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Girls Are Good at STEM: Opening Minds and Providing Evidence Reduces Boys' Stereotyping of Girls' STEM Ability

Authors :
Emily N. Cyr
Kathryn M. Kroeper
Hilary B. Bergsieker
Tara C. Dennehy
Christine Logel
Jennifer R. Steele
Rita A. Knasel
W. Tyler Hartwig
Priscilla Shum
Stephanie L. Reeves
Odilia Dys-Steenbergen
Amrit Litt
Christopher B. Lok
Taylor Ballinger
Haemi Nam
Crystal Tse
Amanda L. Forest
Mark Zanna
Sheryl Staub-French
Mary Wells
Toni Schmader
Stephen C. Wright
Steven J. Spencer
Source :
Child Development. 2024 95(2):636-647.
Publication Year :
2024

Abstract

Girls and women face persistent negative stereotyping within STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics). This field intervention was designed to improve boys' perceptions of girls' STEM ability. Boys (N = 667; mostly White and East Asian) aged 9-15 years in Canadian STEM summer camps (2017-2019) had an intervention or control conversation with trained camp staff. The intervention was a multi-stage persuasive appeal: a values affirmation, an illustration of girls' ability in STEM, a personalized anecdote, and reflection. Control participants discussed general camp experiences. Boys who received the intervention (vs. control) had more positive perceptions of girls' STEM ability, d = 0.23, an effect stronger among younger boys. These findings highlight the importance of engaging elementary-school-aged boys to make STEM climates more inclusive.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
0009-3920 and 1467-8624
Volume :
95
Issue :
2
Database :
ERIC
Journal :
Child Development
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
EJ1418506
Document Type :
Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.14007