Girls in STEM: Exploring the Developmental Origins of the Gender Gap in Science

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Abstract

Women are underrepresented in STEM fields in the United States and across the world (NSF, 2019), although they achieve better grades in science than men throughout school (Voyer & Voyer, 2014). This symposium presents data illustrating the developmental origins of this disparity, focusing primarily on the impact of role models and self-efficacy. Paper 1 assesses whether girls’ persistence on a STEM task was impacted through exposure to female role models or through role-play, finding that girls persist longest and display the greatest reported self-efficacy when they pretended to be a famous female scientist. Paper 2 examines how visual information about the gender composition of a group of scientists impacts four- and five-year-old’s persistence on a STEM task; whereas children’s persistence on the STEM task did not change based on gender composition, gender composition did impact children’s trait attributions about scientists. Paper 3 investigates how role models’ implicit theories of intelligence and interest impact children’s (ages 5 -8) STEM confidence and interest, finding that girls demonstrate greater confidence when hearing a role model endorse a growth ability and interest mindset. Finally, Paper 4 explores older elementary students’ and adults’ willingness to share and publicize their outstanding performance on a STEM task with peers, finding that girls were less likely to share their top performance with best friends than boys. Together, these papers provide new insights into the development of the STEM gender achievement gap, highlighting the benefits from exposure to and identification with female role models in STEM.

Sub Unit

• Social Cognition

Chairs

• Amanda S Haber, Fairfield University

• Sona Kumar, Boston University

Individual Presentations

• A Role-Model Intervention to Increase Young Girls’ Persistence in Science - Presenting Author: Reut Shachnai, Yale University; Non-Presenting Author: Tamar Kushnir, Duke Univeristy; Non-Presenting Author: Lin Bian, University of Chicago

• The Impact of Visualizing the Group on Children’s Persistence in and Perceptions of STEM - Presenting Author: Sona Kumar, Boston University; Non-Presenting Author: Amanda S Haber, Fairfield University; Non-Presenting Author: Samantha Barbero; Non-Presenting Author: Kathleen H. Corriveau, Boston University

• What Makes a STEM Role Model Motivating for Young Children? - Presenting Author: Jessica Gladstone, New York University; Non-Presenting Author: Molly Tallberg, University of Chicago; Non-Presenting Author: Jilana Jaxon, New York University; Non-Presenting Author: Andrei Cimpian, New York University

• The Development of Girls’ Reluctance to Publicize Their Own Outstanding Performance - Presenting Author: Michelle Wang, New York University; Non-Presenting Author: Sarah-Jane Leslie, Princeton University; Non-Presenting Author: Marjorie Rhodes, New York University