How Endorsement of Gender Stereotypes Influences Adolescents' Interest in Math

Presentation at the British Psychological Societ

Resisting Stereotypes

Issues of equity in education are critically important, including gender equity. Beliefs that women have lower abilities than men are a common explanation for gender gaps in many fields, especially science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). But another stereotype may have an equal or larger impact on students' motivation: beliefs that women are less interested in men in those fields. These beliefs may send girls a message that they do not “belong.” Sense of belonging has a profound influence on students’ motivation and aspirations. This study explores how students’ gender stereotypes about different fields are related to their motivation. This is important because previous research has primarily focused on stereotypes about ability. However, if interest stereotypes are more tightly linked to motivation, they may be a more promising target for interventions to boost girls’ interest in STEM (and boys’ interest in reading/Language Arts). After completion of the proposed study, we intend to develop and test such interventions to help young students resist pervasive stereotypes

Resisting Racial Stereotypes & Implicit Biases in STEM

This study examines how students’ beliefs about racial/ethnic groups relate to their STEM motivation and interests

Racial Equity in STEM Education

This study examines how Hispanic/Latinx students’ beliefs about racial/ethnic groups relate to their STEM motivation and interests