Interest Stereotypes Predict Adolescents' Beliefs That Computer Science Is Useful and Intentions to Major in STEM

• In Event: Understanding Individual and Contextual Predictors of Students' STEM Major Intention and Promoting Diversity in STEM

Abstract

Situated expectancy-value theory (SEVT) posits that expectations of success, task values, and gender identities are proximal psychological determinants of achievement-related performance and decisions (Eccles & Wigfield, 2020). Students’ intentions to pursue STEM follow directly from their gender beliefs and task values (Duffin et al., 2016). Specifically, task values have been shown to act as a mediator between gender stereotypes about ability and math intentions (Plante et al., 2013). However, less is known if this mechanism is valid for other types of gender stereotypes and task values or in fields other than math/science. Recent research suggests that gender-interest stereotypes play an important role in adolescents’ STEM motivation (Master et al., 2021; Tang et al., 2021). SEVT highlights the importance of studying differentiation and elaboration of specific task values (Eccles & Wigfield, 2020). Therefore, the present study examined gender-interest stereotypes, utility values about computer science (CS), and their influences on intentions to major in STEM among middle and high school students. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether perceiving CS as useful mediated the relationship between CS interest-stereotypes and STEM intentions.
The sample comprised 932 students (51.7% girls; Mage= 13.60; Grades 7 to 10) who completed an online survey in 2021. STEM intentions measured the likelihood of choosing a college major involving STEM (one item). CS interest-stereotypes measured beliefs about boy and girl targets’ interest (three items for each target, αs> .93; e.g., “How interested are most girls in CS?”). Interest-stereotypes were analyzed using ingroup stereotypes for each gender (i.e., girls’ ratings of girl targets and boys’ ratings of boy targets), because beliefs about the ingroup are most likely to influence self-perceptions (Tobin et al., 2010). CS utility values measured how well computer science tasks fit into students’ current and future plans (four items, α= .92; e.g., “The course material in CS class is useful to learn”). Two mediation path models were used to detect effects of interest-stereotypes on STEM intentions through utility values (using girl targets for girls and boy targets for boys).
Results revealed a positive indirect link between ingroup CS interest-stereotypes and STEM intentions that was significantly mediated by utility values. Girls and boys who held more positive stereotypes about their gender ingroup’s CS interests reported seeing CS as more useful, which in turn led to stronger STEM intentions (βgirls= .08, p< .001; βboys= .04, p< .001; Figure 1). These findings suggest that CS interest-stereotypes are linked to how much students value STEM, which contributes to students’ intentions to pursue STEM. This represents a novel contribution to motivation research by providing supportive evidence that gender-interest stereotypes contribute to mechanisms underlying adolescents’ STEM intentions. With a better understanding of how interest-stereotypes influence task values, the study provides important implications for educators to support students’ future STEM intentions by promoting positive beliefs about the ingroup and seeing CS activities as useful. This may be particularly crucial in middle and high school, as students solidify their intentions to choose a STEM or non-STEM major (Muenks et al., 2020).

Authors

• Daijiazi Tang, University of Houston
  Presenting Author

• Allison Master, University of Houston
  Non-Presenting Author