The Role of Social and Ability Belonging in Men's and Women's pSTEM Persistence

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.

How does caregiver-child conversation during a scientific storybook reading impact children's mindset beliefs and persistence?

This study explores how caregiver-child scientific conversation during storybook reading focusing on the challenges or achievements of famous female scientists impacts preschoolers' mindset, beliefs about success, and persistence. Caregiver-child dyads (N = 202, 100 female, 35% non-White, aged 4-5, ƒ = .15) were assigned to one of three storybook conditions, highlighting the female scientist's achievements, effort, or, in a baseline condition, neither. Children were asked about their mindset, presented with a persistence task, and asked about their understanding of effort and success. Findings demonstrate that storybooks highlighting effort are associated with growth mindset, attribution of success to hard work, and increased persistence. Caregiver language echoed language from the assigned storybook, showing the importance of reading storybooks emphasizing hard work.

Effects of historical inequity and institutional power on cannabis research: Moving toward equity and inclusion

Given historical inequities in cannabis laws and policies, there is an obligation on the part of researchers and policy makers to actively work toward improving equity in cannabis research at a time when the field is rapidly expanding. We wish to propose a way forward for cannabis research that acknowledges this history of discrimination and misuse of institutional power and embraces equity and inclusion. This article provides a brief perspective on historical drug policy, recent legalization trends that have disproportionately benefitted some groups over others, and the repercussions of those trends for the cannabis research enterprise. In addition, it proposes five key actions in both policy and research domains that are necessary to move the field of cannabis research, and perhaps biomedical research in substance use more broadly, forward in a productive and inclusionary way. Specifically, recommendations focus on equity-focused legislation and policy, supporting the entry and retention of scientists of color into the field, engaging in more ethical research practices, and practicing intentionally inclusive recruitment of participants will help to move the field of cannabis research forward. These efforts will ensure that scientific gains are shared equitably moving forward.

Communicating Inclusion: How Men and Women Perceive Interpersonal Versus Organizational Gender Equality Messages

Interpersonal allyship may serve as a justice cue to signal that an environment is fair to women without increasing men's expectations of anti-male bias. We investigated how exposure to justice cues communicated at the interpersonal and organizational level impact men's and women's perceptions of procedural justice and fairness at an organization. Men and women were asked to imagine working at one of three randomly assigned male-dominated workplaces. Women who imagined working with a White man who was a gender-equality ally (Study 1, N = 352, and Study 2, N = 488) perceived the organization as more procedurally just, identified more strongly with the organization, and were less likely to view their gender as a disadvantage compared to women who imagined a workplace with an organizational diversity statement (Study 2 only) or a control workplace with no justice cues. Men did not view the ally nor the diversity statement negatively in either study. Integrative data analysis revealed medium to large effects (Cohen's d range .74–1.30) across dependent measures included in both studies. Our results suggest that interpersonal allyship from men is a practical way to promote women's expectations of fair treatment without increasing the threat of anti-male bias among men. Additional online materials for this article are available on PWQ's website at http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/suppl/10.1177/03616843221140300.

Sense of Belonging as an Important Factor in the Pursuit of Physics: Does It Also Matter for Female Participants of the German Physics Olympiad?

This paper focuses on stereotype threat and its effects on sense of belonging in the German Physics Olympiad science competition. Participants completed questionnaires about sense of belonging, stereotype endorsement, interest, and self-concept in physics, as well as about value and success expectations of studying physics in college. Female participants who endorsed negative stereotypes about female talent for physics felt less sense of belonging to physics. This effect did not manifest for male participants. Sense of belonging to physics significantly predicted value and success expectations for studying physics in college beyond what is predicted by interest and self-concept in physics. These findings suggest that sense of belonging is influenced by stereotype threat, which was shown to cause gender differences in science. Nevertheless, sense of belonging could be included into the expectancy-value theory based on its predictive impact on value and success expectations of studying physics.