Seeing STEM Stories: Children’s Engineering and Technology interest and ability beliefs

• In Event: Understanding the Antecedents of Gender and Ethnic Under-representation in STEM among Children and Adolescents

Abstract

Introduction
Women are drastically underrepresented in technology and engineering and this underrepresentation has been linked to interest and gender stereotypes in these fields. One way to remedy this may be to promote girls’ interest and challenge gender stereotypes in STEM. This pre-registered study showcased real-life stories of people working in STEM to children visiting a science center. The aim of this study is to investigate how learning about male and female workers in technology and engineering careers and hearing a message about brain malleability (growth mindsets) is related to children's interests and gender stereotypes in engineering and technology.

Hypotheses
We predicted that children would report more equitable interest and weaker gender stereotypes after exposure to the STEM profile and growth mindset message compared to the control group. In the control condition, we predicted that boys would report greater interest and greater gender stereotypes in technology and engineering than girls.

Study population
Participants (n = 230, girls n = 114, boys n = 116, 5–12-years-old, Mage = 7.8, SD = 3.0) (racial ethnic background in Table 1) were visitors to a science center located in the midlands of the United Kingdom.

Methods
Participants either 1) experienced a STEM exhibit and saw pictures and learned about profiles of people working in STEM, or 2) saw the same STEM exhibit and hear a growth mindset message or 3) did not see the STEM exhibit, nor read about people working in STEM, or about growth mindsets (controls). Measures included children’s interest (2 items) and gender stereotypes (4 items) in engineering and technology. A series of 2 (Gender; boys, girls) x 2(Age; 5-8 years old, 9-12 years old) x 3 (Condition; STEM exhibit, STEM exhibit & Mindset, Control) ANOVAs were conducted.

Results
Younger children reported greater interest in engineering, F(1, 217) = 12.02, p <.001 and technology, F(1,215) = 7.22, p =.008 compared to older children. There was an interaction between condition and gender on engineering interest, F(2, 217) = 5.22, p = .006. Pairwise comparisons revealed that within each of the two experimental conditions, there was no significant difference in engineering interest reported by boys and girls. However, girls in the control group reported significantly lower interest in engineering compared to boys, p=.002. Further, results show that participants in the two experimental conditions reported no gender differences in boys’ and girls’ ability to do well in engineering F(1,205) =1.26, p = .260, and technology F(1,211) = 1.01, p = .300, whereas boys in the control condition reported that boys can do better than girls in engineering, F(1, 205) =7.32, p = .008 and technology, F(1,211) = 8.02, p = .004.
Conclusion
This study demonstrates novel findings that exhibit showcasing real stories of people working in STEM careers in a science centre can promote more equitable beliefs that both boys and girls can do well in engineering and technology as well as encourage equitable interest in STEM among children.

Authors

• Fidelia Law, University Of Exeter
  Presenting Author

• Luke McGuire, University Of Exeter

• Manuela Barreto, University of Exeter

• Adam Rutland, University Of Exeter