GSE/RES A Multi-Method Investigation of the Situational Cues and Contexts Inhibiting Women in STEM Settings

知识专长：该项目借鉴了社会身份威胁的背景理论，1）研究STEM环境的特征和结构如何作为女性在STEM环境中如何被重视和对待的线索，2）调查情境线索影响女性的机制STEM的兴趣，愿望，坚持和表现。拟议项目包括两个阶段。第一阶段包括一个为期3年的纵向和经验抽样研究的妇女和男子在3个理论上翔实的大学环境：（a）一个大的，公立大学（伊利诺伊大学，芝加哥），（B）一个妇女？一所理工大学（加州州立理工大学）。以公立大学作为生态有效的对照组，研究人员将调查几个情境线索（例如，数字代表性，教授的性别，妇女和/或STEM的明确机构价值观等）以确定对女性STEM成果影响最大的因素。这项工作评估了学生大学生涯中的关键时期（1-3年），当他们在新的环境中评估线索，决定专业，参加专业相关的课程，并选择职业选择。第二阶段包括六个实验室研究，调查线索影响女性STEM结果的因果机制。特别是，他们测试了学术机构对STEM能力和学习的取向是否会在一定程度上影响情境线索对女性STEM结果的影响。 两套制度的方向，从文献中得出，进行了研究：（a）固定与可塑性的奠定理论的干能力，（B）竞争与合作的方向。由于STEM设置是复杂的，可能包含一个以上的情境线索，实验将调查这些方向的背景下，其他线索已知的负面影响妇女在STEM（例如，数字代表性不足、性别隔离以及个人和机构取向之间的一致性）。据推测，有利于努力和坚持，同时防止性能问题的机构方向-即可塑性（v.固定）的STEM能力和合作（v.竞争）环境的理论-将改善代表性不足和性别隔离对妇女的STEM成果的负面影响。使用ANOVA和线性回归技术分析数据，以测试因果机制。更广泛的影响：该项目提供了直接检查的情境线索如何影响妇女的利益，愿望，持久性，并在干业绩。这项工作有可能阐明STEM环境的各个方面，这些方面对妇女的STEM成果产生负面影响，并提供具体，具体和易于适应的战略，可用于STEM课堂和培训STEM教师和学生。通过为机构和个人提供战略，这项工作准备提供如何创建公平和诱人的STEM环境的见解。调查结果将在心理学和教育期刊以及国家会议上积极传播。 还将建立一个网站，以便更广泛地传播信息。 此外，调查结果将积极与高中和大学的STEM教育工作者分享。该项目促进了研究和教育的整合，因为本科生和研究生研究助理参与了每个阶段。妇女和代表性不足群体的成员将被招聘为本科生和研究生研究助理。

INTELLECTUAL MERIT: This project draws on the contextual theory of social identity threat to 1) examine how the features and structures of STEM settings serve as cues to women about how they might be valued and treated in STEM settings, and 2) investigate the mechanisms by which situational cues influence women's interests, aspirations, persistence, and performance in STEM. The proposed project involves 2 phases. Phase 1 consists of a 3-year longitudinal and experience-sampling study of women and men in 3 theoretically informative college contexts: (a) a large, public university (University of Illinois, Chicago), (b) a women?s college (Mills College), and (c) a polytechnic university (California State Polytechnic University). With the public university serving as an ecologically-valid comparison group, the researchers will investigate several situational cues (e.g., numerical representation, gender of professors, explicit institutional values of women and/or STEM, etc.) to identify the ones that most impact women's STEM outcomes. This work assesses critical time periods in students' college careers (years 1-3) when they appraise the cues in their new environments, decide upon a major, take major-related courses, and select career options. The data are analyzed using HLM techniques.Phase 2 consists of six experimental laboratory studies that investigate the causal mechanisms by which cues affect women's STEM outcomes. In particular, they test whether the orientations that academic institutions adopt towards STEM abilities and learning moderate the extent to which situational cues affect women's STEM outcomes. Two sets of institutional orientations, drawn from the literature, are investigated: (a) fixed v. malleable lay-theories of STEM ability, and (b) competitive v. cooperative orientations. Because STEM settings are complex and likely to contain more than one situational cue, the experiments will investigate these orientations within the context of other cues known to negatively affect women in STEM (e.g., numerical under-representation, gender-segregation, and the congruence between an individual's and an institution's orientation). It is hypothesized that institutional orientations that facilitate effort and persistence while guarding against performance concerns--namely malleable (v. fixed) theories of STEM abilities and a cooperative (v. competitive) environment--will ameliorate the negative effects of under-representation and gender segregation on women's STEM outcomes. Data are analyzed using ANOVA and linear regression techniques that allow for tests of causal mechanisms. BROADER IMPACTS: The project offers direct examinations of how situational cues influence women's interests, aspirations, persistence, and performance in STEM. This work has potential to illuminate aspects of STEM settings that negatively influence women's STEM outcomes and provide specific, concrete, and easily adaptable strategies that can be used in STEM classrooms and to train STEM faculty and students. By providing strategies for both institutions and individuals, this work is poised to provide insight into how equitable and inviting STEM environments can be created. The findings will be actively disseminated in psychology and education journals and at national conferences. A website will also be developed to enable broader dissemination. In addition, the findings will be actively shared with STEM educators at both the high school and university levels. The project fosters the integration of research and education as undergraduate and graduate research assistants are involved at every stage. Women and members of underrepresented groups will be recruited as undergraduate and graduate research assistants.