A Closer Look: Relating Social Identity and Achievement Motivation Among Black Undergraduate Women in Computing

• In Event: Contentious Issues and Cutting-Edge Perspectives in Education

Abstract

Educational psychologists have become increasingly focused on the interrelatedness of social identity and achievement motivation variables. Scholarly interest in identity beliefs among students in STEM education has grown, yet there is little focus on the perspectives and experiences of racial-ethnic minority women—a group historically underrepresented in the physical and technological sciences. The present study utilizes the expectancy-value theoretical framework to examine the relationships among racial identity and gender identity, identification with computing, identity interference beliefs, expectancy for success, subjective task value, and psychological cost associated with obtaining a computing degree for Black undergraduate women. We discuss preliminary findings that contribute to our understanding of how social identities relate to the achievement motivation of Black undergraduate women in computing.

Authors

• Danyelle Tauryce Ireland, Howard University

• Kimberley Edelin Freeman, Howard University