An Exploration of Impostor Syndrome in STEM and STEM Self-Efficacy in Adolescent Learners from a Teacher’s Perspective

Abstract

Over the years, there has been a surge in the demand for a proficient STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) workforce to occupy the proliferating STEM job vacancies worldwide. The STEM workforce must be expanded in order to fill this gap. However, the reputation of STEM learning as being arduous has proven to be a deterrent to students’ interest in the pursuit of STEM careers. In an expounding qualitative study, three STEM teachers were interviewed for the purpose of examining STEM Impostor Syndrome (IS) and STEM Self-Efficacy (S-SE) from a teacher’s perspective. Findings suggest that teachers are sentient of the manifestation of STEM IS among students. Teachers noted that STEM IS poses a significant challenge for their interactions with students in the classroom, and also suggested that STEM IS is inversely proportional to S-SE.