Effects of role model exposure on STEM and non-STEM student engagement

Low-stakes Scientist Spotlight Assignment Demonstrates High Value and Multiple Effects for Introductory Biology Students

Scientist Spotlights are homework assignments that highlight the personal and scientific stories of counterstereotypical scientists. Previous research has focused on whether these assignments promote possible selves in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics). We sought to understand the value students themselves placed on the assignment using expectancy-value theory complemented by further analysis of the assignment's self-reported impacts on students. Therefore, at the end of an introductory biology course with several Scientist Spotlights, we asked students to reflect on how the course would influence them for years to come. We found that although the assignments had low instrumental value, 49% of students mentioned Scientist Spotlights or a highlighted scientist. Thematic analysis on the Scientist Spotlight-related parts of the reflections found novel emergent themes including diversity in science, humanizing scientists, and self-efficacy. Most students mentioned multiple themes, with few differences between students from minoritized and nonminoritized groups. We interpreted our results through the lens of the "mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors" framework, as Scientist Spotlights appeared to function as "windows" into the diverse scientific world, "mirrors" for seeing human traits in scientists, and "sliding glass doors" inviting students further into science. Our study expands our understanding of the broad, multiple, and intersecting impacts of Scientist Spotlights.

The Impact of Math-Gender Stereotypes on Students' Academic Performance: Evidence from China

This study investigates the impact of math-gender stereotypes on students' academic performance using data from the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS), which surveyed nationally representative middle schools in China. Our sample comprises over 2000 seventh-grade students, with an average age of 13 and a standard deviation of 0.711. Among these students, 52.4% are male, and 47.6% are female. Employing a fixed effects model and instrumental variable, our findings are as follows. First, over half of the male students believe that boys are better at math than girls, and they also perceive that their parents and society hold the same belief. In contrast, fewer than half of the female students hold this belief or perception. Intriguingly, among these students, female math performance surpasses that of males. Second, stereotypes hinder female math performance, especially among low-achieving ones, while benefiting high-achieving male students. Finally, perceptions of societal stereotypes have the greatest effect on math performance, followed by self-stereotypes and perceptions of parental stereotypes. Understanding the implications of these findings highlights the importance of addressing math-gender stereotypes to promote equal participation and success for both genders in STEM fields.

Beyond Gender and Race: The Representation of Concealable Identities Among College Science Instructors at Research Institutions

Concealable stigmatized identities (CSIs) are identities that can be kept hidden and carry negative stereotypes. To understand the potential influence instructors have as role models, we must first explore the identities instructors have and whether they disclose those identities to undergraduates. We surveyed national samples of science instructors (n = 1248) and undergraduates (n = 2428) at research institutions to assess the extent to which instructors hold CSIs, whether they reveal those identities to undergraduates, how the prevalence of CSIs among instructors compares to their prevalence among undergraduates, and the reasons instructors reveal or conceal their CSIs. The most common CSIs instructors reported were having anxiety (35%) and being a first-generation college student (29%). Relatively few instructors revealed CSIs to students. The largest mismatches of CSI prevalence were for struggling academically in college (-30%) and having anxiety (-25%); all mismatches grew when accounting for instructor CSI disclosure, highlighting that students perceive fewer role models of scientists with CSIs than actually exist.

Few LGBTQ+ Science and Engineering Instructors Come Out to Students, Despite Potential Benefits

LGBTQ+ undergraduates have higher attrition from science and engineering (S&E) than straight and cisgender undergraduates and perceive that having LGBTQ+ instructors would benefit them. However, it is unknown how many S&E instructors are LGBTQ+, the extent to which they disclose this information to students, and how disclosure affects all students, both LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+. In study I, we surveyed 108 LGBTQ+ S&E instructors across the U.S. to explore the extent to which they reveal their LGBTQ+ identities across professional contexts and why they reveal or conceal their identities to undergraduates. Overall, 75% of instructors came out to at least some colleagues but only 48% came out to any undergraduates. Instructors most commonly chose to conceal LGBTQ+ identities from undergraduates because they perceived their identities to be irrelevant to course content and anticipated negative student reactions. In study II, 666 introductory biology undergraduates were randomly assigned to evaluate one of two identical teaching demonstration videos except the instructor revealed her LGBTQ+ identity in one but not the other. We assessed differences in students' impressions of the instructor across conditions. We found no differences in most ratings of the instructor except participants reported higher rapport with the instructor when she came out.

The Biomechanics Research and Innovation Challenge: Development, Implementation, Uptake, and Reflections on the Inaugural Program

Biomechanics as a discipline is ideally placed to increase awareness and participation of girls and women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. A nationwide Biomechanics and Research Innovation Challenge (BRInC) centered on mentoring and role modeling was developed to engage high school girls (mentees) and early-mid-career women (mentors) in the field of biomechanics through the completion of a 100-day research and/or innovation project. This manuscript describes the development, implementation, and uptake of the inaugural BRInC program and synthesizes the research and innovation projects undertaken, providing a framework for adoption of this program within the global biomechanics community. Eighty-seven high school girls in years 9 and 10 (age range: 14-16 y) were mentored in teams (n = 17) by women in biomechanics (n = 24). Using a design thinking approach, teams generated solutions to biomechanics-based problem(s)/research question(s). Eight key reflections on program strengths, as well as areas for improvement and planned changes for future iterations of the BRInC program, are outlined. These key reflections highlight the innovation, impact, and scalability of the program; the importance of a program framework and effective communication tools; and implementation of strategies to sustain the program as well as the importance of diversity and building a sense of community.

Why We Should Stop Trying to Fix Women: How Context Shapes and Constrains Women's Career Trajectories

In this review we examine two classes of interventions designed to achieve workplace gender equality: (a) those designed to boost motivations and ambition, such as those that aim to attract more women into roles where they are underrepresented; and (b) those that try to provide women with needed abilities to achieve these positions. While such initiatives are generally well meaning, they tend to be based upon (and reinforce) stereotypes of what women lack. Such a deficit model leads to interventions that attempt to "fix" women rather than address the structural factors that are the root of gender inequalities. We provide a critical appraisal of the literature to establish an evidence base for why fixing women is unlikely to be successful. As an alternative, we focus on understanding how organizational context and culture maintain these inequalities by looking at how they shape and constrain (a) women's motivations and ambitions, and (b) the expression and interpretation of their skills and attributes. In doing so, we seek to shift the interventional focus from women themselves to the systems and structures in which they are embedded.

The role of environment on women's perception about their STEM studies: observations from a Global South country

The growing global demand for STEM professionals is not being met by the supply of new graduates, a supply that is characterised by a significant lag in the percentage of women pursuing STEM studies. Interestingly enough, the percentage of female applicants entering STEM majors has been increasing yet only a minority of them pursue, or complete, engineering programs. Several studies for the developed world have identified several environmental factors responsible for this phenomenon. The scarcity of engineering professionals is a handicapping factor for development, even for the most advanced countries of the Global South. The objective of this exploratory study is to examine whether the environmental factors identified in the international literature are sufficient to explain the asymmetry in selecting an engineering or a natural sciences career among female undergraduates in an exemplary Global South country, Kazakhstan. To this purpose, a multifaceted survey was conducted among the female students pursuing STEM majors in the premier Kazakhstani university in the academic year 2021-2022. This study utilized a Likert Scale questionnaire, ordinal logistic regression, and factor analysis to explore factors affecting female students. Data reliability was confirmed through Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). The factor and regression analysis of the results obtained demonstrates that there is no discernible difference between the observations in the literature and the situation in Kazakhstan.

Bridging gaps in traditional research training with iBiology Courses

iBiology Courses provide trainees with just-in-time learning resources to become effective researchers. These courses can help scientists build core research skills, plan their research projects and careers, and learn from scientists with diverse backgrounds.

University student-led public engagement event: increasing audience diversity and impact in a non-science space

There is a wealth of innovation in microbiology outreach events globally, including in the setting where the public engagement is hosted. Previous data indicate an underrepresentation of marginalized ethnic groups attending UK science-based public engagement events. This project engaged our student cohort, encompassing a diverse range of ethnic groups, to create an integrated art and science event within an existing series of adult education evenings. The study's objectives were to increase the proportion of visitors from marginalized ethnic groups and to gain a greater understanding of the impact of the event on the visitors' reported science capital. The participants' demographics, links to our students and University, and detailed impact on participants' science capital of the event were determined through analysis of exit questionnaires. There was an increase in the proportion of marginalized ethnic group visitors compared to similar previous events. A higher proportion of visitors from marginalized ethnic groups had links with our students and University compared to white/white British visitors. Elements of the exit questionnaire were mapped to the science capital framework and participants' science capital was determined. Both ethnically marginalized participants and white/white British visitors showed an increase in science capital, specifically dimensions of science-related social capital and science-related cultural capital, after the event. In conclusion, our study suggests that a student-led blended art and science public engagement can increase the ethnic diversity of those attending and can contribute towards creating more inclusive public engagement events.

Women drive efforts to highlight concealable stigmatized identities in U.S. academic science and engineering

Concealable stigmatized identities (CSIs) are hidden identities that carry negative stereotypes and can result in a loss of social status if revealed. Instructors often choose to conceal these CSIs due to anticipated negative student reactions, yet revealing CSIs can have a positive impact on undergraduates. Women are generally more likely to reveal personal aspects about themselves in social situations, but may face greater consequences for revealing a stigmatized identity to students given their already marginalized position in academic science and engineering. Therefore, in this study, we were interested in understanding to what extent there are differences between men and women science and engineering instructors in (i) the representation of CSIs, (ii) their decisions to reveal CSIs to undergraduates in their classes, and (iii) their perceived stigma of CSIs. Based on a national survey of over 2,000 instructors in science and engineering from very high research activity doctoral institutions, we found that women were more likely than men to report having depression, anxiety, or a disability. Of instructors who held CSIs, women had 1.5x higher odds than men of revealing their CSIs to some undergraduates compared to no undergraduates and perceived greater stigma associated with all CSIs. Despite perceiving greater stigma associated with concealable stigmatized identities, women are more likely to reveal their CSIs to college science and engineering students, leading the way to a more diverse and inclusive scientific community by demonstrating themselves as role models for these identities.

Assessment of diversity-based approaches used by American Universities to increase recruitment and retention of biomedical sciences research faculty members: A scoping review protocol

Diversity enriches the educational experience by improving intellectual engagement, self-motivation, citizenship, cultural engagement, and academic skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, and writing for students of all races. Faculty role models from similar backgrounds are essential for students from traditionally underrepresented groups as it sends a powerful message of support, belonging, and the confidence to pursue higher education. However, in the biomedical sciences, the percentage of historically underrepresented tenure-track faculty is far lower than that of their white colleagues. For this to change, a strong strategic plan and commitment from the university are imperative. This scoping review will assess the size and scope of available peer-reviewed research literature on diversity programs that aim to increase the recruitment and retention of biomedical sciences research faculty and are implemented and evaluated at American Universities. The information provided in this scoping review will help universities identify novel, successful diversity-based approaches for recruiting and retaining biomedical science faculty that might suit their own unique academic and geographic needs and be incorporated into their diversity initiatives and policies. The review follows the Population-Concept-Context methodology for Joanna Briggs Institution Scoping Reviews. Relevant peer-reviewed studies published in English between June 1, 2012, to June 1, 2022, will be identified from the following electronic databases; MEDLINE (PubMed), Scopus (Elsevier), EMBASE (Elsevier), CINAHL (EBSCO), and ERIC (EBSCO). The search strings using the key variables "biomedical research faculty," "recruitment/retention," "diversity/ minority/ underrepresented, and "mentoring" will be conducted using Boolean logic. Two independent reviewers will conduct all title and abstract screening, followed by a full article screening and data extraction. Due to the possible heterogeneity of the studies, we hope to use either a narrative analysis and/or descriptive figures/tables to depict the results.

'A role model is like a mosaic': reimagining URiM students' role models in medical school

BACKGROUND

Role modelling is a widely acknowledged element of medical education and it is associated with a range of beneficial outcomes for medical students, such as contributing to professional identity development and a sense of belonging. However, for students who are racially and ethnically underrepresented in medicine (URiM), identification with clinical role models may not be self-evident, as they have no shared ethnic background as a basis for social comparison. This study aims to learn more about the role models of URiM students during medical school and about the added value of representative role models.

METHODS

In this qualitative study we used a concept-guided approach to explore URiM alumni's experiences with role models during medical school. We conducted semi-structured interviews with ten URiM alumni about their perception of role models, who their own role models were during medical school and why they considered these figures as role models. Sensitizing concepts guided the topic list, interview questions and finally served as deductive codes in the first round of coding.

RESULTS

The participants needed time to think about what a role model is and who their own role models are. Having role models was not self-evident as they had never thought about it before, and participants appeared hesitant and uncomfortable discussing representative role models. Eventually, all participants identified not one, but multiple people as their role model. These role models served different functions: role models from outside medical school, such as parents, motivated them to work hard. Clinical role models were fewer and functioned primarily as examples of professional behaviour. The participants experienced a lack of representation rather than a lack of role models.

CONCLUSIONS

This study presents us with three ways to reimagine role models in medical education. First, as culturally embedded: having a role model is not as self-evident as it appears in existing role model literature, which is largely based on research conducted in the U.S. Second, as cognitive constructs: the participants engaged in selective imitation, where they did not have one archetypical clinical role model, but rather approach role models as a mosaic of elements from different people. Third, role models carry not only a behavioural but also a symbolical value, the latter of which is particularly important for URiM students because it relies heavier on social comparison.

Maximizing Women's Motivation in Domains Dominated by Men: Personally Known Versus Famous Role Models

Two studies (n = 1,522) examined the impact of role models in sport and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) domains where gender discrimination has resulted in a lack of high-profile women. We examined the role of gender matching of personally known and famous exemplars on women's and men's motivation. Participants nominated a woman or man in sport (Study 1) or STEM (Study 2) who was either famous or known to them personally; they then indicated the extent to which they perceived this individual to be a motivating role model. Women and men were more motivated by personally known (vs. famous) role models. For famous exemplars, both women and men were most motivated by same-gender models (Studies 1 and 2). For personally known exemplars, men were similarly motivated by same- and other-gender models (Studies 1 and 2), but women were more motivated by same-gender models in sport (Study 1). Mediation analyses indicated that personally known (vs. famous) exemplars and, for women, same- (vs. other-) gender exemplars, were perceived as more attainable future selves and consequently were more motivating (Study 2). Given that there are fewer famous women in domains dominated by men, it is important to know if women can be inspired by personally known rather than famous individuals. These studies provide insight into the kinds of exemplars that are most motivating for women and may serve as a guide for educators and other practitioners seeking to provide the best role models for girls and women in domains dominated by men. Additional online materials for this article are available on PWQ's website athttp://journals.sagepub.com/doi/suppl/10.1177/03616843231156165.

Four guiding principles for effective trainee-led STEM community engagement through high school outreach

To address ongoing academic achievement gap, there is a need for more school-university partnerships promoting early access to STEM education. During summer 2020, members of our institute initiated QBio-EDGE (Quantitative Biology-Empowering Diversity and Growth in Education), an outreach program for high schools in Los Angeles. In the hope of contributing to increasing diversity in academia, QBio-EDGE aims to make STEM education more accessible for students from historically excluded communities by exposing them to scientific research and diverse scientist role models. This program is led by early career researchers (ECRs), i.e., undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral researchers. In our first year, the outreach activities took place during virtual learning, presenting challenges and opportunities within the program development. Here, we provide a practical guide outlining our outreach efforts, key factors we considered in the program development, and hurdles we overcame. Specifically, we describe how we assembled our diverse team, how we established trusting partnerships with participating schools, and how we designed engaging student-centered, problem-based classroom modules on quantitative biology and computational methods applications to understand living systems. We also discuss the importance of increased institutional support. We hope that this may inspire researchers at all career stages to engage with local schools by participating in science outreach, specifically in quantitative and computational fields. We challenge institutions to actively strengthen these efforts.

Pioneering women of the International Society of Biomechanics

The presence of successful female role models in biomechanics can encourage girls, women, and other underrepresented groups in STEM fields to pursue and remain within the discipline. It is, therefore, vital that women and their contributions to the field are publicly visible and recognized across all areas of professional biomechanical societies, such as the International Society of Biomechanics (ISB). Enhancing the visibility of female role models in biomechanics can act to mitigate current bias and stereotyping in the discipline by broadening what it looks like to be a biomechanist. Unfortunately, women are not publicly visible in many aspects of ISB activities, and finding details of women's contributions to ISB, particularly during ISB's formative years, is challenging. This review article aims to raise the visibility of female biomechanists, particularly women in ISB leadership positions who have helped shape the Society over the past 50 years. We summarize the unique backgrounds and contributions of some of these pioneering women who blazed pathways for other female biomechanists. We also recognize the women who were charter members of ISB, women who served on ISB Executive Councils and the portfolios they have held, women who have received the highest awards of the Society, and women awarded a Fellowship of ISB. Practical strategies to enhance women's participation in biomechanics also are presented so that women can thrive and progress in ISB leadership positions and awards and, in turn, serve as positive role models to encourage girls and women to pursue and remain within this unique discipline.

Reading struggle stories of role models can improve the perseverance of undergraduates with low perseverance

Perseverance refers to the ability that individuals show in the process of overcoming failure repeatedly and achieving success. The present study aimed to investigate how many stories about struggling role models undergraduates with a low level of perseverance need to read to effectively improve their perseverance after experiencing failure. Undergraduates with high and low levels of perseverance who had experienced failure were randomly assigned to read 5 struggle stories or 5 achievement stories of role models. They were asked to report their confidence in success, their emotional experience, and their persistent intentions after experiencing failure (i.e., their initial report after reading 0 stories) and then again after reading each story. The results showed that the participants' initially reported level of confidence in success improved after reading 1 struggle story of a role model and further improved after reading 5 struggle stories of role models. Furthermore, the participants' initially reported level of positive emotions increased after reading 1 struggle story or 1 achievement story of a role model, and the positive effects began to level off after reading 4 struggle stories or 4 achievement stories of role models. The participants' initially reported persistent intentions improved after reading 5 struggle stories of role models. These findings reveal that undergraduates can benefit from reading struggle stories of role models regardless of their perseverance levels. Undergraduates' confidence in success and their emotional experience can be improved more quickly than their persistent intentions after experiencing failure.

Undergraduates’ pSTEM identity and motivation in relation to gender- and race-based perceived representation, stereotyped beliefs, and implicit associations

Women and underrepresented minoritized (URM) persons remain marginalized in physical science, technology, engineering, and math (pSTEM). Relative to non-URM men, URM women may experience a double disadvantage based on their gender and race whereby they observe few same-gender and few same-race role models in pSTEM while additionally internalizing stereotypes linking pSTEM with non-URM men. Our hypothesized model was partly supported in a sample of undergraduates ( N = 1,068; 68% women, 44% URM). First, perceiving same-gender or same-race pSTEM role models predicted lower explicit stereotypes among women and URM individuals regarding gender and race, respectively. Second, explicit and implicit associations linking pSTEM with men and White/Asian persons predicted (a) lower pSTEM identity among women and URM students and (b) higher identity among men and non-URM students. Finally, both implicit and explicit pSTEM identity positively predicted expectancy–value beliefs.

The Benefits of Enlightenment: A Strategic Pedagogy for Strengthening Sense of Belonging in Chemistry Classrooms

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields have remained stagnant in increasing diversity. An important factor in increasing diversity is building and supporting diverse cohorts of future STEM professionals in our classrooms. A strong sense of belonging in STEM has been demonstrated to increase persistence of women, underrepresented minorities, and first-generation college students in STEM or the college atmosphere. Therefore, it is important that STEM faculty develop inclusive teaching strategies to increase and support this sense of belonging in STEM for all students. This work evaluates a faculty-developed assignment implemented in Fall 2020 at a liberal arts college on a student’s sense of belonging in STEM. The results demonstrated that this semester-long project increased students’ sense of belonging in STEM. Current literature about any faculty-developed assignments focused on supporting a student’s sense of belonging and awareness of diversity in STEM implemented in chemistry courses is limited. This work represents a new approach grounded in inclusive pedagogy that can be utilized in addition to other institutional and departmental support structures to increase diversity and equity in STEM.

Unveiling Concealable Stigmatized Identities in Class: The Impact of an Instructor Revealing Her LGBTQ+ Identity to Students in a Large-Enrollment Biology Course

Sharing personal information can help instructors build relationships with students, and instructors revealing concealable stigmatized identities (CSIs) may be particularly impactful. One CSI is the LGBTQ+ identity, but there has been no research on the student-perceived impact of an instructor revealing this identity. In this exploratory study conducted at an institution in the U.S. Southwest, an instructor revealed that she identifies as LGBTQ+ to her undergraduate biology course in less than 3 seconds. We surveyed students (n = 475) after 8 weeks to assess whether they remembered this, and if so, how they perceived it affected them. We used regression models to assess whether students with different identities perceived a disproportionate impact of the reveal. Most students perceived the instructor revealing her LGBTQ+ identity positively impacted them; regression results showed LGBTQ+ students and women perceived greater increased sense of belonging and confidence to pursue a science career. Students overwhelmingly agreed that instructors revealing their LGBTQ+ identities to students is appropriate. This study is the first to indicate the perceived impact of an instructor revealing her LGBTQ+ identity to students in the United States and suggests that a brief intervention could positively affect students.

Thinking out of the box—by thinking in other boxes: a systematic review of interventions in early entrepreneurship vs. STEM education research

Scholars increasingly converge on the view that entrepreneurship education (EE) should start early during the formative years of individuals’ educational careers, ideally in primary and secondary education. They also agree that promotion of attitudinal factors, especially, entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE) is of crucial importance. Yet, empirical evidence on effective interventions to foster ESE in early EE is still scarce. Therefore, this study, first, systematically reviews and systematizes this limited literature consisting of eight quantitative studies. Second, in order to develop suggestions for future ESE-oriented interventions in early entrepreneurship education, the study draws on insights from systematically reviewing a second, related yet already more developed literature: research on self-efficacy-oriented interventions in early STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education. Third, this study compares the interventions across both research streams in terms of research design, theoretical framework, structure and content of the interventions, and the findings of the studies. As a result, it derives implications for future research on ESE-oriented interventions in early EE: regarding the research design (e.g., use of several treatments); the structure and content of the programs like pedagogical and methodological components (e.g., use of specific learning strategies); analysis of potentially important moderating variables (e.g., gender, social background). Finally, the study discusses the potential for developing cross-disciplinary interventions aimed at simultaneously encouraging self-efficacy in the domains of STEM and entrepreneurship.

Developing a State University System Model to Diversify Faculty in the Biomedical Sciences

Amid increasing demands from students and the public, universities have recently reinvigorated their efforts to increase the number of faculty from underrepresented populations. Although a myriad of piecemeal programs targeting individual recruitment and development have been piloted at several institutions, overall growth in faculty diversity remains almost negligible and highly localized. To bring about genuine change, we hypothesize a consortia approach that links individuals to hiring opportunities within a state university system might be more effective. Here we present a case study describing the progress of the NSF-funded Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) PROMISE Academy Alliance, a consortium within the University System of Maryland (USM) collaborating to develop, implement, self-study, evaluate, and disseminate a unique postdoc-to-faculty conversion model in the biomedical sciences. The initiative centers on diversifying faculty across five institutions in the USM, including teaching-focused institutions, comprehensive universities, research institutions, and professional schools. Components of this approach include (1) enhanced recruiting and hiring practices to attract outstanding postdoctoral scholars from underrepresented backgrounds, (2) multi-institutional networking and professional development, and (3) facilitated processes to transition (or "convert") postdocs into tenure-track positions at their postdoctoral institution or another institution in the state system. This model is distinct from more deficit-based approaches because it goes beyond focusing on building the individual's skills to enter the professoriate. This program restructures the traditionally short-term nature of postdoctoral employment and incorporates a pathway to a tenure-track professorship at the same institution or within the same statewide system where the postdoc is trained. This multi-institutional model leverages collaboration and distinct institutional strengths to create cross-institutional support, advocacy, and policy. Importantly, it uses a decentralized financial structure that makes this approach distinctly replicable. Recognizing the immediate need for more collaborative approaches to diversify faculty and a lack of literature about such approaches, this case study describes the development of, and potential benefits of, a state university system, as well as the qualitative lessons learned from self-study, internal evaluation, external evaluation, and NSF site visits. The AGEP PROMISE Academy can serve as a model for replication at other university systems hoping to diversify their faculty.

Exploring the Effects of Promoting Feminine Leaders on Women’s Interest in STEM

In two pre-registered studies ( N = 1,202), female college students expressed greater feelings of belonging and trust in a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) company whose leaders exhibited stereotypically feminine (vs. masculine) characteristics. The positive impact of feminine leaders was found for both female and male leaders and was mediated by participants’ felt similarity to the leaders. This mediation model held even after controlling for other perceptions of leaders, such as perceived communality. The findings in this article extend past research on men as identity-safety cues for women in STEM and suggest that promoting leaders’ femininity could be an effective strategy to increase women’s identification with STEM.

Exploring How Secondary STEM Teachers and Undergraduate Mentors Adapt Digital Technologies to Promote Culturally Relevant Education during COVID-19

The COVID-19 global pandemic presented unprecedented challenges to K-16 educators, including the closing of educational agencies and the abrupt transition to online teaching and learning. Educators sought to adapt in-person learning activities to teach in remote and hybrid online settings. This study explores how a partnership between middle and high school teachers in an urban school district and undergraduate STEM mentors of color leveraged digital tools and collaborative pedagogies to teach science, technology, and engineering during a global pandemic. We used a qualitative multi-case study to describe three cases of teachers and undergraduate mentors. We then offer a cross-case analysis to interpret the diverse ways in which partners used technologies, pedagogy, and content to promote equitable outcomes for students, both in remote and hybrid settings. We found that the partnership and technologies led to rigorous and connected learning for students. Teachers and undergraduates carefully scaffolded technology use and content applications while providing ongoing opportunities for students to receive feedback and reflect on their learning. Findings provide implications for community partnerships and digital tools to promote collaborative and culturally relevant STEM learning opportunities in the post-pandemic era.

Which role models are effective for which students? A systematic review and four recommendations for maximizing the effectiveness of role models in STEM

Is exposing students to role models an effective tool for diversifying science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)? So far, the evidence for this claim is mixed. Here, we set out to identify systematic sources of variability in STEM role models' effects on student motivation: If we determine which role models are effective for which students, we will be in a better position to maximize role models' impact as a tool for diversifying STEM. A systematic narrative review of the literature (55 articles) investigated the effects of role models on students' STEM motivation as a function of several key features of the role models (their perceived competence, their perceived similarity to students, and the perceived attainability of their success) and the students (their gender, race/ethnicity, age, and identification with STEM). We conclude with four concrete recommendations for ensuring that STEM role models are motivating for students of all backgrounds and demographics-an important step toward diversifying STEM.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40594-021-00315-x.

Differential retention contributes to racial/ethnic disparity in U.S. academia

Several racial and ethnic identities are widely understood to be under-represented within academia, however, actual quantification of this under-representation is surprisingly limited. Challenges include data availability, demographic inertia and identifying comparison points. We use de-aggregated data from the U.S. National Science Foundation to construct a null model of ethnic and racial representation in one of the world's largest academic communities. Making comparisons between our model and actual representation in academia allows us to measure the effects of retention (while controlling for recruitment) at different academic stages. We find that, regardless of recruitment, failed retention contributes to mis-representation across academia and that the stages responsible for the largest disparities differ by race and ethnicity: for Black and Hispanic scholars this occurs at the transition from graduate student to postdoctoral researcher whereas for Native American/Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander scholars this occurs at transitions to and within faculty stages. Even for Asian and Asian-Americans, often perceived as well represented, circumstances are complex and depend on choice of baseline. Our findings demonstrate that while recruitment continues to be important, retention is also a pervasive barrier to proportional representation. Therefore, strategies to reduce mis-representation in academia must address retention. Although our model does not directly suggest specific strategies, our framework could be used to project how representation in academia might change in the long-term under different scenarios.

Reading Struggle Stories of Role Models Can Improve Students' Growth Mindsets

Previous studies have suggested that reading stories of role models can improve the growth mindsets of students. The current study aimed to investigate the types of stories that can increase the growth mindsets of high school students, undergraduates, and graduates and how many specific stories undergraduates with low and high perseverance need to read to improve their growth mindsets. In study 1, high school students, undergraduates, and graduates were assigned to read either five struggle stories or five achievement stories of role models. Their mindsets were measured before and after reading the stories. The results showed that reading struggle stories rather than achievement stories of role models increased the growth mindsets of undergraduates and graduates. In study 2, undergraduates with high and low perseverance were assigned to read five struggle stories or five achievement stories of role models. Their mindsets were measured before reading stories and after reading each story. The results showed that the growth mindsets of undergraduates with low perseverance increased after reading two struggle stories of role models, and increased further after reading five struggle stories of role models. More importantly, the level of growth mindsets of undergraduates with low perseverance was equal to that of undergraduates with high perseverance after reading five struggle stories of role models. These findings reveal that reading struggle stories of role models can improve the growth mindsets of undergraduates and graduates. The personality of students affects the effectiveness of story-based mindset intervention.

A multi-year science research or engineering experience in high school gives women confidence to continue in the STEM pipeline or seek advancement in other fields: A 20-year longitudinal study

There remains a large gender imbalance in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce deriving from a leaky pipeline where women start losing interest and confidence in science and engineering as early as primary school. To address this disparity, the Science Research & Engineering Program (SREP) at Hathaway Brown School was established in 1998 to engage and expose their all-female high school students to STEM fields through an internship-like multi-year research experience at partnering institutions. We compare data from existing Hathaway Brown School SREP alumnae records from 1998-2018 (n = 495) to Non-SREP students and national datasets (National Center for Educational Statistics, National Science Foundation, and US Census data) to assess how SREP participation may influence persistence in the STEM pipeline and whether SREP alumnae attribute differences in these outcomes to the confidence and skill sets they learned from the SREP experience. The results reveal that women who participate in the SREP are more likely to pursue a major in a STEM field and continue on to a STEM occupation compared to non-SREP students, national female averages, and national subsets. Participants attribute their outcomes to an increase in confidence, establishment of technical and professional skills, and other traits strengthened through the SREP experience. These data suggest that implementing similar experiential programs for women in science and engineering at the high school stage could be a promising way to combat the remaining gender gap in STEM fields.

Reimagining educational equity through strategic alliance partnerships in response to the USA STEM-M diversity gap

Addressing the USA diversity gap in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEM-M) through strategic alliance partnerships (SAPs) is an innovative solution toward combating the educational inequalities presented in K-12 education for marginalized youth interested in STEM-M professions. We present a model that unites multiple stakeholder s committed to diversifying the workforce in STEM-M, through the implementation of a multi-year high school pipeline program designed to better achieve STEM-M equity, access and opportunity at the secondary school level. We developed a unique model based on an SAP in a large metropolitan area in the Midwest that joins an Academic Medical Center and a local Public High School. Our results involving 46 students over 8 years demonstrate 100% high school graduation rates; 97% college attendance with full or partial scholarship support, and early evidence of post-graduation aspirations in STEM-M careers. Our early progress calls for more rigorous study against standard educational practices. If our program is proven to be more effective, then potentially more strategic public-private partnerships to foster K-12 pipeline programs to better achieve equity through educational access, opportunities and resources should be developed and targeted for those marginalized youth that have been historically denied STEM-M opportunities. After 10 years of dedicated effort, we see evidence of potential benefits of this SAP to develop K-12 pipeline programs with similar aims of STEM-M diversification, particularly by way of more-equitable provision of educational opportunities to students belonging to minority racial and ethnic groups.

To Pursue or Not to Pursue STEM? Faculty Behavior Enhances Student Involvement in STEM Roles by Signaling Role-Specific Support

Four studies examine the faculty–student relationship as a mechanism through which students ascertain their place in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Studies 1 and 2 use experimental methods to demonstrate STEM faculty who behave communally, relative to independently, increase undergraduates’ belonging and interest in STEM roles through anticipation of greater role-specific support (i.e., support that emphasizes guiding students through structures and activities of field-specific roles). Study 3 then examined the consequences of role-specific support for undergraduates’ belonging and interest in STEM. Students anticipated more belonging and interest in STEM roles when faculty provided high levels of role-specific support. Finally, STEM doctoral students’ perception of role-specific support from faculty related to their belonging and future identification in STEM fields (Study 4). Taken together, these studies demonstrate the importance of students’ construals of role-specific support from faculty, and how faculty behavior signals role-specific support, with benefits for student involvement in STEM.

Women’s Participation and Factors Affecting Their Academic Performance in Engineering and Technology Education: A Study of Ethiopia

Academic performance is one of the reasons for gender imbalance in STEM education. This study has two objectives: analyzing women’s participation in STEM education and investigating the factors affecting women’s achievements in Engineering and Technology university majors in Ethiopia. Secondary data have been analyzed to establish women’s involvement in STEM education using enrollment and graduation data and to observe the gender gap. Primary data were collected from 376 women students of engineering and technology. The OLS multiple regression model results reveal that the academic performance of women in engineering and technology education is positively influenced by students’ capabilities to gather information about the institution before joining the university. Interventions followed by institutions for supporting women students, peer learning habits of students, and the accessibility of university infrastructure also positively affect women’s academic performance. In contrast, sexual harassment and the existence of engineering and technology professionals in the family negatively influence the academic performance of women. Hence, educational organizations, governments, and other stakeholders should work to enhance women’s academic performance and reduce the gender gap in STEM education. Engineering colleges must also give attention to students’ psychological, economic, and educational support, try to fulfill infrastructure and learning equipment, and protect students from sexual harassment through strong commitment and regulations.

Facilitating Identity Compatibility in Mentorships: Implications for Diversity in Medicine

Despite intentional efforts to improve diversity in medicine, there is pronounced underrepresentation of minority groups and non-disclosure of minority identities by medical students due to societal stigmas and fears of acceptance. One way that medical schools address this challenge in supporting diverse student backgrounds is by facilitating faculty mentorship programs with underrepresented minority (URM) students. These efforts are valuable, but they are unfortunately not available at all institutions and do not always allow URM students to engage in the process of choosing a mentor confidentially. Medical schools largely do not make self-reported information from faculty about their various identities and allyships available to medical students, which limits the resources that students have to independently forge these connections. Helping students form their own mentor-mentee relationships by making faculty demographics available can lead students to find individualized support across their medical training. Identity compatibility between students and their role models has shown to correlate with academic achievement and senses of belonging. Enforcing that all medical schools share the identities of faculty who choose to disclose this information with students will thus be helpful to further diversity as a continuous commitment in medical education.

Illuminating the complexities of conflict with evolution: validation of the scales of evolutionary conflict measure (SECM)

BACKGROUND

Although personal, familial, and community conflict with evolution have been documented in the literature, these scales require conceptualization as a construct and operationalization as a measure. The Scales of Conflict with Evolution Measure (SECM) instrument was developed in response to these needs. Using a construct validity framework, the content, internal structure, convergent, and substantive validity of the SECM were evaluated using Rasch analysis, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), and follow up questioning. The conceptual utility of the instrument was explored by examining whether it added explanatory insights into evolution acceptance above and beyond religiosity, evolution knowledge, and background variables.

RESULTS

A literature review and expert consultation indicated that construct of evolutionary conflict perception should (i) encompass the hierarchical nature of human social structures (personal, family, community) and (ii) probe conflict as it relates to human values, cultures, and beliefs. A three-dimensional construct was operationalized as a nine-item rating scale measure. Using Rasch analyses of SECM responses from a diverse sample of > 1000 students studying evolution, the instrument met criteria of robust measurement, including: fit to model expectations; three-dimensional structure; high reliability; good rating scale function; measurement invariance with time; and convergence with a similar construct. SEM showed that: (i) family and community conflict had unique causal contributions to personal conflict, with family showing a stronger and modest impact, and (ii) personal conflict had a significant and modest causal impact on evolution acceptance above and beyond the contributions of religiosity, evolution knowledge, and background variables.

CONCLUSION

The SECM is an easy-to-administer instrument to measure conflict with evolution and is supported by several forms of validity evidence. The SECM has potential for facilitating measurement of evolutionary conflict in educational settings, thereby raising instructor awareness of conflict levels in students, promoting rigorous evaluations of educational interventions designed to reduce conflict, and fostering conceptual advances in the field of evolution education. Future work is needed to gather additional forms of validity evidence and to test current validity claims in additional participant samples. SECM measures should also be incorporated into more complex SEM models that treat evolution knowledge and religiosity as part of the structural paths to evolution acceptance. Such models could provide insights into the most worthwhile targets for the development of educational interventions to mitigate conflict at multiple scales.

Scientist Spotlights: Online assignments to promote inclusion in Ecology and Evolution

Scientific disciplines face large diversity challenges, with the fields of ecology and evolution being among the most homogeneous-specifically with respect to race and ethnicity. These problems have been recently compounded by large-scale racial unrest, highlighting some of the underlying disparities that have led to these diversity challenges, and a global pandemic, which, by moving instruction online, has created new challenges for inclusive teaching. Among the inclusive-teaching techniques that can be implemented during remote instruction are Scientist Spotlights-role-model interventions that use available online materials to highlight the work of scientists representing multiple axes of diversity. We report here on the implementation of Scientist Spotlights in two courses, both of which emphasize ecology and evolution. We conclude with sample resources and suggestions for adopters.

Girls in STEM: Is It a Female Role-Model Thing?

Women are underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) careers, and this poses new challenges at the dawn of the era of digital transformation. The goal of the present study is to demonstrate how female role models influence girls' preferences for STEM studies. This paper evaluates a role-model intervention in which female volunteers working in STEM go into schools to talk to girls about their careers. The study was conducted with 304 girls, from 12 years old (sixth primary grade) to 16 years old (fourth secondary grade), both before and after the role-model sessions. An adaptation of the expectancy-value theory of achievement motivation is used to test the extent to which this role-model intervention improves girls' beliefs that they can be successful in STEM fields and increases their likelihood of choosing a STEM career. The results of multigroup structural equation modeling analysis show that on average, the role-model intervention has a positive and significant effect on mathematics enjoyment, importance attached to math, expectations of success in math, and girls' aspirations in STEM, and a negative effect on gender stereotypes. Additionally, the female role-model sessions significantly increase the positive impact of expectations of success on STEM choices. Finally, the moderation role of the counterstereotypical content of the role-model sessions is tested. The results show that the higher the counterstereotypical character of the sessions, the higher the relationship between expectations of success in math and the choice of STEM. These results are discussed regarding their implications for long-term STEM engagement.

Examining the effectiveness of brief interventions to strengthen a positive implicit relation between women and STEM across two timepoints

The current study assessed the impact of three brief interventions aimed at influencing implicit gender bias in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields. The reduction of this bias is a key consideration as it remains a major barrier to gender equality in STEM. The interventions (psychoeducation, exposure to positive counter-stereotypical exemplars and perspective-taking) were compared to a control group at two timepoints. Gender-STEM bias was assessed at the implicit level (via the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure; IRAP) and the explicit level (via rating scales). Two hundred and ten adults (58.1% women) completed one of the four study conditions. Results indicated that implicit gender-STEM bias is malleable, at least in the short term. At Time 1, intervention groups showed higher levels of implicit pro-Women-STEM bias and lower levels of pro-Men-STEM bias than the Control group. Psychoeducation appeared most effective, followed by exposure to positive counter-stereotypical exemplars. Results from Time 2 presented a more complex picture of implicit bias change, as the control group exhibited an increased pro-Women-STEM bias that was unexpected. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to refining the interventions, the malleability of gender-STEM bias and the measurement of implicit bias across contexts.

Parent and Teacher Depictions of Gender Gaps in Secondary Student Appraisals of Their Academic Competences

The present study examines a group of secondary teachers' and parents' appraisals of gender gaps in secondary students' self-assessment of competence in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and non-STEM domains. Eight focus groups with 39 parents and 34 secondary teachers were conducted for this purpose. In light of the observed gender gaps in students' performance and self-perception of ability in the different subject areas, the participants were particularly surprised by girls' underestimation of their abilities in STEM subjects, compared with boys' tendency to overestimate their abilities in STEM. Most participants agreed on the need for measures to combat these inaccuracies and discussed possible causes. Some participants associated these gender disparities in students' self-assessment of ability with gender gaps in their choices of subject areas and occupations. The role played by school, teachers, families, and other socialization agents in reinforcing gender stereotypes about academic competence was also discussed in most of the focus groups. Interestingly, some teachers questioned why gender attainments obtained in schools do not serve as an example when it comes to neutralizing the sexism and gender inequality messages offered by the media and society. Likewise, technology teachers proposed changes in school practices to close gender gaps in certain areas (i.e., boys' appropriation of the playground, or the reproduction of gender roles in the classroom). Few parents acknowledged their unconscious reproduction of gender roles and stereotypes in raising their children.

Uniformed Services University Medical Student Mentorship Experiences and Gender From 2010 to 2017

INTRODUCTION

Gender disparity in medicine has drawn increased attention in the form of root cause analysis and programmatic solutions with the goal of equity. Research indicates that mentoring, guidance, and support, which include the provision of social and academic guidance and support from more experienced practitioners, can mitigate challenges associated with gender disparity. The purpose of this study was to explore women medical students' self-reports of mentorship during their time at Uniformed Services University (USU), if women report similar levels of mentorship as compared to men, and if levels of characteristics associated with mentoring (eg, social support, academic guidance) changed over time.

MATERIALS AND METHOD

Using data from the American Association of Medical College's Graduate Questionnaire, a survey sent to all medical students prior to graduation, items were coded as related to mentorship, guidance, and support and analyzed to compare responses of female and male students from graduating USU classes of 2010-2017.

RESULTS

No significant difference was found between experiences of female and male survey respondents. Equitable experiences were consistent across time for the 8 years of the study.

CONCLUSIONS

Although mentorship is cited as a key factor in mediating gender disparity in medicine, other STEM fields, and the military, the findings suggest that there is equity at the USU undergraduate medical education level. Further studies are needed to understand if disparities in mentorship experiences occur at other stages of a military physician's career, such as graduate medical education, faculty and academic promotion levels.

Strategies to improve equity in faculty hiring

Through targeted recruitment and interventions to support their success during training, the fraction of trainees (graduate students and postdoctoral fellows) in academic science from historically underrepresented groups has steadily increased. However, this trend has not translated to a concomitant increase in the number of faculty from these underrepresented groups. Here, I focus on proven strategies that departments and research institutions can develop to increase equity in faculty hiring and promotion to address the lack of racial and gender diversity among their faculty.

Perceptions about the Use of Educational Robotics in the Initial Training of Future Teachers: A Study on STEAM Sustainability among Female Teachers

In these moments of future uncertainty and change, teachers must be trained to respond to the challenges posed by today’s society, and the challenges that are closely related to the economy. We are going through the first steps of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and changes are already taking place in our daily lives, in our way of learning, working, and interacting with each other. According to the data of the World Economic Forum (WEF), the future of teacher professional development is disfigured—most technological profiles play a strong role, and this affects the skills and abilities of teachers, especially in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM). The goal is to achieve the Millennium Goal number three proposed by the United Nations: All countries must promote gender equality and the empowerment of women. This objective aims to eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, and the promotion of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) to improve the competences of women and vulnerable groups to ensure that no one is left behind. These are priority areas to consider regarding SDG4 (Sustainable Development Goal 4) and Education 2030.

In a "Scientist Spotlight" Intervention, Diverse Student Identities Matter

We report on a brief, simple, online course intervention designed to reduce identity gaps and help students see their "possible selves" in working scientists. Students (n = 238) in a large-enrollment, introductory biology course for nonmajors were assigned nine podcasts, distributed throughout the semester. These podcasts each featured a scientist telling a "true, personal story about science," and we intentionally selected podcasts featuring scientists from diverse backgrounds. We hypothesized that this intervention would serve to broaden student perceptions of science and scientists, and we used a mixed-methods approach to analyze (a) survey data and (b) short written responses about how these podcasts impacted students' views of the people who do science. Student survey responses confirm that students overwhelmingly found the podcasts valuable, engaging, and relatable, and student impressions varied as a function of student identity (gender, religiosity, sexual orientation, etc.). Further, these podcasts changed student perceptions of the sort of people who do science. This work builds on earlier findings and expands the current work to include a look at how students from a range of different identities-hidden and visible-respond to a simple intervention designed to counter stereotypes about scientists.

Formation of the Inclusive Environments and Metrics in Biology Education and Research (iEMBER) Network: Building a Culture of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The Inclusive Environments and Metrics in Biology Education and Research (iEMBER) network is a newly forming national community of practice that engages diversity, equity, and inclusion stakeholders in interdisciplinary collaborative projects. iEMBER was initiated with incubator funding from the National Science Foundation program for Research Coordination Networks in Undergraduate Biology Education. In June 2017, biology education researchers, social scientists, biologists, and program and policy administrators, all with interests in diversity, equity, and inclusion, met to lay the foundation for the iEMBER network. iEMBER provides a distinct forum to coordinate efforts through networking, professional development, and the initiation of collaborative research. iEMBER advances science, technology, engineering, and mathematics reform focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion through the initiation of research teams at the iEMBER biennial conference and outreach efforts at discipline-specific meetings and conferences. The focus of iEMBER is on understanding how to create inclusive, supportive, and engaging environments to foster the success of all biology students and trainees. This report focuses on the structure of the iEMBER network, two takeaways that emerged from the 2017 conference (interdisciplinary networking/collaboration and intradisciplinary broadening participation strategies), and ways for prospective members to engage in ongoing dialogue and future events. Learn more at http://iember.org .

Does Exposure to Counterstereotypical Role Models Influence Girls' and Women's Gender Stereotypes and Career Choices? A Review of Social Psychological Research

Gender roles are formed in early childhood and continue to influence behavior through adolescence and adulthood, including the choice of academic majors and careers. In many countries, men are underrepresented in communal roles in health care, elementary education, and domestic functions (HEED fields, Croft et al., 2015), whereas women are underrepresented in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematical (STEM) fields (Beede et al., 2011) and top leadership positions (Leopold et al., 2016). Theories focusing on the development of gender roles suggest that across the lifespan people perceive certain roles to be more or less appropriate for their gender (e.g., Gender Schema Theory, Martin and Halverson, 1981; Social Role Theory, Eagly and Wood, 2011). Specifically, researchers have postulated that observing same-sex role models triggers learning processes whereby observers internalize gender-stereotypical knowledge of roles and act accordingly, which results in gender-congruent aspirations and behavior. It seems reasonable that if observing men and women in gender congruent roles fosters gender-congruent aspirations and behavior, then frequently observing gender-incongruent role models (e.g., male kindergarten teachers or female scientists and leaders) should reduce gender stereotyping and promote gender-counterstereotypical aspirations and behavior. In many countries, governments and societal decision-makers have formed initiatives based on the idea that exposure to gender-counterstereotypical role models influences aspirations and career choices among children, adolescents, and young adults. The present review gives an overview of research-based interventions involving observing or interacting with counterstereotypical role models, particularly focusing on outcomes for girls and women. Extending earlier reviews, we summarize laboratory-based and field-based studies and then critically discuss and integrate the findings in order to provide an overall picture of how counterstereotypical role models shape observers’ occupational aspirations and academic choices in childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood. We conclude by outlining suggestions for future research and briefly discussing implications for future interventions.

Should I Stay or Should I Go? The Role of Impostorism in STEM Persistence

Impostor phenomenon or “impostorism” refers to the experience of high-achieving individuals (particularly women) who, despite being successful, attribute their accomplishments to luck, and fear being exposed as frauds. In the current study, we examined the association between impostorism and graduate student self-efficacy, perceptions of the research-training environment, and attitudes toward academic persistence of 224 women completing a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-related doctoral degree. As hypothesized, participants who identified more strongly with impostor characteristics reported a lower sense of self-efficacy, more negative views of their academic context, and more pessimistic outlooks toward attaining their doctorate. However, results from a multiple mediation analysis revealed that women’s levels of self-efficacy and perceptions of their doctoral environment accounted for the effects of impostorism on their attitudes about academic persistence. Also, the relation between impostorism and persistence attitudes strengthened as numerical representation of women in a STEM program increased. Results illuminate the potential role STEM departments can have on students’ persistence by developing early opportunities for research collaborations and fostering an early sense of accomplishment. Parents and teachers might also draw from our findings to develop strategies to inoculate younger students from the insidious effects of gender-based stereotypes. Online slides for instructors who want to use this article for teaching are available on PWQ's website at http://journals.sagepub.com/page/pwq/suppl/index