Effective identity-safety cues for assuaging social identity threat of young black girls in stem (work in progress) (diversity)

Abstract

Despite efforts to diversify engineering fields, issues with representation persist. In the U.S., women receive only 21% of bachelor's degrees in engineering, and black women account for only 1% of these degrees [1]. Many issues may contribute to the underrepresentation of black women in engineering, but one area that seems particularly fruitful to explore is that of identity. Identity is a person's conception of self, and a positive STEM identity is associated with career aspirations in STEM fields [2]. For women pursuing college STEM degrees, perceived identity compatibility between identifying both as a female and as a STEM student is associated with greater engagement in STEM and lower expectations of leaving the STEM major [3]. Out-of-school contexts are uniquely situated to support students' identity development because they can deconstruct the racialized history and hierarchies that are entrenched in U.S. social systems such as schools [4]. Research findings have shown that out-of-school contexts can support youth in developing new skills and talents, promote self-efficacy, and foster positive identity and belief in the future [5] - [7]. These programs can be a platform for authentic STEM opportunities to support developing STEM identities [8] - [10]. Previous research on social identity threat in STEM suggests that identity-safety cues, including exemplars (i.e., counter-stereotypical examples), role models, and positive contextual factors (i.e., identity-safe environments), assuage social identity threat concerns amongst underrepresented undergraduate students and professional women [11], while identity-safe classrooms promote trust and belonging [12]. However, little is known about the impacts of identity-safety cues on underrepresented girls. This research represents the initial phase of a project that will investigate perceptions of identity safety and the impacts of stereotype threat at multiple points along the STEM education pipeline. This phase of research explores a STEM Academy that integrates educational activities aimed at building intellectual, cultural and emotional assets of learners. The following research questions are investigated: 1. Which identity-safety cues are emphasized within the STEM Academy? 2. How, if at all, does the perceived presence of identity-safety cues differ amongst STEM Academy leaders? 3. What identity-safety cues do parents of STEM Academy participants view as important for supporting student identity (i.e., sense of belonging, safety, and conception of self)?