How do middle school girls of color develop STEM identities? Middle school girls’ participation in science activities and identification with STEM careers

This study explores ways to support girls of color in forming their senses of selves in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) during the middle school years. Guided by social practice theory, we analyzed a large data set of survey responses (n = 1,821) collected at five middle schools in...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science education (Salem, Mass.) Mass.), 2019-03, Vol.103 (2), p.418-439
Main Authors: Kang, Hosun, Calabrese Barton, Angela, Tan, Edna, Simpkins, Sandra, Rhee, Hyang‐yon, Turner, Chandler
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Careers
equity
Ethnic Groups
Females
Girls
Identification (Psychology)
identities
Identity
Low Income Students
Middle School Students
Middle Schools
Minority Group Students
Minority students
quantitative
Science Activities
Science Careers
Science Instruction
Scientific Attitudes
Self Concept
social practice theory
STEM Education
STEM‐career aspirations
Structural Equation Models
Student Attitudes
Student Participation
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This study explores ways to support girls of color in forming their senses of selves in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) during the middle school years. Guided by social practice theory, we analyzed a large data set of survey responses (n = 1,821) collected at five middle schools in low‐income communities across four states in the United States. Analyses focus on the extent to which key constructs that inform girls’ development of senses of self and relations among those indicators of STEM identities varied by their race/ethnicity. Though the means of indicators sometimes varied across racial/ethnic groups, multigroup structural equation modeling analyses indicate no significant racial/ethnic differences in the relations of STEM identities, suggesting that similar supports would be equally effective for all girls during the middle school years. Girls’ self‐perception in relation to science was the strongest predictor of their identification with STEM‐related careers, and this self‐perception was positively and distinctively associated with their experiences with science at home, outside of school, and in school science classes. This study argues for strategically expanding girls’ experiences with science across multiple settings during middle school in a way that increases their positive self‐perception in and with STEM.
ISSN:0036-8326
1098-237X
DOI:10.1002/sce.21492