Reducing Barriers to Gender Equity in STEM Fields by Reducing Stereotype Threats

描述(由申请者提供)：本申请涉及广泛的挑战领域(12)科学、技术、工程和数学教育(STEM)和具体的挑战主题，12-OD-105：确定在STEM学习中克服公平问题的做法。尽管在过去30年里取得了进展，但妇女在科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)领域的代表性仍然不足。与许多侧重于生物学或社会化因素解释妇女在STEM领域代表性不足的解释不同，刻板印象威胁的概念--广义上定义为对确认对一个群体的负面刻板印象的担忧--是一种途径，有助于理解环境因素如何导致妇女在STEM任务中表现出低于她们的潜力，并报告对STEM职业的兴趣下降。建议的研究方案使用刻板印象威胁理论的最新进展，包括多个定性不同的刻板印象威胁的框架，以评估和测试自我肯定作为刻板印象威胁干预。虽然自我肯定被证明可以减少刻板印象威胁的负面影响，但这可能只适用于以自我为重点的刻板印象威胁(即对一个人的表现反映出自己的个人能力的担忧)。相比之下，以群体为目标的陈规定型威胁(即对一个人的表现反映妇女能力的担忧)可能需要得到群体的肯定。理论上，拟议的研究将推动刻板印象威胁理论的发展，特别是在干预方面。务实地，拟议的研究将使干预者了解一些刻板印象的威胁干预措施的有限范围。更重要的是，它将展示考虑多种不同的陈规定型威胁对设计、制定和实施强有力的、理论驱动的减少陈规定型威胁干预措施的效用，以支持妇女在STEM职业生涯中的招聘、保留、重新进入和提升。 与公共健康相关：刻板印象威胁--广义上定义为对确认对其群体的负面刻板印象的担忧--确定了情景因素(例如，女性在工作场所的比例)如何导致女性在科学、技术、工程和数学领域表现不佳和代表性不足，此外还增加了女性遭受负面健康后果的可能性，如普遍焦虑、血压和沮丧情绪增加。拟议项目的成功完成将为制定有效的干预方案提供重要证据，这些方案旨在消除性别/性别差异，促进妇女在科学、技术、工程和数学领域的职业生涯，并提高妇女的总体健康和福祉。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application addresses broad Challenge Area (12) Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education (STEM) and specific Challenge Topic, 12-OD-105: Identification of practices that overcome equity issues in STEM learning. Although there has been progress over the past 30 years, women are still under-represented in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields. In contrast to many explanations that focus on biological or socialization factors for why women are under-represented in STEM fields, the concept of stereotype threat-defined broadly as a concern about confirming a negative stereotype about one's group-is an avenue for understanding how situational factors cause women both to perform below their potential on STEM tasks and report a decreased interest in STEM careers. The proposed program of research uses recent advances in stereotype threat theory, including a framework of multiple, qualitatively distinct stereotype threats, to evaluate and test self-affirmation as a stereotype threat intervention. Although self-affirmation has been shown to reduce the negative effects of stereotype threat, this may only be true for stereotype threats with the self as the focus of the threat (i.e., concerns about one's performance reflecting on one's own personal abilities). In contrast, group-as-target stereotype threats (i.e., concerns about one's performance reflecting on women's abilities) may require group-affirmations. Theoretically, the proposed studies will advance stereotype threat theory, in particular in terms of intervention. Pragmatically, the proposed studies will inform interventionists of the limited scope of some stereotype threat interventions. More importantly, it will demonstrate the utility of considering multiple, distinct, stereotype threats for designing, developing, and implementing strong, theoretically-driven stereotype threat-reducing interventions to support recruitment, retention, re-entry, and advancement of women in STEM careers. Public Health Relevance: Stereotype threat-defined broadly as a concern about confirming a negative stereotype about one's group- identifies how situational factors (e.g., proportion of women in one's workplace) lead to under-performance and under-representation of women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, in addition to increasing the likelihood that women will suffer negative health consequences such as increased general anxiety, blood pressure, and feelings of dejection. The successful completion of the proposed project will provide important evidence for the development of effective intervention programs designed to eliminate sex/gender disparities; promote the careers of women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math fields; and increase the general health and well-being of women.