting persistence in careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). However, much of the research in this area is qualitative or relies on measures of science identity that have not been validated. Here, we propose and provide initial evidence for the validity and reliability of the single-item STEM Professional Identity Overlap measure (STEM-PIO-1) that aims to assess the broader construct of STEM identity via students' perceived overlap between the image they have of themselves and the image they have of STEM professionals. Across three studies, we provide evidence of convergent, discriminant, and criterion validity-the measure displays moderate positive associations with adapted measures of STEM identity, explains unique variance relative to related but distinct measures of STEM identity, and is positively associated with STEM attitudes, STEM self-efficacy, mastery goal orientation, and agentic behavior toward one's graduation goals. The measure differentiates between STEM and non-STEM majors, and is associated with self-reported persistence in one's STEM major. The single-item measure displays moderate test-retest reliability and an expanded four-item version yields good internal consistency. Although continued validation is needed, the simplicity of the STEM-PIO-1 may prove valuable in its ability to promote consistency in measurement of the STEM identity construct across time, age groups, and disciplines.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Single-Item Measure for Assessing STEM Identity

et al. 2019

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“…Research has shown that women and men form gender roles in childhood, largely based on their exposure to media and popular culture (Olsson and Martiny 2018;Steinke, 2017). Media images often depict men and women in traditional gender roles, which can negatively impact the STEM career choices women make (Olsson and Martiny 2018;Bian, Leslie, & Cimpian, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors influencing participation of underrepresented students in STEM fields: matched mentors and mindsets

Kricorian¹,

Seu²,

López³

et al. 2020

IJ STEM Ed

170

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Background: Women and ethnic minorities remain underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. The goal of this pilot study is to better understand the beliefs and experiences of underrepresented US students pursuing STEM. Our focus was to gain insights into their mentorship experiences and preferences regarding having mentors who are gender and ethnicity matched. Environmental and psychological factors associated with participants' decision to pursue STEM, such as family influences, academic mindsets, and attitudes towards STEM, were also studied. Methods: We developed a survey tool based on published literature and established instruments, including measures of STEM belonging, science identity, and growth mindset, as well as measures assessing students' views on their STEM participation. We surveyed members of a STEM-focused non-profit who were in college, graduate school, or were recent graduates.Results: Forty-eight adults currently pursuing STEM responded to the survey. The majority (71%) were female and nearly all (96%) identified as an ethnic minority. Most reported knowing someone of their same gender (68%) or ethnicity (66%) with a STEM career who served as a role model. The majority (54%) stated that meeting a STEM professional of their own gender and ethnicity would be effective encouragement to pursue STEM. A similar percentage (56%) believed that media exposure to gender-and ethnicity-matched STEM professionals would be effective encouragement. Most (73%) demonstrated a growth mindset and had strong family support to pursue STEM (68%). Only two-thirds (66%) felt they belonged in STEM careers, and 30% agreed that people in their STEM classes are a lot like them. Conclusion: This study contributes additional information on the views and experiences of diverse students actively pursuing STEM. Most participants indicated the importance of meeting and being mentored in STEM by those of their same gender and ethnicity, either in person or through media. Future educational efforts to increase STEM diversity should consider students' mentorship preferences and facilitate interactions with matched-background mentors accordingly, with consideration given to the use of media. Educators should focus on inclusive learning by highlighting the accomplishments of diverse STEM professionals, to help strengthen feelings of STEM belonging.

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“…A theoretical framework for studying outreach ambassadorship. Recently, researchers have focused on understanding the development of science and engineering identities, or perceptions of one's self as a scientist or engineer, as factors that influence STEM persistence and attrition among historically underrepresented groups of students (Hazari et al, 2013;Papafilippou and Bentley, 2017;Steinke, 2017). Through identity-based perspectives on students' motivation, such as possible selves (Marcus and Nurius, 1986), researchers have established that one's sense of who one is and who one can (or cannot) become within a given field of study, career path, or life course, can act as a substantive source of motivated action (Allie et al, 2009;Oyserman et al, 2004;Nino, 2013;Nystrom, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Emergence of Outreach Ambassador Role Identities in Undergraduate Engineering Students

Garner

Haas²,

Alley

et al. 2018

JSTEM

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One common form of outreach by colleges of engineering is the ambassador program, whereby students interact with middle and high school audiences in an effort to promote STEM-related career choices. Although the impact of such programs on K-12 students' knowledge and attitudes has been examined, less is known about the impact on the ambassadors themselves. In this research study, we use multiple case study methodology to understand the development of the ambassador role and its emergence at an initial workshop in which undergraduate students learn to craft and deliver engineering-related outreach talks. Narrative data from interviews with a purposefully diverse sample of six participants allowed us to analyze emerging ambassador role identities using the Dynamic Systems Model of Role Identity (Kaplan and Garner, 2017). Findings address three questions: (1) How do individuals' existing role identities inform the motivation to become an ambassador? (2) How did the role of workshop participant shape the development of the ambassador role? (3) Which features of the training workshop promoted the formulation of an engineering ambassador role identity? Analyses revealed that the ambassador role identity originates from and was very much aligned with components of students' other, pre-existing role identities. Also evident was a bridging sub-role of presenter, which was anchored in the action possibility of high quality technical communication. Theoretical and practical considerations for preparing undergraduate engineering students to take on an ambassador role are considered.

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Adolescent Girls’ STEM Identity Formation and Media Images of STEM Professionals: Considering the Influence of Contextual Cues

Cited by 104 publications

References 105 publications

A Single-Item Measure for Assessing STEM Identity

A Single-Item Measure for Assessing STEM Identity

Factors influencing participation of underrepresented students in STEM fields: matched mentors and mindsets

The Emergence of Outreach Ambassador Role Identities in Undergraduate Engineering Students

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