Exploring How a "Judgment-Free" Space Supports African American Girls' Identity as Scientists and Engineers

• In Event: Millennium Hotel Roundtable Session 5
  In Roundtable Session: Supporting Marginalized Students in Unsupportive School Systems

Abstract

This study explores the ways in which a “judgement-free” (defined in this study as “free of negative judgment, as far as possible”) after -school STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) enrichment program influences African American (AA) girls to become innovators and to identify themselves as scientists or engineers. There are many beneficial impacts informal STEM experiences can bring to minority youth. Concurrently, the troubling trend of AA females deemed incapable of succeeding in school science and taking higher-level science courses persists. This study takes up the notion of such “judgment” AA females may face while engaging in STEM and explores how a “judgment-free” STEM space in an informal, community club can affect AA females’ identity work and agency.

Authors

• Faith Brown Freeman, University of North Carolina - Greensboro

• Edna Tan, University of North Carolina at Greensboro