Factors That Shape the Career-Related Possible Selves of Girls in Science and Medicine

• In Event: Roundtable Session 9
  In Roundtable Session: Expanding Inclusion

Abstract

This paper uses an interdisciplinary theoretical framework, informed by possible selves theory, to examine the factors that shaped girls’ future-oriented career identities in science, medicine, or biomedical research. 118 female participants from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds who pursued an MD, PhD, or MD-PhD degree in one of the STEM fields participated in interviews focused on their early interest development and experiences along their academic and professional pathways. Findings suggest that early exposure to mentors and experiences that bolster self-confidence played an instrumental role in helping the participants develop and sustain positive views of themselves as future scientists, physicians, or biomedical researchers. These factors can provide valuable contexts through which females negotiate career-related possible selves in science and medicine.

Authors

• Claire Mitchell, University of Virginia

• Robert H. Tai, University of Virginia

• Donna B. Jeffe, Washington University in St. Louis