Equity or Stereotypes in Science Education? Perspectives from Pre-University Students

In this work, we explore the presence of stereotypes in pre-university students with respect to gender, science, and scientists. The possible differences between boys and girls, school stage, and rurality are analyzed. For this purpose, a sample of 404 participants between 13 and 18 years old were d...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sustainability 2020-11, Vol.12 (22), p.9354
Main Authors: Fernández-Cézar, Raquel, Garrido, Dunia, García-Moya, Melody, Gómezescobar, Ariadna, Solano-Pinto, Natalia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Careers
Computer science
Education
Engineering
Gender
Industrialized nations
Masculinity
Mathematics
Physics
Problem solving
Professions
Rural areas
Science education
Scientists
Self esteem
Self image
Social networks
Social perception
Statistical analysis
Stereotypes
Students
Sustainability
Technology
Teenagers
University students
Urban areas
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Summary:In this work, we explore the presence of stereotypes in pre-university students with respect to gender, science, and scientists. The possible differences between boys and girls, school stage, and rurality are analyzed. For this purpose, a sample of 404 participants between 13 and 18 years old were delivered a form with items from the Questionnaire on Opinions about Science, Technology, and Society. The responses were offered using a five-point Likert scale and agreement percentages were calculated. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for the analysis, where the effect size was calculated for items associated with any of the three factors. Our findings show that the stereotyped ideas of gender in science were more intense in Compulsory Secondary Education (CSE) students in rural areas than in High School (HS) students from urban areas. In addition, perceptions of science and scientists showed greater agreement for CSE than for HS students. However, no differences were found between girls and boys. Regarding science items, there was a major agreement on the relationship between science and technology with problem solving, regardless of sex or school rurality. Finally, reflections on stereotypes and the presence of girls in STEM careers are provided.
ISSN:2071-1050
2071-1050
DOI:10.3390/su12229354